Stop right there before you start cleaning! You could be making a mistake! How do we know that? Truth be told, cleaning mistakes are hugely common. Some people go an entire lifetime making them without even realizing it. The good news is, you don’t have to be one of them. All it takes is for someone to point out to you what you’re doing wrong. Then, you can take that onboard the next time you clean the house, and make sure you do it to perfection. So join us as we explore the most common cleaning mistakes while letting you know how to avoid them. These tips and tricks may well be a game changer for you when it comes to house cleaning!
1. Using the wrong cleaning product
This has to be among the most common mistakes by miles. Too often, people look at cleaning products and think they’re okay to use on any kind of surface, but that’s a huge error! Certain products are made for specific surfaces, and when used in the wrong place, they can do a lot of damage,
How to avoid it:
Read labels: This advice is as simple as it gets. Check the labels of your product to see if it’s the right product for the surface in question.
Get a special cleaner: When you know what kind of surface you want to clean, get the right product for it. For example, if you want to clean a greasy kitchen, get El Milagrito’s degreaser!
2. Wiping surfaces too quickly
What do we mean by this? Well, if you spray a surface in your home with the right product, you should always let it sit there for a few minutes. If you lose patience, grab a cloth and start wiping the surface immediately, simply put, it won’t clean as well.
How to avoid it:
Read instructions: The bottle of the product should tell you how long to let it sit for.
Be patient: Give your cleaning product time. Usually, this means just a few minutes, then you can grab your cloth and wipe with ease.
3. Using unclean supplies
If you’re using a cloth or a sponge, a typical mistake is to use one that hasn’t been cleaned since the last time it was used. This means you could simply be rubbing dirt back onto the surface you’re trying to clean, even if it’s a small amount.
How to avoid it:
Wash or replace: Use new cloths and sponges, or wash your old ones after using them. Cloths can be washed in the washing machine, while sponges must be rinsed repeatedly in the sink.
Multiple tools: It also helps to have separate cloths and sponges for separate areas or surfaces in the house. That way, you avoid reusing the same one as the dirt accumulates.
4. Forgetting high-touch areas
There are certain areas, and objects, throughout the house that we touch all the time. These include door handles, remote controls, tables, and light switches. It’s essential to clean these areas too, even though doing so is so often ignored or forgotten.
How to avoid it:
Make a checklist: Just like you would do with a shopping list, write a list of all the high-touch areas in your home, and tick them off as you clean them, leaving no dirt behind.
Use disinfectant: You should disinfect these areas on a regular basis to stop the build-up of germs which can potentially make people sick or spread illnesses.
5. Cleaning Windows on a Sunny Day
Is this a mistake? Absolutely yes! Here’s why. If you clean windows on a sunny day, the liquid dries too quickly and leaves your windows stained with streaks. Nobody wants that!
How to avoid it:
Clean when it’s cloudy: It sounds simple and it is, but cleaning on a cloudy day is ideal if you want to see crystal-clear windows with no marks left on them.
Improve your tools: Using a microfiber drying cloth reduces the chances of staining.