Hi Friends!
Quick post today. Just popping in with a little cleaning reminder for you. As spring approaches an we get ready for our big once a year purges for spring cleaning, it’s also important remember some of the smaller things that we should be cleaning quite frequently….probably much more often than we are currently (at least if you’re anything like me!)
Some of these are obvious…but some are things I never really think about and as such, rarely clean!
Here’s my list:
1) Contact Case – Don’t reuse your solution. Empty the case each time you put your contacts in and refill with fresh solution when taking them out. You can also rinse the case with solution and wipe dry between uses. Replace your case every 3 months or so. Read this article for more info.
2) Phone – We’re on our phones all the time, making them one of our dirtiest accessories. Wipe them clean with a disinfectant wipe or use cotton swabs with rubbing alcohol to clean around buttons, phone cases, etc.
3) Trashcan – You’re putting trash into it…and it doesn’t all always make it into the bag. Germs can spill over the side, splash onto the lid, etc. Wipe it clean every time you take out the trash!
4) Keyboard – Americans spend hours and hours on their computers, often wearing away the letters on our keyboards from such frequent use. We also tend to eat near our keyboards. As a result, they collect dirt and germs at an alarming rate. Wipe clean as often as possible.
5) Loofah – This is more of a reminder to replace frequently. Aim to replace them every month or two otherwise they’re probably doing nothing but spreading germs around your body instead of helping you clean.
6) Coffeemaker – It’s a damp environment that can breed bacteria. Follow these steps once a month to clean.
7) Sheets – You sleep on them, you sweat on them, your animals sleep on them…they get gross and they get gross quickly. Wash them weekly!
8) Knobs, handles & light switches – The handles to the fridge/oven/microwave/faucet, cabinet knobs and handles, door knobs, light switches…they’re all touched multiple times per day and often when our hands are not the cleanest. Wipe with a disinfectant cloth to remove the germs and the dirt and grime.
9) Remote – We handle them everyday but rarely clean them. Use a disinfectant wipe or put some rubbing alcohol on a q tip and clean around the buttons. Same thing goes for xbox controllers, etc.
10) Laundry baskets – You put your dirty, sweaty clothes in them. They collect germs. And then sometimes you turn around and put clean clothes back in them. Designate some baskets for clean and some for dirty. Wipe the dirty ones out regularly with disinfectant wipes if they’re plastic or try washing them if they’re mesh!
11) Reusable Water Bottle – Clean it at least once a week (every few days is better) by running it through the dishwasher or cleaning with hot soapy water.
12) Towels & bathmats – Even though you use them when you’re clean, they still get wet, stay damp and collect germs. Try to wash them once a week.
There are MANY other things that we should be cleaning more often…these are just a few to get you started.
[Tweet “Time for Spring cleaning. Here are 12 things to clean more often via @leangrnbeanblog!”]
Check out these articles for more ideas:
15 Things To Clean More Often
10 Things In Your Home You Should Clean More Often
21 Germiest Places You’re Not Cleaning
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
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This is such a good post, Lindsay!!! I always end up forgetting about the laundry basket. Great reminder for my cleaning spree this weekend 😉
I always forget how dirty phones and keyboards get! I use them so often, but I never remember to just wipe them down 😕
Thanks for the reminder & the tips!
Amazing post…Amazing at making me feel guilty- But eye opening! The scary thing is I have all of those! ARGH!
for sheets, if i don’t feel like doing all the sheets every week, i at least do my pillow cases!
I neeeed to clean my keyboard and get a loofah more often! great idea!
well I know what i’m doing today!!! Ok I clean a lot of those, but admit my water bottle is probably not as clean as i think. and i don’t use a loofah because it grosses me out 🙂
Hmmm…I only have one laundry basket. I guess I need to get another one. I’d never even thought about that!
Great reminder about the phone! I know I don’t clean mine nearly enough.
Loofahs, however, freak me out. I think they are fun but just feel like they are always saturated with germs!
I ROCK THESE!
um
except for the remote 😉
Before I even read this post I was sitting there thinking water bottle and coffee pot. I’m glad both of those made the list.
I’m feeling dirty right now. BTW, I NEVER even thought to clean the laundry basket — but if I’m refilling with clean folded clothes on their way back to the closet I obviously should. Eek
My husband things I am crazy to wash my water bottle all the time but the gym is a dirty place!
Great reminder! It’s the things we think of least that need to be cleaned more often.
This is also a reminder though of just how much cleaning I need to do at my house 🙂
Oh man, I don’t even want to admit how infrequently I wash my reusable water bottles and sheets haha. Sponges are another one. My roommate used to throw them in the dishwasher once a week with a load of dishes and it blew my mind–so obvious and easy but I’d never thought of it!
I know my keyboard is nasty. 🙁
I’m so bad with replacing loofahs. Thanks for the reminder to pick up a new one this weekend!
I do these most of the time but it is still a really great reminded! The sheets freak me out and I am changing them and washing them every 3 days! 🙂 Kind of a neat freak! Love the one about the trash can, I clean this about every 3 months but I am going to step up my game after reading your post!
This is a great list (the neat freak in my thanks you!) I totally forget about my coffee maker….. 🙁 But I have to agree that loofahs are like bacteria breeding ground! I actually stopped using them because I felt like I was just spreading grossness all over my body rather than body wash 🙂
Yes! This is a much needed post. Cell phones are the ones that get me the most. Now I am aware of it, I realize just how many places I put it. Every time I go into the grocery store, I grab a wipe for the cart, and wipe my phone down with it haha!
I also zap my sponges in the microwave with a little water for 2 minutes every day. Thanks for the other reminders!
Yikes this is a good post. I am embarrassed to say how infrequently I clean these things (except the contact case and the bath towel). I honestly never even THOUGHT about cleaning my cellphone case. One other thing that I could add to the list is a toothbrush. Don’t brush with the same toothbrush until the bristles fall out. Those need to be swapped out often too!
Yeah with the flu going around our house I have been Lysol obsessed!!! I never thought of the laundry basket though!
YES!! The remote, phone, keyboard are always up there with bacteria!!!
great reminder! I need to clean my water bottle more often. I usually rinse it out after each use but it prob needs a good, hot water clean too. One thing going along with the keyboard is your mouse – don’t even want to think about how much bacteria is on either of those things!
I am really bad about A LOT of these things…oops? I REALLY need to get better about the sheets though….at least I always once my pillowcases every week, right? 😉
Legit just pulled out some antibacterial wipes to clean my phone and keyboard. You’re RIGHT, I need to clean those more, and it actually grosses me out if I think about how much I touch it. Thank you!
Great tips! I’m trying to get better at wiping down keyboards and remotes more often – lots of germs lurking in there!
i never thought about laundry basket and remote. great reminder.
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Love this!!!!
As soon as I saw bedsheets – I stopped reading and ripped the bed clothes off our bed. I usually try to do it every Friday – but clearly I didn’t do it last Friday. So now they’re soaking in the wash, thanks to you lol
I never thought about the laundry basket. Bleh! Cleaning mine tonight! Thanks for sharing!
As the mom of a child with several birth defects that cause him to get infections very easily (he’s had mrsa two times) I am constantly cleaning and wiping down everything–but you hope and pray that others do the same when you send your child to someone else’s house–this post has a special significance to me! Thank you! btw- did you use photoshop to make your picture with the invisible background? I want to learn how to make this-please, please. xo
I just had my eye exam today and he told me I should toss my lens container every 3 months. Had no clue. I used to keep one for 6 months just cleaning with super hot water.
I think so of these feed in to are germophobic, over-sterilzed society but definitely so valid points to think about.
I bet my contact case is like 3 year sold. I now feel nasty. Yikes. Time to fix that.
OMG definitely hear you on the phone, keyboard and the water bottle I use for the gym. They all are in a definite need of a clean!
I’ll admit it, I never clean my laundry basket but now that you mention it I definitely will!
This is a great list! 🙂 I always forget the remote.
Yeah I have no clue when I last replaced my loofah. Oops! Thanks for the reminder. Luckily I wash my sheets and towels weekly otherwise that’d be disgusting 🙂
Lindsay, as an optometrist I want to thank you for including contact lens cases as something more people need to focus on cleaning. The linked article was great. Really enjoy the variety of content on your blog!
as silly as it sounds I seriously NEVER thought to clean my laundry basket, and now I feel pretty skeevy and gross! thank you for the light bulb moment!
Thanks for linking the “How to clean your coffee maker
Just yesterday I spilled coffee grounds all over the inside and was questioning if I was ever going to be able to clean it!
OK, so glad you posted this as a nice reminder! I’m planning on doing some cleaning on Sunday and was just thinking about what random things I should probably clean. I wash our door and bath mats at least every other week anyway.
Guilty!
I need to clean my keyboard and sheets wayyyy more often. And I’m going to add cooker to the list as well. I hate cleaning out the oven and I’m afraid it’s a very rare activity for me. :S
Such good reminders! And so yucky to think about haha.
Well it’s official… I need to clean all of these things ASAP! And that comes from a woman married to a germaphobe 🙂
I clean my phone almost daily with an alcohol wipe! I always notice how filthy my keyboard is but for some reason I still do not clean it – thanks for the reminder!!
It freaks me out to think about how germy some of the things I use everyday are! Aka keyboard and phone. Eeeeek! I never reuse my contact lens solution. I try to clean my sheets whenever I have time to, but always feel way too lazy to put them back on after haha! Happy Monday!