It’s easy to see when the dishes need washing or it’s time to do the laundry, but there are plenty of other household chores that need to be done regularly, that aren’t always so obvious.
- Clean the coils on your fridge – Over time the coils at the back of your fridge collect dust and dirt, reducing the efficiency of your fridge and, if not cleaned regularly (every 3 months), can shorten the life of the appliance. Be sure to unplug the fridge before using a vacuum cleaner and then a damp cloth to remove all the grime.
- Clean under your appliances – Cleaning underneath all of your kitchen appliances will help to remove pieces of dropped food, mould, bacteria and germs. In addition, with the cooker, you should also clean the space between it and the worktop, for drips and spills.
- Sweep your chimney – Bring in a chimney sweep to sweep your chimney regularly, if you have an open fire or a log burner. Not only do you reduce the chances of a chimney fire but you also ensure the flue is clear, and so reducing potentially harmful fumes coming into your home.
- Dust your blinds – Blinds can be a big draw for dust to gather, and easily missed. Dust can harbour potentially harmful chemicals so it’s best not to let it accumulate. Use a good quality microfibre cloth for dusting, to ensure the dust doesn’t simply get pushed up into the air, only to land back down on the blinds again.
- Clean behind the radiators – Behind the radiators dust particles, dirt and grime can accumulate. A clean radiator can help protect against dust-mite allergies and help to keep heating costs down.
- Check smoke alarm batteries – Checking that your smoke alarm batteries are working isn’t the only thing you should be doing. You’ll also want to vacuum under the cover of your smoke alarm every 6 months, using the soft brush on your vacuum cleaner, to avoid dust particles interfering with the alarms performance. Change the battery every year, but don’t prise them out in frustration when the nuisance alarm in your kitchen won’t stop beeping after you’ve burnt a slice of toast.
- Clean your door mats – Large amounts of dirt gets trapped by your door mat meaning that it needs to be cleaned regularly. Some, these days, can go into the washing machine, while the more traditional types will need to be banged out, outside, to release the dust.
- Clean your filters – Whether it’s the lint filter on your tumble drier, the filter on your cooker hood, the ones in the bottom of your dishwasher or the ones in the vacuum cleaner, blocked filters will reduce the efficiency of any appliance. Apart from the lint filter of the tumble drier, which should be cleaned out after every load, it’s always a good idea to write on the calendar when they are next due to be cleaned.
- Vacuum under the beds and sofas – It always amazes me how much dirt accumulates under the beds and sofas, or any furniture that’s on legs, for that matter. So it’s a good idea to regularly move the furniture out and vacuum underneath.
- Cowebs – Is it just me or do cobwebs only appear when you’ve got visitors! Get your long handled duster out, once in a while, before your visitors notice.
