During the first several months of home ownership, I received a few surprises of places I, well, just didn’t think to clean – until I realized how dirty they could get.
After I recovered from the shock, I started keeping track of places to remember to clean every so often. Here is a glimpse into that list:
Under the stove hood.
Not too long after we moved in, I found this out when I discovered a sticky surprise as I went to change the light bulb. Yuck! I think the previous owner liked to fry a lot of food!
Depending on what you’re cooking, up under the stove hood is probably getting a little sticky and icky if you haven’t cleaned it lately. The best way to clean would be with a botanical or homemade all-purpose cleaner. I try to use botanical cleaners without any harmful chemicals when I’m cleaning anywhere near food prep areas.
Window ledges.
I’m not just talking about inside. I’m also referring to the space in-between the screen and glass, and all the cracks and crevices around the window. There was a bunch of dirt caked in to these spots when I did my “deep cleaning.”
Closet door and floors.
The normally visible flooring seems to get all the love. Every so often, it’s a good idea to clear out the closet and give the floors, door, and walls a good scrub.
Behind and under appliances and furniture.
I hate to go here, but sometimes it’s just necessary. Dust and more dust is usually waiting, but you’ll be glad when it’s done.
Vents.
These things easily go unnoticed and can quickly get blanketed in dust. A duster should do most of the job, but a toothbrush might be helpful as well.
Under the bed.
When we moved out of the apartment right after we got married, I was shocked as to how much dust and dog hair was under the bed! I learned then and there that I need to vacuum under the bed too!
There are usually a few nooks and crannies throughout the house that get a little neglected in the cleaning department. Only because they are things that don’t need daily, weekly, or even monthly attention and tend to be “Out of sight, out of mind.”
What would you add to the list – places that you’ve found that get overlooked during cleaning?
The backs of doors and the tops of canniness ( for those that don’t go to the ceiling are places I found. Oh yeah and the ceiling fan…ours is always running so you don’t see the build up until the power is out so once a month I turn it off now and take an old pillowcase (now only used for the fans) and clean it.
Very true! Ceiling fans are easily missed, and before you know it, piled with dust! That’s a great idea about the pillow case, I know I just saw that idea recently.
I enjoyed meeting you tonight at the Blogelina party! One thing I discovered about the closets in our old house was that the previous owners had not painted them when they repainted everything else. They still had a very cheap, flat paint on the walls, so that every little mark showed. Especially in the coat closet. It was amazing what a coat of fresh (NOT flat) paint did!
As for actually cleaning, it always amazes me how dusty it gets around our computers and other electronics!
I enjoyed meeting you too!
The paint in our closets is terrible! We moved in April and I’m slowly trying to repaint them, along with other rooms in the house.
Great point with the dust around the computers – they recently moved my desk at work and I was shocked at how dusty it was!
This is so true. Baseboards and trashcans are also culprits for harboring dirt and allergens.
Yes, they sure are! Thanks for visiting! 🙂
Great ideas! I have to admit that I forget some of these so I love this list. Thanks for sharing!
I often forget to clean under the stove hood. That’s my big one. I’m pretty at remembering the heat vents, mainly because I have a child and cats that like to put things in them. lol
(visiting from Frugal Fridays)
I agree with all of those…especially the windows. You never notice how dirty the ledges are until you open them! Stopping by from Saturday Sharefest 🙂
So true! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Oohh…Vents is a good one. I don’t ever think of that. Thanks for the list.
#sitsblogging
So true.
I really need to do the vents more often.
I always forget to clean the underside of the stove hood and it gets so sticky by the time I do remember it! This as a great list! Thanks for sharing!
I’m so glad that I found this article. Seems like I have missed some spots. So I better get back to cleaning. Thank you for sharing 🙂