Avoid These Bad Habits That Make Your Home Even Dirtier
Cleaning, for most people, is not their idea of a good time. This is routine work: we do something because we have to. And in our quest to clean up our to-do list as quickly as possible, we’ve likely come up with some strategies to help cut down on the amount of time and energy we have to spend on these tasks each week.
But there’s a good chance that not all of our methods and simplifications are the most efficient ways to get the job done. In fact, some can make our homes even dirtier than they were before we “cleaned up”. Here are some examples of bad habits that you should get rid of right now.
Bad cleaning habits to avoid
We may not consider cleaning a science, but that’s exactly what it is . And while no one should understand the chemistry, biology, and mechanics of all their household chores, it’s important to remember that doing what we might think of as “cleaning” can actually make our homes dirtier. Some examples of this include:
Overdo it with cleaning products
Using more product than you need will not speed things up or make your home cleaner. In fact, excess product can form a residue that attracts and traps dirt and dust, causing the surface to look worse than when the job was started.
Leaving the dust behind
Dusting surfaces in a room may seem like the finishing touch, but if you wait until you’ve vacuumed and cleaned the rest of the room, you’ll just be spreading dust, making the room dirty again . Instead, clean your room from top to bottom so you can vacuum (or mop) the floors last.
Use a dishwashing sponge to wipe down the rest of the kitchen
We’ve already talked about our feelings about sponges , including why you should never wipe kitchen counters and other surfaces with a bacteria-covered sponge that you use to wash dishes. The same applies to using one rag to clean an entire space. Or worse, start with a dirty, used rag. Ugh.
Overloading the dishwasher
If you’re lucky enough to have one, you should make sure you’re making the most of it. This includes not overloading the dishwasher , even if you do it for the best reasons, such as saving water. What actually happens is that when dishwashers are overloaded or loaded incorrectly, the mechanisms inside may not function as they were designed and the dishes may come out still dirty.