Top 7 Gross Things You Didn’t Know You Needed To Clean

There are a lot of standard things that everyone knows they need to clean like dishes, clothes and the floor. But there are a lot of places that most never clean and it can lead to some health problems. From spreading germs to allergies, these little nooks are often overlooked when cleaning time comes. Here are the top seven gross places to clean that you might be overlooking.

Inside The Faucet

When I was a teen, I remember walking into the bathroom to see my mom unscrewing the faucet spout every few months. What she pulled out always horrified me. After removing the outer circle, she’s pull out the filter and attached to it was also a long string of what looked like dark green/black algae that looked like it belonged in a lake. Talk about a major EWWWWWW-fest. We always assume that our water is clean, but if it’s passing past algae like that, it’s not as pure as we want to think. Luckily, this is an easy clean. Just unscrew the the silver circle of the faucet and pull off the screen (you can always look up how to do this for your sink) then be grossed out for a second before tossing that mess into the trash, cloroxing the metal and then replacing it and turning the sink on the rinse the chemicals away. This can and should be done for both the bathroom and kitchen sinks.

Drains

So much goes down the drain from hair to chemicals to food. Giving your drain a quick clean with either hard core chemicals or more natural methods such as vinegar and baking soda is a great way to keep your drains from clogging and keeping them in great shape. Not to mention it can eliminate odors, especially for the kitchen sink that has a disposal and create an overall cleaner environment.

Vents

There are several different vents that you should keep an eye on and clean. The first are your floor/ceiling vents. These metal contraptions are likely to gather dust and can lead to increased allergies as the air blows that dust into your home. Cleaning these usually just required a good spray down with the hose and drying in the sun. Also be aware of whether or not your vent has a filter. If it does, then make sure to remove this before washing down your vents and replace them at least once a year.

Bathroom vents are also important to take care of. These vents often have a filter that need to be replaced at least once a year. Like the floor/ceiling vents, this vent’s metal/plastic parts will need a good washing. If you’ve never seen how filthy they get, then it’s time to look it over. Cleaning these will not only allow the vents to work better, but will provide you with clean, no-dust air so you can cool off during the summer.

Fans

Fans collect a shocking amount of dust every few weeks. Some of it will be visible on the edges of the fan, but it’s worse on the side you don’t see. Wiping down your fans at least once a month will help prevent dust from being blown around and will make your home look a little nicer. This applies for both ceiling fans and mounted/standing/box fans.

Cupboards

Everything that splits, splatters or splashes in your kitchen is going to get onto your cupboards; and it’s usually very hard to see. If you don’t have kids, they don’t usually get too dirty, but with kids comes greater cleaning responsibilities. If you have kids, you should try and wipe down your cupboards every month or so. If you don’t have kids, wipe your cupboards down every 2-3 months. You’ll be surprised with how much gunk is stuck there.

Door Knobs

Warning: This may freak you out if you’re a germaphobe.

Imagine this, you just came back from the store. You’ve been touching gross grocery carts, food that at least 2 people have handled already, then your car doors and steering wheel (which I can bet has never been sanitized) and then you come home. You open you front door, wiping those germs from the store and car onto the door knob, then close the door. Imagine all the germs that are on your front door and then subsequently move to your other door handles. That’s why it’d be important to use a Clorox wipe on you door handles, especially after you or someone else in your family has been sick or you’ve been to a really germy place. And it’s just a good germ killing habit to do every few weeks.

Hand Rails/Banister

You should give this a good wipe down for many of the same reasons as door knobs. Banisters are a great place for germs to thrive and spread, especially if they’re never cleaned. Thank goodness they take under a minute to clean.

Are there any gross places that I missed? What are some things you always clean? Comment below with your thoughts and add anything you’d like to know more about!