Cleaning your home is a chore many of like to put off until the last possible moment but did you know that there may be cleaning rituals that you may be doing that may be harming certain areas? With all this time we have on our hands it seems like it might be a good idea to really check out some of our routines and see where we can improve in some ways. Here are some myths that you may have been partaking in that are just completely false. Maybe you can see yourself in some of these house cleaning myths.
With all the talk about COVID-19 and how to get rid of the virus on surfaces a lot has been said about bleach and its effectiveness to kill the virus. The myth concerning bleach is that it is a cleaner. Bleach is a disinfectant and will not actually clean the surface. Your best bet is to use a cleaner that will lift up the dirt from the surface before you try to use the bleach. A good example would be if you had mud on your hands and you tried to clean them with a hand sanitizer. It is just not how the product is supposed to be used. So use a good quality cleanser on surfaces and then use a diluted bleach solution that can stay on the surface to disinfect it.
Washing machines are inherently a source of confusion. One myth associated with them is that they are “self-cleaning” and that they don’t need any TLC. That is just crazy talk. It is important that you run the cleaning cycle once a month. Set a reminder on your phone that will completely annoy you until you do it. If your machine does not have a cleaning cycle you can simply run a regular cycle with ½ to 1 cup of vinegar and 1 cup of baking soda. Another myth surrounding washing machines is the temperature of the water that is best to use. It is really the detergent that determines the cleanliness of clothes so that means that cold water is just as effective as warm. Cold water is also more energy efficient and that will save you money in the long run.
Chores in the kitchen bring with it a few myths that can be busted. For one do not use coffee grounds in your garbage disposal. It doesn't do anyone any good and can actually cause a blockage that will mean a possible call to a plumber. The easiest way to freshen up your disposal is to use lemon, lime or grapefruit peels along with some warm water or even more simply some baking soda and warm water. Another myth centers around hand washing dishes as opposed to using the dishwasher. Dishwasher wins the day every time. A dishwasher can use much higher temperature to clean the dishes and often has a drying mode that can sanitize the dishes. The myth that a mop just pushes dirt around is somewhat true if you have a less than quality mop head. Invest in a good quality microfiber one and it will do the job. Although a lot of people use the wet wipes to clean the floor more often nothing compares to a good manual cleaning of a kitchen floor.
The living room has its own myths to deal with. One popular one probably made up to get out of doing one's chores is that vacuuming too much is a bad thing. While you don't want to be constantly vacuuming delicate rugs, normal carpet gets dirt and dust ground in often and it needs to be dealt with regularly. Another common misconception is that wood needs to be polished every time you clean it and that is just not true. This can lead to a waxy build up on your furniture. A damp microfiber cloth really can do the job when it comes to your wood surfaces.
Hopefully this clears up some confusion and helps you when it comes to some common chores that we all find ourselves doing to fill up our days as we deal with some extra free time.
