Your Kitchen Sink
The Dishwasher
Just like the washer, you may think that the dishwasher stays clean because of its detergent, but food and crumbs can get caked in the crevices of a dishwasher.
And just like the washer, the best way to clean the dishwasher is to add a cup of vinegar and run a hot cycle.
Steering Wheel
When we’re out and about, we don’t wash our hands as much as we should. People may even drive our cars, and all of this can leave a plethora of bacteria, dirt, and grime on our steering wheels.
Clean it once a week using a Lysol wipe. If you have a leather steering wheel, don’t forget to condition it to avoid cracking.
Your Kitchen Sponge
Doorknobs
Your hands touch everything, and then your hands touch doorknobs several times per day. All of that dirt and bacteria spreads to your doorknobs pretty easily.
This is especially so if you have children who don’t wash their hands regularly. It’s best to disinfect your doorknobs once per week.
Light Switches
Your Washer
Your Dryer
Remote Controls
Your Keyboard
The Carpet
Your Fridge
Couches and Chairs
Bathroom Mats
Makeup Brushes
Your Purse
Our purses end up with a million receipts and things we probably should have thrown away months ago. Well, when was the last time you actually cleaned your purse—not cleaned it out.
You can clean the interior fabric with a lint roller and some baby wipes. Once every few months is a good schedule to keep.
Towels
Towels can be reused in some situations, but not always. Most of us do a weekly load, but if towels are getting daily use, they ought to be thrown in the wash every three uses.
Hand towels should be washed daily or every other day at minimum as they get more frequent use and soak up leftover germs from recently-washed hands.
The Bottom of the Toilet
Hopefully, you’re already scrubbing your toilet at least once a week or every other week. But take a look at the bottom of your toilet, and you’ll most likely find a bunch of dust and other nasty surprises.
Thankfully, this part of the toilet doesn’t need to be cleaned as often as the rest, but it’s important to keep an eye on it and clean when needed.
Trashcans
Trashcans hold the nastiest stuff in our house, and that means they ought to have extra cleaning. While it’s the worst duty in the house, the trashcan should be thoroughly cleaned weekly at minimum.
Ideally, it should be cleaned every time the trash is taken out. Even a quick wipe down will help.
Your Phone
One of the dirtiest things you’ve ever touched is probably your phone. Think about how much you touch your phone. It may not surprise you that it can contain more bacteria than a toilet seat.
You can clean it with rubbing alcohol daily. You should also remove the case once a week and get all the gunk out.
Mattresses
We wash our bedding, pillows, and everything else, but what about the mattress? Many people never clean their mattress, but it can house everything from dead skin cells to dust mites.
Clean it once every six months with a vacuum and spot clean when necessary.
Pillows
Pillows can get really gross pretty quickly. It’s advised that all pillows should be thrown in the wash once every three to six months.
You can throw it into the washer, but it should be dried on lower heat to avoid any melting or damage to the interior. We still advise researching your pillow to avoid damaging the interior.
Hand Soap Dispensers
Shower Curtains
Shower curtains can attract mold, mildew, and soap scum pretty easily, which makes it one of the most important things to clean in your bathroom.
Most shower curtains can be thrown into the washer and hung back up to dry. Do this once a month or once every other month for a clean shower curtain!
Dishcloths
Grocery Carts
Grocery carts—we all use them, and they can be absolutely filthy. Most stores offer wipes to clean the handlebar. Take one of these wipes and give the bar a good cleaning.
We suggest buying smaller containers of Lysol wipes that fit in your purse just in case there aren’t any available at the store.
Shifter Knobs
Your Bedding
How often do you wash your sheets? Unless it’s once every two weeks, it could use a good cleaning. Think about all the oil and dead skin cells that can build up in the sheets!
If you have night sweats, or if you sweat a lot in general, you may want to increase it to once a week.
Your Earbuds and Earphones
Toothbrush Holder
We change our toothbrush, but what about where you put it? Every time the toilet is flushed, bacteria shoots up into the air, and that lands on everything in your bathroom.
Keep the toilet lid closed when flushing and clean your toothbrush holder once a week. A little soap and water will do the trick.