10 Rarely Cleaned Places That Could Use Your Attention

  When you bought your first home, did anyone warn you how much upkeep it would require? Replace that, repair this, and clean, clean, clean – which is a battle you’ll never win because things get dirty again. And if you look around, you can always find new places to clean! As a Maryland cleaning company, we understand your struggle. That’s why one of our goals is to help you free up your time by taking over some of your cleaning duties. You can probably do the weekly vacuuming and dusting by yourself, but when it comes to these rarely touched areas, we’ll be happy to lend a hand.

1. Carpet Edging

Ever notice those black lines along the edges of carpet near baseboards and under doorways? Your carpet acts as a filter and the air passing through its fibers in these tight spaces can cause these black filter lines to develop slowly over time. Detailed “edging” of your carpets with a special edging tool can help ward off the rapid development of these black filter lines that eventually become stains that are not easily removed. Immaculate Clean will focus on the edging of carpets during our Deep Cleaning Service.

2. Stove Burners

If you cook frequently, your gas stove could use a weekly wiping. This includes taking off the burner grates and cleaning underneath. If you are a messy cook, your stove-top might also have some debris and caked-on food directly around and under the burners. Depending on the type of stove you have, this may require some dis-assembly. Fortunately, most modern stoves were designed with such maintenance in mind and allow you to lift up the stove top like a car hood. This makes it much easier to get underneath. Bonus tip: clean spills and messes as they happen or before you use the stove again—heat causes stains to harden and penetrate deeper into surfaces.

3. Behind the Toilet

Let’s be honest here, the space behind the toilet is one of the worst to clean. It smells bad, it’s covered in dust, lint and hair, and it’s difficult to reach without basically hugging the toilet. That’s especially true if your toilet is in the corner and is blocked off by walls, a shower or a vanity on both sides. You probably somewhat clean behind the toilet when you mop your bathroom floor, but you know it could use a better cleaning and disinfecting than that!

4. Behind and Under the Fridge

So your fridge goes out or you get a new one, and the installer comes in to hook it up. He pulls your old fridge off the wall and you both stare embarrassingly at a dusty mess, a few century-old raisins (wait, are you sure those are raisins?), and long-lost cat toys. No wonder your old fridge broke—it had no room for air circulation with all this dust and dirt underneath! To avoid this unpleasant situation, regular cleaning or at least vacuuming under the fridge is necessary.

5. Sliding Window Tracks

If you like to keep your windows open, there are all sorts of things that can get in. There is dust, pollen, bits of cut grass, and even though you have screens, wasps and ladybugs somehow make it through. All of these things eventually end up in your sliding window tracks, which gradually turn black from dust and are riddled with dried-up bugs. Cleaning window tracks thoroughly can be a big pain due to their shape and construction. It’s best to wipe them frequently to avoid dealing with a bug cemetery later.

6. Behind the TV

Well, everyone is looking AT the TV, so no one sees what’s BEHIND it, right? It’s solid logic, but it’s no excuse to skip that area when you clean. Dust and electronics generally don’t go good together, so the cleaner the environment around, the longer your appliance will last. Cleaning the back of and behind the TV may be inconvenient, especially if your TV is in a built-in or an armoire, but it should be done.

7. Inside Light Fixtures

Speaking of bug cemeteries, have you looked inside your light fixtures? We are mainly talking about those upward-facing lights like most floor lamps, some wall sconces and certain ceiling lights. They are like magnets for insects! If you haven’t cleaned them in a while and emptied out all the dead bugs, you are in for an unpleasant surprise when you blindly reach out to unscrew the failed light bulb (yuk!).

8. Around the Kitchen Trash Can

When you are running around the kitchen like crazy, keeping an eye on several pots and cutting up veggies at the same time, it’s cooking mode! And in cooking mode, food debris doesn’t always make it to the trash can. This means over time your trash can and the space around it become covered in tomato sauce stains, onion peels and whatever else you discard. Not only is this the opposite of clean, but it can also create an ant problem. Cleaning around the kitchen trash can should definitely be on your weekly list.

9. Light Switches and Door Handles

When it comes to light switches and door handles, it’s easy to forget that they need cleaning too. We touch them every day, so there’s no time for dust to pile up. And if there’s no dust, they are clean, right? Not exactly. Light switches, door knobs and cabinet pulls are some of the dirtiest places in your house due to how many germs they collect after we touch them with dirty hands. Wipe them with disinfecting wipes regularly, especially if anyone in your home is sick.

10. Toothbrush Holder

Do you have an enclosed toothbrush holder? Have you ever looked inside? Once you set your tooth brush in it, the remaining water and tooth paste residue trickles down the handle and collects at the bottom of the holder. Due to poor ventilation, this may lead to a slimy mess and even mold. And you don’t want mold anywhere near your toothbrush, so check on it and clean it out every so often. Need help maintaining all these places clean and germ-free? Ask us about our deep cleaning services. We can customize the schedule and the cleaning list to meet your specific needs!

---