Is there a faint smell in the air around your home, or are handprints beginning to appear on your furniture? If there are easily detectable signs of neglect, then it could be time to spring into action and clean your home from top to bottom. As a responsible homeowner, you want to keep your house as clean as possible. The ick factor aside, a dirty home can cause serious problems.
Untreated bathrooms and kitchens as well as unvacuumed or undusted living spaces and bedrooms can lead to serious and toxic health conditions that can cause numerous health problems or exacerbate existing ones. Thankfully, the signs of a home that needs cleaning are pretty obvious to most, but not everyone is aware of them and the problems that they pose.
Mold and Odor
One of the most common signs that a particular area needs to be cleaned is an unpleasant odor that appears faintly in the air inside your home. The accumulation of mold is usually the cause of this but other things such as poor plumbing, leaking pipes, and animal droppings can contribute to a smelly home, and given that you live there you might have become used to it.
Household cleaning products that can remove mold are available from supermarkets and DIY stores but for a particularly bad infestation professional commercial cleaning services might be required. Commonly, mold accumulates in the bathroom and the kitchen since the conditions of these two areas are perfect for it to grow but mold can grow anywhere. Mold can cause serious issues such as asthma and skin irritation so should be removed ASAP.
Sticky Shoes
Feeling a little closer to the floor than usual? Loafers coming off at random places in your hallway? Then it might be time to give your flooring a proper clean. The flooring of a house is often overlooked as a cause of bacteria in the home and most people concentrate on their bathing and eating areas. However, hallways and high traffic areas can act as highways for bacteria.
All flooring should be cleaned regularly. A quick mopping every day is fine so long as a deep clean is performed every couple of weeks. Different floor types such as hardwood, laminate, or carpet require different cleaning methods and tools, but steamers are becoming popular because they can effectively remove bacteria as well as clean any floor type without damage or the need for harsh chemicals.
Dust, Everywhere
Between 70 and 80% shed human skin, dust also consists of bacteria, soil particles, and dust mites. Prolonged exposure to high levels of dust can cause severe respiratory problems as well as skin conditions and irritations similar to that of dangerous mold. Because of this, you should dust your home as often as possible.
A good vacuum cleaner will do most of the work for you, especially on the flooring, but attachments can be used to remove dust and hair from upholstery. You will have to do a little work though as using a vacuum cleaner to dust surfaces and electronic items such as your TV is clumsy and dangerous. For this, you will need to use a duster or dry dusting wipes every other day and if you live in a particularly dusty house then you could invest in a dust extractor.
Mold can become very serious and not only brings an unpleasant odor to your home but health issues such as asthma and irritation as well. Overlooked high traffic hallways can act as highways for bacteria, spreading it all over your home from shoes and regular mopping or steaming can help reduce the spread of germs. One of the most visible signs that a clean is needed is the accumulation of dust, which can cause problems similar to mold if left untreated. It might be hard at first but cleaning is only a chore when it is neglected as the cleaner your home becomes, the easier it is to clean.
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