10 Things That You Are Cleaning Way Too Often

Weekly house cleaning. That one annoyance that seems to just be never ending. The dusting, the organizing, the sprucing; It all just gets dirty again five minutes after, right? For the majority of the population, we try to at least stick to a schedule of weekly cleaning for most of our homes and the belongings inside. But, did you know that you could in fact be cleaning some of your things too much? It sounds too good to be true, but we have compiled a list of ten things that you can skip the weekly, or multiple times throughout the week, cleaning, making your lives easier. So, let’s get started with our countdown:

1. Bedspreads

Let’s start off our list with one that you more than likely aren’t cleaning on a regular basis. Now, don’t get us wrong! It is super important to make sure that your washing your sheets and pillowcases at least once a week. These items come in direct contact with all of the nasty oils and dead skin cells from our bodies each day, so giving them a weekly cleanout is crucial. However, the quilts, comforters, and bedspreads that you have lying on your beds can usually wait to be washed about every season, or at least every few weeks if you are feeling a little more concerned.

2. Carpets and Upholstery

Again, we are taking our list slowly with the wow factor. Typically, you will want to deep clean your carpets and upholstery professionally at least once a year. We are not saying that this is the only schedule you should keep. If you are noticing that your carpet could use a bit of upkeep, especially after the harsh fall and winter months, every six months should do the trick as well. It is also important to make sure that you are still sticking to a weekly vacuuming schedule as well with your flooring and upholstered furniture. If not, you could be allowing the dirt to get further embedded into the fibers, making it difficult to clean in the future.

3. Pillows

Ever noticed that over time, your pillows can begin to yellow or discolored? If you answered yes, then it is a good reminder that all types of pillows for your bed can in fact be washed. However, they don’t need to be washed as frequently as the bedding itself. Pillows themselves should be cleaned up at least every three to six months to keep any mites and other bacteria at bay. For extra protection, you can also buy pillow protectors that cover the pillow before putting the pillowcases on. Just remember that it is still could to give them a bath every now and then.

4. Oven

This is probably one of the worst chores that is on our list, as it is usually a pain in the booty to clean in general. However, this is not necessarily an appliance that needs to be cleaned on a weekly basis as some will do. If you are careful, meaning you clean up after an messes and spills that occur during meal prep each day, then you could more than likely limit your deep oven cleaning to just once every six months.

5. Winter Apparel

You may think that during the fall and winter months, your outerwear gets pretty dirty and grimy (what with being in the wind, rain, and snow). In all honesty, these items can typically last throughout the entire season with only needing to be washed about one or two times at the most. Now, if you have children who love to roll around and be crazy in the snow, putting them in the wash a few extra times at homes is no trouble by any means. Just remember that your outerwear will stay in better shape when it is hung up neatly after every use and spot cleaned as well.

6. Laundry

Now that we have made it half way through our list, let’s get down to the more meaningful and time saving hacks. Laundry is a word that the majority of the world dreads. It is always looming, a never ending pile of yuck that is everywhere. However, there are ways to getting around having to do endless loads of laundry each week. If you look at the clothes you wear throughout the day, you tend to realize that you aren’t dirtying them up all that much. In fact, unless you are sweating profusely, spilling food when you each, or getting visible marks on your clothes, chances are that they can wait about two or three uses before needing to be cleaned. Don’t get us wrong though! Please make sure to be washing undergarments, socks, and other delicates after every use.

7. Bath Toys

Moms and dads with little ones, this one is for you. Have you ever looked at the bath toys and wondered how to really clean them? Same. Honestly, these toys are typically good with just a monthly deep clean as long as they are being rinsed off with water after each bath time. Just a word of caution from experience, though; Bath toys with holes in them (aka Rubber Ducks or other squirting animal toys) need to be checked for water inside thoroughly! if you don’t work to get the extra water out after every use, they will start to have mold buildup on the inside, and that is not something that you want your kids putting in their mouths, etc!

8. Pantry/Food Cupboards

Raise your hand if you are guilty of letting your food go past the expiration date before getting it used up. Pretty much everyone, right? Now, with items in your fridge, it is more important to do a regular weekly cleanout, as those items are much more perishable than those in the pantry. With dry food items, it is good to go through and get rid of all the gunk and junk at least every six months. You’ll never know what you will find.

9. Dishwasher

Anyone know someone who rinses and sometimes washes their dishes before putting them in the actual dishwasher? We think it is a waste of time, money, and water as well. The dishwasher soaps that we use to clean our dishes are created specifically to get all of the excess food and other mess off of the dishes without the extra help from our kitchen sinks. With that said, you will save yourself a ton of time and water by simply letting go of a habit, and placing your dishes right into the washer to go. If you aren’t ready to run a full load of dishes just yet, but have messy plates that you don’t want to sit for another day, run the rinse cycle on your dishwasher. It’s there for a reason!

10. Furniture Slipcovers

We know this is an item that not everyone may have, but it is still helpful to know nonetheless. This is pretty self explanatory as well. Unless you have an extremely messy family, or pets that have free range of the house, your slipcovers won’t need a weekly cleaning. They can typically wait for a few weeks at a time with spot cleaning thrown throughout.

Cleaning can be a hassle, a pain, and something that just takes way to much time and energy out of our already busy schedules. Luckily for you, we have found you some hacks and tips that will help to reduce the amount of time that you may already be spending keeping your house clean and livable. We hope you enjoyed our list of the ten things that you may be cleaning too often, and that they help you with your weekly schedule as well.