8 things you really should clean, but always forget about

When was the last time you cleaned the TV remote, vacuumed under your couch cushions or gave any thought to the nasties lurking behind the loo?

While we might think we’re keeping our houses in sparkling form, many of us are guilty of turning a blind eye to everything from the state of our dishwasher filters, to our ceiling fans, door handles and sponges.

Ask any professional cleaner what people tend to forget about, and the rap sheet can be reeled off at a moment’s notice.

Here are some of the most commonly neglected cleaning tasks – and some expert tips on how to tackle them.

TV remotes

“Nobody thinks to wipe down the TV remotes,” says Kerry Welfare, cleaning quality agent at Maid to Clean. “Next to your mobile phone, TV remotes are pretty covered with lots of nasties.”

Her tip? A quick once-over with some wet wipes. “They do a good job for the average person; you don’t need to go in deep like a cleaner would.”

Behind the toilet – and under the lid

Welfare says most people just clean the seat, the lid and the top of the cistern, but fail to get in behind the loo.

Many also forget to wipe under the seat, but unscrewing the locking nut can help with those hard-to-reach areas, says Welfare.

“A lot of people say, ‘Why does my toilet smell?’ Well, if they undid their toilet seat they’d see why.”

Ceiling fans

“Nobody wants to get up and clean ceiling fans so they generally don’t do it,” Welfare says.

“But there’s a little hack that we use, and that is to get an old pillow case and encase the blade with the pillow case and then wipe the dust off with the pillow case closed.”

This nifty trick loosens the bulk off the dust, but keeps it all enclosed. “Then you just do a damp wipe with a microfibre cloth.”  

Under the couch cushions

Sally Christou’s company, Sally’s Cleaning Service, looks after some of the Mornington Peninsula’s fanciest holiday homes.

In her 20 years in the industry, she’s noticed many people don’t give any thought to cleaning under their couch cushions, where mice, moths, dead flies, food and stray coins often like to hang out.

It’s an easy fix. “Just quickly lift up the cushions and give it a vacuum.”

The dishwasher filter

Dishwasher filters “really should get cleaned out at least once a week when using it full-on”, says Christou, who notes that a dirty filter can reduce a dishwasher’s effectiveness.

Thankfully, cleaning it is pretty easy. She suggests running the removable part of the filter under the kitchen tap to get rid of food particles. 

“Get a little brush – a toothbrush or a scrubby brush – and just give it a little scrub and put it back in,” she says. Simple.

Under the kitchen sink

This oft-neglected area “always becomes yuk”, Christou says.

“People tend to avoid that one for some reason, but you’ve got all your plumbing pipes … so that’s where all the rodents come up through.”

Give the front of the cupboard a wipe-down while you’re there.

Bedding

Don’t forget to regularly change your pillows, and clean your doonas after each season, Welfare says.

“You’re shedding skin, you’re sweating, you’re drooling and all other sorts of bodily secretions. And if you’ve got animals, there’s pet hair and dust, so that accumulates.”

Shower screens

These are not so easily forgotten, but common cleaning methods, such as using Windex and hot water, aren’t ideal, Christou says.

“Hot water actually dries too quickly and so it leaves smudges – basically, you don’t get a clean finish.”

She says you’re much better off using Morning Fresh dishwashing liquid and cold water, and giving the screens a scrub with a non-scratch scourer or shower brush.