Hiding in plain sight: household tasks left undone

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Published Date 7/18/2024

How vigilant are you when it comes to cleaning your home? “I’m a neat freak,” you might say. Aside from visible messes however, how much attention do you pay to out-of-sight items that require you to think beyond daily tasks?

Realtor.com’s Shifrah Combiths says there are a number of things that often get overlooked, with the potential to create unsafe conditions or cost you thousands of dollars. “Proper cleaning and maintenance of these hidden but hard-working items keeps them operating at peak performance and potentially saves you a bundle by avoiding repairs and premature replacement,” she says.

For instance, did you know mattresses should be cleaned every three to five months? Vacuum your mattress thoroughly. Address stains with a hydrogen peroxide and dish soap solution applied with a small brush. Use an enzymatic cleaner to remove biological stains according to package instructions. Then use a steam cleaner to kill germs and eliminate odors. A final touch is to sprinkle the mattress with baking soda and let it sit to help absorb moisture and further deodorize, then vacuum again. Make sure your mattress is completely dry before replacing bedding.

Appliances are some of the most overlooked maintenance items in your home. Restoration industry expert James Copeland says your clothes dryer needs more than the simple removal of lint from the trap with every load. He recommends washing the screen in the dishwasher every three months. And dryer exhaust vents should be professionally cleaned annually.

Washing machine drains and filters should be cleaned regularly to prevent lint and grime buildup, he adds. “Check your unit’s instruction manual for guidelines on how often to do this, where the components are located, and how best to clean them. In addition, I personally try to clean the exterior of our washer weekly and toss a cleaning pod into the drum about once a month.”

As for ovens, a deep clean is in order every one to three months, depending on usage. First, remove crumbs and then apply a baking soda paste to the interior surface to melt away cooked-on grime. Then allow it to sit. Wipe it away with a non-abrasive scrub pad, but if that doesn’t cut it, try an oven cleaner like Easy Off, but only after reading the fine print to ensure it’s safe for your particular oven.

Refrigerators and freezers require a good seal around the door to function correctly, so cleaning the rubber door gaskets with mild soap and water to remove food and debris is vital, says Copeland. If your fridge has coils, vacuum dust buildup every six months, but don’t forget to unplug the unit first ahead of time. Wipe shelves and bins clean with mild soap and water every few weeks. Every few months, empty the ice bin to remove stale ice. Replace air and water filters every six months.

Carpets can be among the cleverest places for dirt to hide even when they appear clean. Combiths tested out the Hoover PowerScrub Deluxe and can attest to its efficacy firsthand. “The dirty water that I emptied from the unit was nearly black — after cleaning only my entry rug!” Carpets should be deep cleaned at least once a year —more often in homes with pets or children.

HVAC units are among the easiest to forget about — at least until something goes wrong. Regular maintenance, including cleaning, can keep this from happening. Schedule a skilled, licensed HVAC technician to perform a tuneup on your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system at least once a year to avoid emergency service calls during extreme weather — when you’ll be competing with everyone else making emergency service calls leading to escalated prices and longer wait times. And don’t overlook your exterior air conditioning unit once or twice a year. Clear away any dirt and debris that’s in or around the unit and trim back any encroaching vegetation. It is important to shut down power to the unit at the breaker box, and use a hose to gently spray the condenser coils without opening the unit.

Furnace filter changeouts should be calendared at least every three months. If your unit has return filters, they should also be changed quarterly. And don’t forget to locate your condensate drain line and clear out any visible blockage. Pour a half cup of distilled white vinegar into the drain line, wait 30 minutes to an hour, and then flush the line with half a cup of water.

And last but not least, how often you clean your fireplace depends on the frequency of usage and type. Wood-burning fireplaces require cleaning annually or after every 50 uses, and gas fireplaces should be professionally cleaned once a year.

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