With fall practically upon us, now’s a great time to do one more seasonal deep cleaning. This way, when the holidays arrive, you can feel a little less guilty about gorging yourself until you can’t move. Everybody knows the basics of cleaning, but it’s easy to forget about certain harder-to-reach spots. This guide will help you really dig deep, so nosy guests will have a little less to talk about when it’s your turn for the third degree.

Before You Even Really Begin

One spot that’s often overlooked is your cleaning tools themselves. More specifically, the vacuum cleaner. If you don’t already do this from time to time, take it apart and clean it all out. This will make it work better and reduce the allergens you may be spreading around your home. There’s probably a YouTube video that will tell you exactly what to do for your vacuum’s make and model.

Save the Worst for First

This is probably kind of obvious, but the best places to begin are the most difficult: the bathroom, followed by the kitchen. In the bathroom, in addition to all the usual places, get under the rim of your toilet with a hard-bristled brush (the holes there can get clogged with sediment from your pipes, restricting water flow). Also give your sink and bath/shower drains a good scrub.

Now’s also a great time to clean out your dishwasher, if you have one. Remove and clean any filters and wipe down all its surfaces, inside and out. Other spots in the kitchen to hit on your deep clean include behind the fridge and under the stove, if it’s an option. Sweep and mop these areas and give the wall a good wipe.

Clean Your Clothes Cleaners

Another spot that rarely gets any love is inside your washer and dryer. Wipe the inside of your washer out, removing dirt and grime build-up in cracks and corners. For your dryer, remove the screen and really give it a good clean. Make sure lint isn’t trapped in cracks around the slot where you insert it, and also detach your vent hose and check that it’s not getting blocked with lint.

Let’s Talk Trash

Specifically, let’s talk about the last time you cleaned your trash cans. Maybe you do this every weekend. Maybe it’s part of your Friday night routine. But for many of us, it is not. Even if your trash bag never leaks, bad smells have a way of sticking around. So cleaning your kitchen and bathroom trash cans will give you one less thing to worry about.

Hopefully this little guide helps make your home sparkle just a little bit brighter. For more tips on vanquishing nosy visitors, check out the Olympus Harbour Island blog.