It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that, so long as there are no obvious signs of dirt and mess, then our homes are clean, organized, and overall good for us.
But that’s not always the case. While taking care of surface-level cleaning and tidying will boost the visual appeal of your home, there’s every chance that other aspects of your property and your day-to-day actions are contributing to an unclean and even unhealthy environment.
In this post, we’ll run through a few factors that may be subtly degrading the cleanliness and health of your home. Happily, all of them are pretty easy to rectify, so take action today, and your home will be as clean as can be in no time.
You’re Keeping Your Shoes On
Whether a person keeps their shoes on when they enter their home or not mostly depends on the culture in which they were raised. If you grew up in the United States, then it’s likely that you keep your shoes on when coming in from the outside.
But there are good reasons to take a lesson from other cultures around the world, and remove your shoes at the entranceway of your home. Keeping your shoes on can bring dirt, debris, and germs into your home — precisely the things that you’re trying to keep away from the interior part of your house.
You might not bring in germs that cause an illness, but you might. The safe — and also easy — approach is to simply remove your footwear, and ask anyone else who enters your home to do so too.
You’re Not Cleaning Hard-to-Reach Places
You wouldn’t leave dust to accumulate on your desk and then say that you have a clean house. And yet, some homes have plenty of dust — it’s just that it’s not as obvious to see it as it is in other areas. For example, you’re likely sweeping up dust and dirt that’s on your bedroom floor, but what about sweeping the area underneath your bed? That dust that you’ll find there will have the same impact on your air quality as the dust you’ll find anywhere else. The same applies to behind couches, under furniture, and basically anywhere that’s concealed but also exposed.
You Assume Your Washing Machine Is Clean
Most people assume that their washing machine is clean because, well, cleaning is its job. However, while your clothes might come out clean, the dirt and debris that have been removed have to go somewhere — and oftentimes, it stays right there in the washing machine. A little bit of dirt and bacteria might not seem like anything to worry about, but they’ll build up over time, working to create an unclean space that not only compromises the hygiene of your property but also makes it difficult for the machine to clean your home properly. Washing machine cleaner tablets can help to remove grime and residue, and they’ll even help enhance the performance of the machine, too. For the best results, simply pop a tablet into the washing machine once every 2 – 3 weeks.
You’re Not Cleaning Your Trash Cans
You wouldn‘t leave a trash bag just sitting there for months on end. You’d know pretty quickly that it was unhygienic! However, many homeowners do leave their trash sitting there, just not in a bag. In an ideal world, all of your trash would go directly into the bag, but that’s not always the case, especially if you have small children who haven’t yet fully grasped the concept of total cleanliness. Even if you do get everything in the trash bag, there’s always a chance that some liquid will pass through and end up at the bottom of the trash can.
Quickly cleaning your trash cans each week can help prevent the buildup of dirt and grime. Remember, even small amounts of trash-can-unpleasantness can attract pests!
You Ignore Your Door Handles and Light Switches
You can understand why people don’t clean their door handles and light switches. After all, they’re easy to overlook. They’re pretty isolated, and people only tend to clean things that make obvious sense. You’d clean your bedside table because you interact with it more, which means that you’re more likely to notice any dirt. Plus, you probably also feel that it should be clean.
Door handles and light switches, on the other hand, are different. You spend virtually no time interacting with them, so they’re easy to overlook. But think of it this way: you probably touch those parts of your home more than any other, which makes them a magnet for bacteria, especially if you have a busy household with many people coming and going. If a family member has a cold and touches a handle, it won’t take all that much for you to also fall ill! Make a habit of wiping down any handles and switches when you’re disinfecting; it might just prevent you from falling ill.
Your Pet’s Toys Are Everywhere
Having a pet is mostly good for your health. Having a dog, for instance, is an excellent way to stay in good physical condition. However, it would be wrong to say that your pet is totally good for your health, especially in your home. If your pets’ toys are everywhere, then it’s likely that your home isn’t quite as clean as it could be.
It’s a good idea to limit the areas in which your pet can use their toys. That’ll make it easier to clean up after they’ve finished. Buying machine-washable toys (and other materials) for your pet is also recommended. Remember: your dog will be putting their tongue in places you’d rather not touch yourself, but if they’re then putting their toys on your bed, then you’re effectively bringing them into your sleeping area.
Your Windows Are Always Closed
There are instances when you should keep your windows closed. For instance, if you’re hitting the hay during mosquito season, it’s best to keep them shut. The same goes for if you live in an area where crime is a factor.
In general, though, it’s best to take a ‘window-open’ approach to your property. There are plenty of underrated benefits that simply allowing fresh air into your home can bring. For one thing, it can help reduce the presence of air pollutants, such as mold spores. It can also be a healthy way to keep your home cool on summer days, and can even give you a healthy dose of vitamin D if the sunshine can directly hit your skin.
You Use Your Smartphone In The Bathroom
Is it normal that many of us use our smartphones when we’re in the bathroom? No. Is it understandable? Sure. However, it’s worthwhile overriding the temptation to take your smartphone into the bathroom with you. After all, if there’s an unhygienic part of your property, it’s the bathroom, and those germs can quickly find their way to your phone, leading to them quickly spreading to other parts of your home.
And on that note, learn how to clean your smartphone properly. It’s holding a lot more germs than you might think!
You’re Always Online
Your smartphone can damage your home’s health-boosting credentials in other ways, too. Spending too much time scrolling can be bad for your mental health, while the physical component — you’ll typically be lying on your couch while you scroll — isn’t much better.
A healthy home is one that encourages you to follow healthy habits. One way to do this is to set limits on how much you can spend online when at home. Could you have a “no internet” policy that kicks in after 7 pm, for instance? During that time, you can do things that are much better for your overall health, including meditating, yoga, a quick workout, or winding down so that you can get a full night’s sleep.
Your Kitchen Isn’t Inviting
Being at your physical best is dependent on eating well, and eating well is dependent on whipping up healthy meals. Alas, some homeowners struggle to do this not because they’re bad at cooking, but because the space in which they have to do it — the kitchen — simply isn’t inviting. You’ll find that you’re much more inclined to spend an hour in the kitchen if it’s a well-designed, well-maintained space, and you’ll also be more likely to keep it sparkling clean, too.
Your Windows Are Ignored
As with door handles and light switches, it’s easy to overlook the cleanliness of your windows, especially ones that are in hard-to-clean locations. However, the cleanliness of your windows really will have an impact on your property. For one thing, dirty windows just subtly make a house look a little unkempt. Plus, they’ll impact your enjoyment of your home in another way, too. It’s much more difficult to pass through windows that are dirty. Commit to cleaning your windows every two to three months, and you’ll be gently improving the cleanliness of your home while also boosting the amount of natural light it receives.
