Even if you’re reasonably consistent about cleaning your home daily or weekly, there are likely to be dozens of areas that need attention if you want your home to look, smell, and be truly clean. A good trick for finding all the right nooks and crannies to clean is to borrow a page from a grammarian’s playbook and think in terms of prepositions. For example:
Above. Grab a stepping stool or small foot ladder to rise above your typical line of sight. There you will likely find plenty of accumulated dust and grime on light fixtures; curtain rods; ceiling fans; mantels; crown moldings, and atop kitchen cabinets and window and door frames.
Behind and underneath. Key places to vacuum and/or dust both behind and underneath include: your refrigerator (vacuum both coils and in and around the compressor to ensure max cooling efficiency); stove and clothes dryer (unplug and move only if electric); toilet tanks; TV/VCR/DVR and cable boxes; speakers and other audio gear; computers, printers, scanners; furniture cushions; beds; and any furniture that sits right up against a wall.
Upon. Cleaning PROs prefer microfiber dusters—which, by virtue of having a negative electric charge, actively capture and remove dust from the many things that sit upon all the tables, shelves, counters, mantels, window sills, and other surfaces that add structure to your home. This includes: lamps/lampshades, knick knacks, books (there’s a very good reason these come wrapped in ‘dust jackets’), magazines, CDs, DVDs, and other media, picture frames, and candles. And, don’t forget to give your houseplants a proper dust and shine on occasion too!
Inside. All the places inside of which you store things—cabinets, drawers, closets, bins—are often neglected in daily and weekly cleaning routines. Taking everything out and cleaning inside of such spaces creates a great opportunity for sorting, purging, and reorganizing the contents as well. Other inside spaces that need occasional cleaning include: your oven (plus removable drip pans and racks), cook vents (remove and clean filters), window/wall air conditioning units (remove and clean filters), air vents (replace filters), dishwasher, washing machine, trash bins, and refrigerator.
If all that sounds daunting, pick just one ‘nook-and-cranny’ project to add to each daily or weekly cleaning routine, and check out our guide on how often things should really be cleaned. Or, call in a PRO team for a thorough deep clean!
