Keeping your home hygienically clean to stop the spread of illness has become a top priority for people during the coronavirus pandemic, but there are numerous crucial areas that many homeowners forget about.
British electrical store AO.com, has revealed the germ hotspots in the home that are usually neglected during a spring clean and revealed the best methods for cleaning.
Their experts have highlighted the importance of using cotton buds to clean difficult to reach areas of remote controls and keyboards.
Speaking to FEMAIL, the experts also recommended regularly cleaning shoe racks by vacuuming off dirt and wiping down with antibacterial products, since COVID-19 can live on the rubber soles of shoes for up to five days.
Is your home harbouring hidden germs? Hotspots that are regularly overlooked include the remote control (stock image)
1. Don’t forget your remote controls
AO revealed it’s possible to clean every inch of remote controls, regardless of how close the spaces are in between buttons.
‘Remove the batteries from your remote controls, carefully placing them to one side. Prepare a small bowl of soapy water and dip a cotton bud into it to reach all of the nooks and crannies where the batteries usually sit, as well as inbetween all of the buttons.’
2. Clean your carpet tracks
Household washing up liquid can be used to clean more than just plates, as the experts revealed it also works wonders on carpet tracks.
‘Place a pea sized amount of washing up liquid into a small bowl and fill it about halfway with water – the foamier the better! Grab an old toothbrush, a microfibre cloth, and some surface cleaner and start by rubbing the soapy water into the tracks with your toothbrush.
‘Once finished, wipe the foam away with your microfibre cloth and a spritz of your surface cleaner. If you want them to smell fresher, replace the soap with fabric conditioner,’ AO said.
3. Get your keyboard sparkling again
‘For a quick and easy clean, grab a sticky note and rub the sticky side along the keys to collect all of the dirt that would be harder to reach with a cloth.
AO recommends cleaning washing machines by mixing two cups of white vinegar with half a cup of water and a quarter of bicarbonate of soda to make a solution (file image)
‘When you’re confident that you’ve gathered all of the dust you can, spray a small amount of surface cleaner onto a piece of kitchen towel and give it a thorough wipe down,’ said AO.
The experts recommend dipping a cotton bud into cleaning solution to wipe in between the keys for a more thorough clean.
4. Don’t forget to vacuum your mattress
AO claim remembering to vacuum the mattress is especially important for those who are prone to seasonal allergies or have sensitive skin.
They said: ‘To do this, you will need a handheld vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment, as well as bicarbonate of soda. To start, sprinkle a small amount of bicarbonate of soda onto your mattress, rubbing it in with your brush attachment and leaving it for an hour to settle.
‘After an hour, make sure you give your mattress a through vacuum, paying attention to the seams. We’d recommend doing this once a month for a good clean.’
5. Clean your shoe rack
‘It’s an easily forgotten area of your home, but it’s usually the first place you go to put your shoes away when you’ve finished a run or been on a walk. This should only take five minutes but will be well worth it,’ AO explained.
‘Grab your vacuum cleaner to hoover away any of the lingering dust bunnies or fragments of dirt, then go over it with an anti-bacterial surface cleaner to make sure there are no lingering germs afterwards. If you want to take it a step further, wipe down the soles of any mucky shoes that might bring dirt back to your newly clean shelves.’
6. Keep your pillowcases fresh
AO continued: ‘When you change your bedding, try popping a tumble dryer sheet into your pillowcases to keep them smelling fresher for longer. This is also a handy tip for any clean bedding that you store away for future use, guaranteeing lasting freshness after you’ve washed and dried spare sets.’
AO recommends descaling your kettle by using either lemon juice or white vinegar (file image)
7. Give your mugs a new lease of life
The experts sympathized that frustrating coffee and tea stains are more likely to occur, while everyone is isolating at home.
‘To remove them, add a sterilising tablet with boiling water and leave it to settle for 5-10 minutes before washing it out. If there is still staining around the edges, soak a cotton bud in some white wine vinegar to polish them off.’
8. Cleanse your food waste chute
AO warned that food waste chutes can be the source of any unpleasant smells lingering around the home.
‘To eliminate any bad smells, try cutting up a lemon and putting in the waste disposal chute so that the kitchen smells nice and freshly cleaned.’
9. Clean your washing machine
‘To safely clean your washing machine, mix two cups of white vinegar with half a cup of water and a quarter of bicarbonate of soda to create a natural cleaning solution.
‘Set your washing machine to a ninety degree cycle (or as hot as it will go) and pour your solution straight into the detergent drawer. For a thorough clean, pull the drawer out once the cycle has finished and clean it in a warm bowl of water with some washing up liquid before popping it back in.’
10. Descale your kettle
AO said it’s possible to achieve a sparkling kettle by using household cooking ingredients.
‘Measure out 100ml of lemon juice (or white vinegar) and pour it into your kettle. Top this up with a further 100ml of water and leave it to sit for at least one hour, cleaning the outside of your kettle whilst you’re waiting. Add another 100ml of water and bring your kettle to the boil. Once your kettle has boiled, pour your solution away to reveal a sparkling result!’