For many, the weekly chore list includes the usual vacuuming, sweeping and mopping; sanitizing sinks, toilets and showers; dusting and disinfecting all surfaces; removing garbage from the home; and tidying up around the house. While these are tasks that most of us are good at remembering, it might also be important to add at least one chore to our weekly cleaning that involves an “overlooked mess.”
An overlooked mess is often located in an area of our home that is hidden from view or is not easily accessible. For this reason it is often neglected and, over time, can build up dirt, grime, germs and other invading horrors that pose risks to our health. Here are five overlooked messes that can easily become hazardous if not handled.
What lies beneath, behind and within the refrigerator
If strange noises or off-putting smells are coming from the kitchen, it could be time to clean the refrigerator. First, clean and vacuum its coils. Then, eliminate debris from behind and underneath it. You’ll need to unplug and move your refrigerator to do this. And while you’re at it, clean out the inside of your refrigerator too. Before you fill it up again, consider using SNiPER Disinfectant to completely disinfect your refrigerator.
No fan of a dirty blade
There’s the old cleaning adage about checking the top of the refrigerator to see if a house is truly clean. The same applies to ceiling fans. Because they are hard to reach, they’re frequently neglected. And rarely do humans look up these days. As a result, dust can accumulate over time, adding to allergies and poor air quality in a home. There are many dusting tools with extended handles designed for just this task. If your ceiling fan is low enough for a step ladder, sliding an old pillowcase over the blade will also do the trick.
Fluffy’s bed
If you’re a pet owner, it’s all you can do to keep up with the mess in the yard or litter box. You may be thrilled that your furry friend is at least choosing to sleep on the cushion you lovingly provided instead of on your couch. However, it’s easy to forget—especially since you’re not the one sleeping on it—that a pet bed will get just as stinky and dirty as fluffy is. Be sure to buy hardy cushions with removable covers that can be easily laundered and replaced on a regular basis. And spray it down with Nok-Out Odor Eliminator to freshen up between washings.
A forgotten furnace
That giant metallic monstrosity humming away in the corner of some dark closet in your home, the one with the shiny vents and knobs and scary words and neon notices plastered all over it? It needs love, specifically your love. It needs you to change it’s filter on a regular basis. If you don’t, your house will stink, your lungs will betray you and give way to allergies, and you’ll shrink in horror from your utility bill. Additionally, over time, your furnace could actually break from the lack of maintenance, and without a warranty, you will be paying exponentially more than the cost of changing your furnace filter regularly.
The nitty gritty
Have you gotten cozy with your oven’s grease filter lately? Stared into the yawning abyss of your dryer’s hose? Have you peeked inside your appliances lately? What about your microwave’s turntable or the refrigerator gasket? Remember that your appliances have insides as well as outsides and it is necessary to keep them clean as well since they have the closest contact with what you put both in you and on you. Clean your appliances thoroughly, both inside and out.
While we cannot clean every single nook and cranny of our home every week, simply paying more attention to just one overlooked mess per week will work wonders for our health, safety, and our checking account. Horror movies will always be around, but at least your home will not be the star feature.
Related Reading
External References
https://nokout.com/SNiPER-Disinfectant/
https://www.angieslist.com/articles/10-places-you-forget-clean.htm
https://nokout.com/Odor-Eliminator/
https://housemethod.com/reviews/best-home-warranty/
https://www.marthastewart.com/267602/cleaning-appliances
https://fairmontcustomhomes.com/the-overlooked-furnace-filter/
When my mother-in-law passed away, we had to clear out the smell of human living where the doors and windows were not opened for years. I sprayed a few seconds of Nok-Out from a hand pump sprayer into every A/C and heating duct in the house, then sprayed every wall, all of the curtains, ceilings, floors inside cabinets and cupboards. I also poure 1/2 cup into the bottom of the air exchanger and turned on the A/C, locked u the house, and left the A/C on for a week. When we opened up the house the following Saturday, you’d never know anyone had lived in the house. There’s nothing like the fresh smell of a new house.
It’s also great to use in a spray mister and spray the house after cooking with fish or garlic.