Nowadays, cleanliness is of utmost importance to keep you and your family safe. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stresses the importance of cleaning and disinfecting homes to keep people safe from coronavirus. But cleanliness is not only for protecting yourself from COVID19; it protects you from acquiring other diseases; it also makes your home a better place to live in.
Housekeeping is also an important part of children’s development. The Public Broadcasting Service discusses the importance of household chores. It states that when a child is young, participating in chores can make him or her a better person. Chores give children a sense of purpose; they can take this with them until they grow old.
Thus, cleaning your home does not always have to be just a task. It can be an enjoyable and learning activity that you can do with your kids. It can also keep your entire family healthy.
Sometimes, it is a struggle though, especially when you’re struggling between keeping your home clean and performing in your job. Add to that the stress of combating hard-to-clean areas. Don’t worry, this guide will give you some tips to help you clean your home’s tough parts and surfaces. It focuses on two areas: the bathroom and the carpet.
The bathroom
“Show me your bathroom and I’ll tell you who you are.” One of my teachers used to always say this. Looking back, I think what she meant to say was when you see someone’s bathroom, you see what kind of person they are in terms of keeping their home clean.
Indeed, the bathroom is one of the toughest parts to clean in a home. Because it is always wet and lacks ventilation, there’s always mold and mildew; these can be found on the grout between bathroom tiles and shower curtain. To remove these dark spots in your shower curtains, there are some easy fixes.
If you have a nylon shower curtain, place it inside the washing machine. Before you do this though, check the label; check if it’s okay to put it in the machine. If it’s not allowed, just soak it in warm water mixed with one cup of detergent. You can also add in some bleach to remove the dark stains.
To get rid of hard-to-remove grout, mix one cup of bleach with four cups of water. Then, use this solution and brush the grout with a toothbrush; the toothbrush can be one of the old ones you are ready to dispose of. You can buy a mold spray and use it after gleaning your tiles. This spray can prevent spores from growing.
The University of Missouri Extension mentions that the best way to keep a clean bathroom is by preventing mold and mildew from growing. It states that air movement can help remove moisture in your bathroom; moisture is the culprit for mold and mildew growth. Therefore proper air circulation is necessary for your bathroom; you can do so by opening your bathroom window or placing an electric fan to keep the room properly ventilated.
Carpets
When you have a carpet in the living room, a play area, or your bedroom, it’s tempting to laze around and just lie on the carpeted floor. Yet, after a few days, carpets can easily collect dust and dirt.
Therefore, it is recommended to vacuum your carpet at least once a week. This is especially true when you have pets and kids as they may be more susceptible to transferring dirt from their hands to their mouths; this can lead to diseases. When there are spills and stains, it is advised to quickly clean it to prevent it from permanently staining.
To make sure that you have a clean carpet, it is recommended to hire a carpet cleaning company to assist you with deep cleaning. Should you wish to do the deep cleaning yourself, here are some tips you can do.
The first thing you need to do is to vacuum your carpet; doing so easily removes dirt. After that, you can proceed with removing carpet stains by using baking soda and salt. Make a one-to-one mixture of the two and sprinkle the mixture liberally on the carpet.
The next step is to spray the entire carpet with water. The idea is to dilute the baking soda and salt mixture, not to make the carpet sopping wet. Then brush the entire carpet, working the solution deep into the carpet fibers.
The last steps are to wipe, dry, and vacuum again. Make sure to wipe the carpet to remove dirt. Air-dry the carpet so it wouldn’t develop a bad odor, and when it’s dry, vacuum it again to remove some remaining salt and baking soda. If you did a good job, you can visually see and smell it.
There are a lot more cleaning guides you can search to clean your home. You may not be motivated to do so at times, but just remember that you are doing this for yourself and your family’s sake.
