9 Places in Your House That You Forget to Clean (But Shouldn’t)

Cleanliness goes by many names. For some, it’s an obsession; for a few, a form of relaxation; and for practical people, just another mundane daily task that needs to get done. Whatever you call it, we know there are some places in your house that you either just forget to clean or save for a later date – and the date never comes. We are sure the living room of your house must be spick and span, the countertops of your kitchen, spotless, and your bed must be made to perfection – but if you take a clearer look at (and around) your house, you’ll find several closed doors, sealed boxes, and unreachable spots caked with dust and grime. If you are in denial, let’s take you to those spots of your house, shall we?

9 Places in Your House That You Forget to Clean

Not everything is as clean as it appears to be! If you take a closer look at your home, you’ll notice many areas that wouldn’t mind being dusted, mopped, or in some cases, be rigorously and meticulously cleaned once in a while. Find out what these hard-to-reach places that you forget to clean are.

1. Under the Bed/Sofa

While sweeping and mopping the floor of the bedroom or living room, a lot of people tend to skip using the broom under the bed or sofas. Whether your forgetfulness to clean under the bed is because of the idea of ‘out of sight, out of mind’, or because of the childhood fear of finding a monster under the bed, it doesn’t matter. If those places are not cleaned once a week, we are sure that there won’t be any monster (nothing too scary) under there, but there’s sure to be a heap of dust and an intrusion of cockroaches. These places are a popular spot for dust and mites, so the next time you are in your bedroom, quickly clean under your bed.

How to Clean – Use a long broom to sweep the dust accumulated under the bed. You can use a long ceiling broom to clean under the centre of your bed.

2. Door Frames and Doorknobs

Doorknobs and door frames are often ignored places that are touched by all the members of the family countless times a day, but given the number of times we touch them, it’s surprising how little we think of cleaning them. While they may not appear dirty, they are hotspots for germs and bacteria. The next time you’re on your cleaning expedition, start with cleaning door knobs and doors.

How to Clean – Wipe doors and doorknobs with a clean cloth. Once in a while, you can even use a disinfectant to get rid of the hidden germs resting there.

3. Light Switches/Light Switch Plates

Similar to doorknobs and doors, light switches also need cleaning, because we know they don’t make it to your to-do-list of cleaning. You touch the light switches in each and every room of your house 10 times a day but never clean it. Delay no further. Once you clean the doors and door handles, prioritise light switches to get rid of dirt and grime build up.

How to Clean – To clean the board and switches, spray a bit of a cleaning solution onto a piece of cloth and gently rub down the switch. For better and quicker cleaning, use a microfibre cloth. For the hard-to-reach spots on the light switch plates, use a Q-tip – your switchboard will shine like new.

Note: Do not spray the cleaning solution directly on the light switch.

4. Under the Rug

Rugs come as a blessing when someone suddenly comes uninvited. If we notice something unsightly lying on the floor, we stealthily kick it under the rug before it’s noticed by our guests. Haven’t you done that? If yes, then by now there must be a dozen of those things lying under the rug. It’s time you lift that rug and show it the light of the day.

How to Clean – You don’t have to clean under the rug every single day; clean it fortnightly. Lift it and turn it around. Clean the underside of it with a vacuum cleaner, and let it soak up some sunlight, which will help get rid of the germs on it.

5. Windowsills and windows

You keep open the windows of your house to let in the sunlight and fresh air; however, what come along are dust, allergens, and insects. You notice the dirt settled on the glass of the windows but the dust on windowsills often go unnoticed. To clean your home to perfection, clean the windowsills too.

How to Clean – First things first – get rid of the dust and bugs from the sill using a vacuum cleaner. Next, spray a cleaning solution or a disinfectant on the area. Let it sit for a few minutes then wipe the area with a clean cloth. Also, use a Q-tip to clean the hard-to-reach spots.

6. Kitchen Cabinets and Drawers

You may have kept everything by order of size, preference, and need in your kitchen cabinets and drawers, but that may not imply that they are always clean. To an onlooker, it may seem organised, but you know the truth. In your hurry to keep everything in its right spot, you might ignore cleaning those spots. But it’s only fair (and important) that you clean the areas where you store your food and dishes, right?

How to Clean – Empty the drawers and cabinets by taking out all the utensils (expensive cutlery too), boxes of grains and spices, etc. Wipe the cabinets and drawers with a damp cloth. Keep them open and let dry, after which you can keep everything back in those shelves again.

7. Behind the Toilet

Nobody likes to clean the toilet, let alone behind the toilet. But it’s something you just have got to do. Cleaning the toilet seat and floor every week is essential, but so is cleaning behind the toilet seat or the flush. Of course, it’s hard to reach there, but if you don’t do it soon enough – there will be a build-up of dust and grime there, which would only increase the germs in your bathroom. So, clean it now.

How to Clean – You can use a vacuum cleaner to collect the dust behind the seat and flush and get rid of those dirty secrets once in a month. If you don’t have a vacuum cleaner, you can use a broom and get rid of the dust settled behind the seat.

8. Behind the Picture Frames

The proud pictures adorning the walls of your living room and bedroom, making you nostalgic, are often overlooked when it comes to cleaning them and the area behind them. But they need cleaning too, just like any other place or thing. The good thing is that you don’t have to clean them daily. Show them love once a week or fortnightly.

How to Clean – Take down the pictures from the wall and dust away lightly. Then, wipe the frames with a cloth. Remember to be careful while removing the pictures from the wall. You never know, a lizard might be waiting to greet you there!

9. Under the Oven/Microwave

We can tell whether you baked a cake or made dhoklas just by looking under the microwave placed on the counter of your kitchen. You clean the platform, but don’t remember to clean under the microwave; true, isn’t it? Get to cleaning now, because the crumbs of the food lying under the microwave may attract germs and flies and mar the aura of your kitchen.

How to Clean – If you haven’t cleaned under the microwave for a while now, you might have to be a little rigorous. Spray a cleaning solution or a mixture of water, vinegar, and baking soda under the microwave and let these ingredients do their job. Then scrape off the dirt and gunk, followed by wiping with a damp cloth.

We know these spots are often the ignored ones and we don’t judge you. In this fast-paced life, it must be hard for you to clean each and every spot of the house on a daily basis, and you don’t have to. Just make it a habit to clean these often-forgotten places once in a month. You don’t have to clean your house because guests are coming over – clean it because it is your home – your haven!

Also Read:

Must-Dos for Keeping a Clean House
Effective Cleaning Hacks Using Daily Household Things
Ways to Clean Kitchen Appliances