Keeping a clean house is akin to a clean, healthy life. A lot can be said about a person through their laundry hamper and the cleanliness of their bathroom mirror. From that, a messy person lives a messy life. There’s an adage that every good day starts with making your bed. It’s true and should be lived by. DIY home cleaning has some bizarre myths that were borne from misinformation and probably a smudge of generational fear.
When you’re cleaning your house, and in extension yourself, avoid these 7 debunkable myths.
1. Don’t Polish Your Wood
People love the sheen from clean wood (probably because they can see their smiling face in it). To keep that glistening wood, they polish it needlessly. You should polish your wood floors and furniture sparingly.
Excessive polish and wax will build-up, resulting in the opposite effect of dullness.
2. Newspapers for DIY Home Cleaning
Older people say to use newspapers for streak-free glass cleaning. This may have been true in the past, but no more.
As a cost-cutting instrument, newspaper manufacturers have thinned out their paper. This leaves a muddy mess on glass surfaces. Instead, use a microfiber cloth.
3. Lemons into Lemonade
Ma always used to throw lemon peels and rinds down the drain to freshen it up. She also thought the acidity would dissolve stuck foods. Wrong.
They can actually clog garbage disposals. Use a cleaning solution instead.
4. Vinegar and Baking Soda
The combination of the two doesn’t work on everything like it’s commonly thought. Tell mom to stop putting vinegar and baking soda dabs all over your clothes. This is terrible for the garment; use a cleaner and wash it.
5. Smelling Your Dirty Socks
Not everything that glitters is gold. The same is true for your stinky gym socks.
Not that they’re glittering or anything, but if they smell clean, it doesn’t mean they are clean. Fresheners can often mask the cleanliness of clothes. If you’re uncertain, do a wash.
6. Air Fresheners
Clean doesn’t always mean it smells clean. In particular, bleach doesn’t have a very pleasant odor, but it’s the epitome of clean.
People often use air fresheners to lighten the smell of a room and make it feel clean. It doesn’t cut away the dirt, it’s just putting lipstick on a pig.
7. Turn It to Cold
Don’t wash all of your clothes in cold water. This is a terrible idea for certain garments.
Whites and hand-knit clothing should be washed in warm water. Putting it in cold can harm their integrity.
All Clean!
DIY home cleaning is riddled with mystique, legends, and myths. It shouldn’t be. The folklore of yesterday should be forgotten and replaced with clean know-how.
Don’t over-polish wood, it’ll make it dull. Fresheners can give the false appearance of cleanliness. Clean windows with microfibers, not newspapers, and wash your clothes on warm.
Interested in more tips on cleaning? Reach out and talk to us, we’d love to hear from you.
