Cleaning Tricky Spots
We all know that we are supposed to remove lint from our dryer filter and wash our sheets once a week, but what about the tricky spots in the home that typically go unnoticed on cleaning day? Below we have outlined a few of our favorite cleaning hacks for spots that need your attention during your next deep clean.
Pillow Cleaning
Did you know that after one week of sleeping on the same pillow, your pillowcase can collect between 3 and 5 million colony-forming units of bacteria per square inch? That’s a lot of bacteria! That bacteria along with dust mites and other allergens will seep down into your pillow even if you regularly clean your pillow case. We recommend cleaning your pillows monthly to encourage restful sleep using the steps below:
- Machine wash your pillows on the delicate cycle
- Balance the pillows in the washer by placing one on each side of the drum
- For smelly pillows add baking soda to the drum
- For stained pillows add hydrogen peroxide
- Add a small amount of detergent and wash with warm water on low spin
- Allow to air dry
- Fluff pillows in dryer with dryer balls on the lowest temperature setting
Coffee Maker Cleaning & Descaling
Whether you use a pot or pod machine, coffee makers can build up mold and grime leaving your coffee tasting less than fresh. Here’s how to keep your machine clean and your coffee tasty:
- Interior cleaning
- Descaling removes limescale build up in your coffee machine from calcium, magnesium and other minerals that come from your water
- Many coffee machines have their own descaling solutions you can use, but vinegar will work just as well!
- Add 1 part vinegar + 2 parts water to the reservoir
- Run the machine until the reservoir is emptied
- Refill the tank with water and run the machine repeating until the water runs clear
- Exterior cleaning
- Use your favorite cleaning spray or even a bit of dawn dish soap and water to scrub the outside of the machine with a sponge or cleaning cloth
- Soak any removable parts of your machine in a bowl with water and dawn dish soap before scrubbing off remaining debris, rinsing and leaving out to air dry
Mattress Spot Cleaning
Ever noticed a yellow stain on your mattress when changing your sheets? Here’s how to get it out:
- Spray hydrogen peroxide directly onto the stain and let it sit for 10 minutes (you will see the stain slowly start to disappear!)
- Go over the area with an upholstery cleaner using just warm water in the tank
- Let air dry
Drain Maintenance
Drain clogs can be a pain! Avoid clogs by cleaning your drain monthly with this easy hack:
- Add 1 cup baking soda to your drain and let it sit for 10 minutes
- Add 1 cup vinegar and let it sit for another 10 minutes
- Slowly pour a kettle or large pot full of boiling water down the drain to flush out any impurities
- Leave the drain to sit overnight or a few hours before using again
*NOTE: combining baking soda and vinegar will cause a reaction that essentially creates salt water. However this is one scenario where it is effective to use the two together because the CO2 from the reaction will create bubbles, which are useful for manually dislodging gunk from the drain. As long as the mixture is still bubbling, it is slightly basic and can be used to cut through grease as the baking soda is doing the heavy lifting.
Deep Clean Washing Machine
Did you know that grime can build up inside your washing machine leading to contamination of future loads and even staining? Keep your machine clean with these easy steps:
- Drain pump filter cleaning
- Remove your filter (have a cup or bucket handy to collect the water that will pour out from the small drain)
- Pull off any debris like hair, lint, etc.
- Soak the filter in vinegar
- While the filter is soaking, scrub the inside of the canal with a little bit of dawn dish soap and water or a paper towel soaked with vinegar
- Scrub with a cleaning brush
- Rinse off and add back to the machine
- Machine exterior cleaning
- Clean the exterior of the machine using dawn dish soap and water
- Go over the exterior with a wet cleaning cloth to remove additional soap then dry with a fresh towel
- Remove the drawer parts and soak in vinegar while giving the inside of the drawer a good scrub
- Rinse the parts and return them to the drawer
- Machine interior cleaning
- Remove debris from the inside of the rubber lining of your machine
- Line the inside of the rubber lining with vinegar soaked paper towels or rags and let sit for 5-10 minutes
- Scrub the inside of the machine with a small amount of dawn dish soap and water (the excess will be rinsed out in a cleaning cycle)
- Remove the vinegar soaked towels and use them to scrub off any remaining mold/ soap scum
- Add baking soda to the drum and run for one normal cycle on the highest temperature water setting
Maintaining a clean home is a lot easier when everything has its place in your space. We highly recommend organizing your home before doing a deep clean to ensure optimal results. Horderly has plenty of resources on our blog, Instagram, Youtube, and TikTok to help you get organized! If you’re looking for a more hands on approach, we offer in-home and virtual organizing services to help you create the organized oasis you deserve!
For more information on all things Horderly- including lots of great tips, tricks, and other #HorderlyHabits- check out our blog or reach out for more information!
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