9 House Cleaning Tips to Sanitize Your Home

House Cleaning Tips to Keep Your Home Sanitary!

Keeping your house clean is an every day job. When trying to keep up a house cleaning routine things can get missed, especially things that should be disinfected on a regular basis. C’s Home & Office Management professional cleaning technicians have come across these 9 commonly missed household items. These items are not only regularly missed but also can be breeding grounds for germs.  C’s is committed to not only offering our expertise in the house cleaning industry but to help keep your home as safe as possible for your family and pets. Here are family safe remedies for disinfecting items that can be a breeding ground for germs.

1. Kitchen Sponge or Dish Rag

How often do you sanitize your sponge or wash your dish rag? How many dishes and dirty counters do you wash with the sponge in between? When you think about it they probably are covered in germs! To sanitize your sponge drop into a pot of boiling water, cover pot with lid and boil for 5 minutes. To save time you can use this cleaning tip: dampen your sponger and put it in the microwave for 3 minutes. This method kills more bacteria than microwaving, without the risk of the sponge catching fire! To disinfect dish rag add ½ cup – 1 cup of vinegar to a normal hot wash load.

2. Kitchen sink & drain

Everyone cleans their sink but how often do you clean your drain? Your sink might not be cleaned as often as needed either. To sanitize your sink properly scrub with baking soda after washing dishes. The sink drain is a trap for germs; periodically run hot water down the drain followed by ½ cup of baking soda and let it sit for a few minutes. Then pour a mixture of 1 cup of vinegar and 1 cup of very hot water. Use a drain plug to keep the reaction in the drain. Let sit for 5-10 minutes then follow with another flush of hot water. For garbage disposals you should use this cleaning tip regularly: Place half a lemon with a few ice cubes and run your disposal.
 

3. Light switches

How often do you turn your lights on and off daily, and how many times do you wash your hands before touching them? Your light switches could be covered in germs! To disinfect your light switches you can wipe them down with an alcohol wipe or with a disinfecting wipe. If you are using a disinfectant cleaner never spray directly onto the plate. To deep clean your light switched use this cleaning tip: Use a q-tip to get in the small nooks. 

4. Garbage Bins

The average American throws out their trash 1-3 times a week according to a reader survey taken by apartmenttherapy.com, that’s a lot of garbage. I wonder how many wash their trash bin after taking the trash out. It is recommended that garbage bins be washed once a week to prevent germ buildup. To wash your bins bring them out to your lawn or driveway, anywhere you wouldn’t mind getting soapy and wet. Squirt a quarter size amount of dish washing liquid into bin and spray with water, scrub if needed. Rinse and repeat until desired result is attained.

5. Coffee Tables

 Most people clean their coffee table once a week but does it need to be done more frequently? Your family comes home and goes to the living room to relax and put their feet up. Do they take their shoes off first? Throughout the day our feet pick up all kinds of bacteria. To keep your coffee table clean, sanitize it regularly. Vinegar and lemon juice are both natural disinfectant cleaners.

6. Telephone

The amount of use your phones get, including cell phones, it is to be expected that they get covered in germs. To clean most household phones use isopropyl alcohol dabbed on a clean cloth. This will kill most germs. The isopropyl alcohol will also work on cell phones that have a screen protector put on them. If there are any questions on whether or not to use this method consult the manufacturer of the phone.
 

7. Computer keyboard & mouse

To keep your family and office staff healthy regularly disinfecting your keyboard and mouse is a must. How much time do you spend on your computer? Studies have shown that keyboards contain more bacteria than toilet seats. To disinfect your mouse and keyboard first unplug them from the computer. Shake the keyboard upside down to get any dust or crumbs out of the keyboard. Using a slightly damp disinfecting cloth, a microfiber dampened with vinegar will do the trick; wipe down your keyboard and mouse. Be sure to follow with a dry cloth to absorb any moisture that is left behind.

8. Remote Control

How often is your remote included in your daily or even weekly cleaning routines? If your home is anything like mine, your remotes get used a lot. Be sure to disinfectant them as much as possible especially during the flu season. A simple microfiber cloth dampened with isopropyl alcohol will keep your remote clean of germs if wiped down regularly. If your remote has been neglected it may need a little more care. This article from the Huffington Post will get your remote back into tip top shape: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/18/how-to-disinfect-a-television-remote-control_n_1679886.html.

9. Salt & Pepper Shakers

With all the passing around the table it is no wonder that salt & pepper shakers contain the highest concentration of cold and flu viruses according to a study by the University of Virginia. To keep your family safe from germs your salt & pepper shakers should be wiped down weekly with isopropyl alcohol. When refilling they should be soaked in antibacterial soap, using a hair dryer to dry the inside will help the salt and pepper from sticking.