Surprisingly Dirty Places in Your Home
We all have places in our homes we might forget to clean. For me, it’s the space underneath any heavy furniture. While my boyfriend and I vacuum our living room every week, the floorboards underneath the sofa are often left untouched. We recently realized the amount of dust that had piled up.
I asked CR writers and editors—who have written about how to clean the different corners of your home—what places can be surprisingly dirty. Here’s what they told me. Brace yourselves.
- Where Dirt Might Lirk: Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom Other Areas
- Best Cleaning Products of the Year
Kitchen
Garbage Disposal
Food residue can gum up the splash guard and walls of the garbage disposal, which can make your sink stink.
What to do: Use ice cubes, baking soda, lemon slices, and bleach to clean your disposal once a week. (Check here to see the exact steps.) You can also try this TikTok hack, which requires nothing but ice, according to writer Perry Santanachote, who can attest that it works.
Also, don’t use commercial garbage disposal cleaners, because some can be too corrosive.
See our reviews of the best glass cleaners, grout cleaners, and multipurpose cleaners, and learn how to choose healthier and more sustainable cleaning products.
Bathroom
Shower Drain
It can get clogged by hair and soap. And if you use your shower infrequently, larvae can develop in the drain, which can lead to flies in your bathroom, says CR home writer Keith Flamer, who dealt with this mysterious insect phenomenon while awaiting a shower renovation.
What to do: For clogs, you can try using a plunger first, and if that doesn’t work, give enzymatic cleaners a go. They’re usually a gentler alternative to the harsh chemicals found in many drain cleaning products. Here are two you might want to try.
For drain flies, you can try pouring hot water down the drain as a temporary fix. To eliminate them, use a foaming enzyme cleaner, which is more effective than bleach and less harmful to your pipes, says Ian Williams, technical service manager at the pest control company Orkin.
Showerhead
If you don’t clean your showerhead regularly with a cleanser, deposits can build up and clog it.
What to do: For a metal showerhead, put it in a pot filled with one part vinegar to eight parts water, bring it to a boil, and simmer for about 15 minutes. For a plastic showerhead, soak it in equal parts vinegar and hot water.
Scrub grout in your shower with a toothbrush dipped in a half-cup of bleach and a gallon of water, says Mary Farrell, a CR home writer who has written about how to clean every surface in your bathroom.
Bedroom
Bedding
Don’t forget those dreaded dust mites that can get on your pillows and mattress, Farrell says. Over time, dead skin cells can build up on both, which will attract mites and could cause an allergic reaction.
What to do: Air out your pillows, and if they can be machine-washed (read the label to check), wash them at least twice a year, and consult these directions on how types of pillow fills should be washed.
For mattresses, vacuum the entire surface after you’ve stripped it of sheets and bedding. Sprinkle baking soda to get rid of any odors. And if you find any stains on the mattress, here’s how to treat them.
Other Areas
A few more general areas to pay attention to include filters, fans, and the inside of windows. You should regularly clean the filters of dishwashers, dryers, vacuum cleaners, air conditioners, dehumidifiers, and more so that they don’t get clogged or dirty, which affects the performance of the appliance.
Fans
Box fans, pedestal fans, and the top of ceiling fans, can get very dusty, says writer Tobie Stanger. Use these tips to clean every type of fan in your home. Be sure that liquid doesn’t get into the motor and that the blades don’t get bent when you’re cleaning.
Window Interiors
Dirt, debris, and flies can get stuck inside windows over time, says CR home writer Tanya Christian, who faithfully follows her mother’s cleaning advice: She cleans window interiors seasonally using a solution of water and distilled white vinegar with a splash of Pine-Sol to get the grime off.
Best Cleaning Products of the Year
