Knowing where the grimiest spots are in a home is half the battle when a deep spring clean is needed.
Many people think the germiest place in a house is the bathroom.
It’s not, said John Daus, managing director of The Maids franchise in southern Montgomery County, Maryland.
“It’s amazing the amount of stuff that comes off the floor,” he said. “It looks nice and shiny, but you go over it with a Swiffer and ugh.”
His crews recommend using a power head on vacuums to pick up dirt deep in carpets and using a wet cleaning solution on hardwood floors.
There are other overlooked surfaces that are just as grimy as the floor and often ignored during a spring clean.
It’s the doorknobs and light switches, Daus told WTOP.
“Right as you walk into a room, what gets touched the most? The doorknobs and light switches,” he said.
In the bathroom, concentrate cleaning efforts on the shower, especially the corners where mold and mildew can grow unnoticed for weeks.
“People usually clean the toilet,” Daus said. “But they don’t really look in the corners of the shower. It’s warm. It’s wet and that’s where things like to grow.”
A study conducted last month by SafeHome, a home safety nonprofit group, discovered that the shower pan and curtain can carry 60 times more bacteria than the toilet seat.
Daus advises using a cleaning product specifically for showers to wipe out mold and mildew.
Daus said many people tackle the grime they can see. But oftentimes, it’s the forgotten dirt and dust on small and medium surfaces like picture frames and tops of refrigerators that can thwart the most effective spring cleaning plan.
“They collect dust and pollen,” he said. “And then when you turn on the ceiling fan, it starts whipping around and spraying that stuff all over your room.”
In the kitchen, the stovetop requires extra attention and regular cleanings, as it is the grimiest. Blame constant cooking, Daus said.
“You’re cooking maybe two or three times a day and grease splatters, stuff spills,” he said. “That’s probably one of the toughest places.”
Daus recommends using an over-the-counter disinfecting cleanser that kills bacteria.
The laundry and mud rooms are two more spaces that harbor unnoticed grit. They’re the rooms that get the most germs tracked from outside, he said.
“We leave our shoes, jackets and backpacks in there,” he said. “And that floor is probably going to be one of the dirtiest floors.”
