Every master has his or her own little trick, as they say, and when it comes to household cleaning, there's no written law on how to do it perfectly.
Depending on your skills, the amount of time you have or the distribution of all your belongings, as well as the equipment you choose to do the job, you will have more or less ease in getting through a good mess.
In this cleaning ritual, there are also priorities or specialties. Some will be better at bathing, others at dusting. However, dirt is everywhere and it is worth paying special attention to every nook and cranny, no matter how small. In this regard, there are specific objects and places that we don't always notice that are a hotbed of dirt that needs to be cleaned.
The Coffee Pot
If we get up every morning and the first thing we make is coffee, we may forget to clean the coffee maker often, because obviously we run water through it every morning or every time we use it. But in reality, there are enough germs in this particular household item that we should be concerned about scrubbing it every day. A study by the National Sanitation and Safety Foundation (NSF) found up to 67 different types of germs inside the tested coffee machines.
Vacuum your mattress every time you wash the sheets, and if it's too old, change it.
It seems that bacteria like caffeine as much as you do, and although tap water has antibacterial components (due to its mineral composition), it fails to kill most germs during the boiling process that takes place inside. On the other hand, if you don't clean it often, it will lose its functionality, as the minerals in the water produce scale that accumulates in its cavity. That's why experts recommend washing it thoroughly at least once every three months. For capsule machines, once every 100 units.
The mattress
Everyone knows that you should wash your sheets at least once a fortnight, or even more often depending on the time of year. But few people think about the mattress, that object that takes up so much space and is therefore so likely to harbor germs and microbes. To give you an idea, the human body produces about 1.5 grams of dead skin per day, which means that a large part of it ends up in the mattress.
Dead skin, dust and sweat provide a breeding ground for dust mites and bacteria. How do you remove these dirt particles? The same way you clean a carpet: vacuum the sheets every time you wash them and, if the mattress is very old, change it when it is more than ten years old.
Shopping Bags
Okay, we've come a long way in the fight against climate change by choosing to take reusable plastic or cloth bags to the supermarket. However, we rarely think about their cleanliness when they come in contact with all sorts of germs present both in supermarkets and in our homes.
There are more than 362 types of bacteria on our scrubbing sponge, far more than in the toilet.
“These bags contain more traces of fecal matter and bacteria such as E. coli than our underwear,” says microbiologist Charles P. Gerba. “If you use these same bags to carry meat products or raw vegetables, they can easily turn into a salmonella salad. To avoid this, it's best to hand wash them from time to time.
The scouring sponge
Of course, since scouring sponges are in constant contact with dishwashing liquid, you'd think they'd be perfectly sanitized and wouldn't need to be washed. A study from the University of Furtwangen in Germany has challenged that, showing that there are more germs and harmful bacteria on these utensils than in the sink itself. Specifically, the study found more than 362 types of bacteria, which is more than what you'd find in a bathroom. Why? Humidity facilitates the reproduction of microscopic agents. To avoid this, it's best to wash them with bleach or chlorine at least once a week.
