So really, Where is the Dirtiest Place in your Home?
So really, Where is the Dirtiest Place in your Home?
We’ve cleaned thousands of homes and almost from all walks of life, and we continuously get this question from our friends and acquaintances: What part of the house is usually the dirtiest?
We’ve looked back on all the home cleaning and condo cleaning services that we provided, and did a detailed research on which area of the house is indeed the dirtiest for the most, and you might be in for a surprise! The verdict? See below:
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The Kitchen
Thought it would be the toilet? Well, we are all so conscious how dirty or clean our toilet and bath is, so we regularly clean them or at least give it a routine weekly deep cleaning. Plus the fact that the bathroom is generally a smaller space than that of a kitchen (for most homes), so cleaning is easier in the toilet. It really is a different case for the kitchen, and the worst part of it, we do all the cooking there.
The kitchen sink and the counter tops or kitchen tables- that’s where it all starts. These are the usual areas we place our raw meats, vegetables and all other ingredients for thawing, cutting and other primary food processing. And no matter how clean you might think your source is, these raw food products have contaminants, like bacteria and viruses, that are too small to see and too few to be harmful.
It’s a good thing that we cook our food to kill these contaminants and prevent us from making sick, but, the problem is, no matter how much we clean the kitchen counter top and skin, there are hard to reach corners, small spaces or cracks in your chopping board and small holes in the sealant on your kitchen sink, which where these contaminants can hide to. These areas are also most of the time moist, which is a very good environment for them to multiply. A deep cleaning with a very good disinfecting solution should be done in order to thoroughly clean them and must be done in a regular, if not, daily schedule. Just imagine how restaurants should do an intensive restaurant cleaning regularly.
Cabinet under the kitchen sink
This is like Hogwarts for germs, where bacteria can go to a hidden place, do their best in multiplying, without being constantly threatened of being wiped out of existence. This area is hardly cleaned thoroughly because it puts the cleaner in a difficult position, and no natural light can get through it. This area is also always moist, thanks to humidity, leaking pipes perhaps and your grease trap (if you have one).
Top area of kitchen cabinets
Some modern home designs have cabinets extended as far as ceiling, but if you do have a cabinet with a space on top of it, chances are, it is rarely cleaned. This area would most likely contain dust accumulating over time. The good news is, it is not always moist in this part so it may not contain bacteria. The bad news: Fungi spores can withstand dry environment and can come back to life as soon as they are blown away to a wet area, like your food.
Back of the Refrigerator or Freezer
Another area which puts the cleaner in a difficult position, hence, hardly cleaned. Because of the weight of the refrigerator, the back is hardly cleaned, which makes dust accumulate, or pushed over dirt hide. But we are not just pointing out the space in between the “back” of the refrigerator and the wall it is leaning to, we are also pertaining to the section near the refrigerator motor. This area is a blank space where water can accumulate because of condensation, and where some bits of food can go to. This would be a problem area after a couple of years if you are using the regular type of refrigerators, not the no-frost or induction type. If you still have odor problems despite cleaning the inside of your ref, or despite placing blocks of charcoal or boxes of deodorizers, it would mean that the back of your refrigerator is really dirty.
Plenum or Party Area
No, this is not the place in your house where you hold your parties or events, this is the space between your ceiling and roof, especially if you don’t have an attic. This space is a bit small, usually 2 to 3 feet high, where your ventilation and electrical lines go through. This is well hidden space and inaccessible, unless you have a dwarf go through it to clean the space. Luckily, there are no holes that would let dusts fall through except for a square service entrance discreetly placed by your contractor for future access in case you will be doing some home improvements. This area can pose a little to no concern for you, unless there are leaks in your roof that would require you to replace your entire ceiling, which would mean you would be needing a post-renovation cleaning afterwards.
There’s nothing wrong on scheduled cleaning because let’s admit it, not all of us has the time to clean all these things. But missing out thoroughly cleaning these areas we mentioned, can pose persistent health problems in the future. So don’t just concentrate on your rooms or toilets, give your kitchen some TLC too, Top Level Cleaning. If this is a big task for you or if you need some assistance, you can always give us a call! And hey, we do a per area cleaning too where we can simply concentrate on a particular place in your home and give you TOP LEVEL CLEANING.
Sometimes it’s not the furniture, items or space that doesn’t give a spark in you, but it’s because of poor lighting in the area. And what better (and cheaper) way to do that than using natural lights. Check your drapes if they are out of place. You might have mixed up the drapes and instead of using block out curtains in your bedroom, you might have it in your living room. Play with your existing drapes to ensure that you can manage the sunlight coming in to your home where you want, when you want it.
When was the last time you had your walls (re) painted, by you or a 
The floor is the most overlooked surface in the house when it comes to home improvement, but is as significant as placing a chandelier on your ceiling.
Carpet cleaning is not just all about how cleaning and reconditioning your rug or carpet floors, but also in the drying. A lot of fancy carpet cleaning professionals and carpet extractors sales agent boast of fantastic and excellent cleaning service when in truth, they miss another important part of the process – drying. The usual process of shampooing or cleaning a carpet is either sucking all the dirt first or go right ahead with the carpet extractor, which sucks the dirt, at the same time sends a jet of water with shampoo cleaning solutions. That is all well and good, but after that process, it leaves the carpet wet (or worse, soaking wet). The crew might place a blower to dry the carpet, but it will only dry up the surface, giving it an impression that “it is already dry”. The water that accumulated beneath the fabric will become breeding grounds for molds and bacteria, causing the funky smell.
The best thing that you can do Fanny is either you vacuum your carpet thoroughly again and spray deodorizers with antibacterial components, or, you could get the service of a truly 
Hi Tanya, thank you so much for following us and for being a loyal visitor in our site.
Bathroom tiles are really a bit tricky, mainly because it is wet most of the time making it a very good breeding ground for all sorts of molds and fungi. You might already have the right cleaning solution and you did a good job re-grouting your tiles, but there are other things you might need to consider, like how hard do you brush your tiles? You might be overdoing it when you do a deep cleaning and scrubbing like there is no tomorrow- which can further damage your tiles and grout.
As for the grout falling off: You might have applied the grout while the surface was still wet or with moisture, or you may have not let it dry for at least 12 to 16 hours before using the bathroom.
Even if we do clean our homes, or we have helpers to do that, we can only clean what we can reach. Unless you have a ladder around and routinely clean your ceiling, walls and all the fixtures and fittings in your home. A professional cleaning service company “should” be equipped with a ladder to clean spaces beyond our reach. Cobwebs and dusts that may contain viruses and germs may have already accumulated in high places. This could be one of the reasons why some illnesses are persistent within your home.
Hate harsh chemicals? Advocate of anything and everything Organic? Professional cleaning services should also be able to provide organic cleaning options to ensure no harsh chemical residues are left. It is true at times that the reason some of us are sick is because of the chemicals we are exposed at every single day, which may include cleaning solutions and materials. Cleaning using organic solutions are the best way to ensure that the family dweller’s exposure to chemicals are very minimal.