How To… DIY

Nobody likes the smell of a sour sponge.  How about that mop that looks like a dirty Komondor dog. Yikes! Well if you enjoy your pristine home and take pride in your outstanding housekeeping skills, you probably know that the trick is to have clean cleaning supplies.  You do not want to clean your home with something dirty.  The best slate is a clean slate.  Now, if this is something you have never thought about, let’s think about it: As
we clean our counters with that infamous sponge. The same sponge we use to clean the dishes, the cutting board full of chicken juice (yuck), and the spilt chocolate milk that the dog had started to lick off the floor. To then clean the kitchen table with right after dinner.  Yummy! Right?  Makes sense that we’d be spreading germs and dirt.

Okay don’t freak out let’s just apply some basic cleaning habits to stop anymore germ spread and dirt smears.

Let’s start with our mop.  Mops can be one of the nastiest things in your home, besides your sponge.  If you are using the old bucket to mop system, just like the sponge, this is a place that is damp that bacteria loves to grow on.  By simply soaking your mop in a tub of bleach and water after each use, ring it out till dry and make sure to hang it up in a cool dry place, to completely dry before the next use. Here at Maids and Moore we use the dry mop method.  By using a microfiber mop with washable mop heads we avoid the risk of germ spread and bacteria growth allowing us to change heads from house to house. We also use washable terry clothes to place under the microfiber mop head, to clean four foot sections at a time, with a light mist of all purpose cleaner. This ensures that we are not just smearing dirty mop water and germs from one part of the house to the next.

Back to that kitchen sponge, as we already determined earlier our kitchen sponge gets used more than anything in our cleaning supplies for more than one thing.  It has been proven that a majority of sponges test positive for numerous forms of bacteria that can make us sick as well as be deadly to us.  To get rid of anything that might be lingering on it simply place your sponge in the microwave for 1 minute after using each day.  You can also run it thru the dishwasher by placing it on the top rack just be sure to ring it out immediately after the cycle is finished.  Your sponge should be evicted after 2 weeks in your home.  While this may seem wasteful, it’s better safe than sorry.  Also, be sure to never let you sponge sit in a pool of water. Make sure it is sitting out to completely dry, the sponge should never stay wet.

I know what some of you are thinking.  Forget the sponge I use dish rags.  While this is also a great alternative these too can hold many germs as well. Your dish rag should not sit out after two days for the same reasons, not to mention the smell they get after some time.  If you are washing your dish rags and towels and they smell sour simply wash them with half a cup of baking soda and nothing else and run it through the cycle. Tada! The stink is gone!!

Last but not least, our vacuum.  It gets around from pet hair clean up on the baseboards and couches, dust bunnies all thru the house, dust mites from under the bed, to vacuuming our headrest on our recliners. If you are using a vacuum with bags, be sure to replace them before it gets full.  If the bag is full it loses its power to suction and just pushes the dirt out that won’t fit in the bag throughout different places in your home.  For bag less vacuums, be sure to empty the canister after each use. There is always a chance it could leak and if you have sucked up any live bugs and their families you will just be moving them to a new location in your home you would probably rather them not be. Don’t forget your attachments and rollers these too could use a good whipping down regularly.