Experts cite mistakes common in cleaning
Seasonal changes often spur housecleaning efforts. For those who are embarking on such endeavors, here are some cleaning mistakes you’ll want to avoid.
• Starting without a plan of attack: Debbie Sardone, coowner of Speedcleaning. com, says many homeowners make the mistake of beginning to clean their house without first devising a plan to get everything done. Instead of just diving in, Sardone suggests you start cleaning upstairs and make your way down, or start on one side of the house if your home is a single story. Then, “move room to room, tackling one room at a time,” she says.
• Cleaning a room from floor to ceiling: Some people begin cleaning a room by vacuuming or mopping floors, which is the wrong approach. Think about it: If you clean the floor, only to then knock dust and dirt down from ceiling fans, blinds and furniture, you’ll have to clean the floor again.
A better strategy is to start at the top and work your way down. In other words, begin by removing cobwebs and dust on the ceiling, then “clean off clutter, dust furniture, wipe down walls, switches and doors” before cleaning the floor, says Beth Mcgee, author of “Get Your House Clean Now: The Home Cleaning Method Anyone Can Master.”
• Using weak cleaning products for tough grime: When asked to pick the attributes they seek when buying all-purpose cleaners, 40 percent of people recently surveyed by Nielsen said they want to use environmentally friendly cleaning products, and 36 percent said they don’t want to use cleaning products with harsh chemicals.
Although that’s admirable, Mcgee says, all-natural cleaners aren’t always the best choice. “Don’t bring a knife to a sword fight,” she says. “If you have not kept up with cleaning and have difficult grime to remove, stronger cleaners may be in order to get your items into a condition that is easy to maintain with less-powerful products.”
Sardone agrees. “Some chores require sanitizing cleaners, like a bleachbased product, but most do not.”
To routinely clean your home? Mcgee says using a spray bottle with a simple mixture of 1 cup water, ½ cup white vinegar and ¼ cup grease-cutting dish soap will clean most surfaces well.
• Not opening windows to let your house air out: Ventilation is crucial whenever you’re using cleaning products, Sardone says. The simple act of opening windows can counteract the indoor air pollution from cleaning products and make it easier for you to breathe.
• Mixing chemicals from different products: Combining chemicals from different cleaning products can create harmful fumes, Sardone warns. “Most of us have no idea what’s in the cleaners we’re using and how those ingredients react to each other,” she says. “Bleach and vinegar, for example, are a deadly combo.” Together, they produce chlorine gas — and exposure to chlorine gas, even at low levels, can cause coughing and breathing problems as well as burning and watery eyes.
“Higher levels of exposure can cause chest pain, more severe breathing difficulties, vomiting, pneumonia and fluid in the lungs,” according to the Utah Department of Health. “Very high levels can cause death.”
• Washing the windows on a sunny day: Although sunlight can help illuminate how dirty your windows are, you’re better off washing them on a dry, cloudy day. Strong heat from the sun will dry cleaning fluid more quickly, which could leave hard-to-remove streaks or stains.
• Vacuuming pet fur without an attachment: Having trouble cleaning up pet fur? You might be using your vacuum the wrong way. By vacuuming without an attachment, odds are you’re just blowing fur around a room — not effectively removing it. That’s why home-maintenance expert Bob Vila recommends using a rubber-bristle brush that, “when attached to your vacuum tube, sucks hair directly from the brush to the vacuum canister.” Just make sure to buy one that fits your vacuum’s head.