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In this article we have the ultimate list of insane but true cleaning statistics and creative tips, and we list some of the dirtiest places in your house.
Cleaning for two hours burns 200 calories. Who needs to get on the elliptical when you can just mop the floors?
Did you know blenders clean themselves?
You read correctly! Just fill your blender with water and add a few drops of soap. Turn the blender on for a few seconds and rinse after. Ta-da!
The kitchen sink contains more germs than your toilet. Yes, you actually need to clean your kitchen sink, not just rinse it out.
Did you know you can clean a shower curtain in the washing machine?
No more scrubbing for half an hour trying to get muck off your shower curtains. Just pop them in your washing machine’s gentle cycle with a pint of vinegar and press “start.” Aren’t washing machines one of the best inventions ever? If you feel like getting even more done, you can try cleaning your washing machine too.
You know all those dust particles lying around? Well, roughly 70-80% of them are made up of dead skin cells. And you thought your pet shed a lot!
Did you know mold can grow at the bottom of the trash can?
Mold loves moisture so add 1/2 cup of borax to the bottom of the trash can to absorb mold-causing dampness.
An average mattress contains anywhere from 100,000 to 10 million dust mites. That’s it. We’re sleeping on the floor from now on.
Did you know you can cook a sponge?
Not to eat, to clean! Pop a wet sponge in the microwave for two minutes to kill germs and prolong the life of your sponge. Make sure the sponge is very wet; a dry sponge could start a fire!
Mouthwash can clean floors. If you run out of cleaner, add a capful of mouthwash for every gallon of water and you’ll be good to go. It’s a long story, but to sum it up, Listerine was originally developed to be a surgical antiseptic. However, they realized that surgical antiseptics were only marketable to a small group of professionals. In the hopes of increasing sales, the company began to market Listerine as a floor cleaner – as well as a cure for Gonorrhea! So where does mouthwash come in?
By the time the 1920’s rolled around, they were hungry for a bigger audience. And so began brainstorming issues that everyone faced, that Listerine could cure. By a stroke of genius, they created the medical condition “chronic halitosis” – more commonly known today as bad breath. Apparently back then, bad breath was just ‘breath’. Seven years later, their revenues skyrocketed past $8 million. Check out their site for a complete history!
Did you know that Play-Doh can be used as a cleaning tool?
You can roll a ball of Play-Doh over an area with broken glass after sweeping to pick up those remaining tiny slivers.
Spraying a surface and immediately wiping it away will only do half a job. The majority of antibacterial cleaners are designed to be left on surfaces for 30-60 seconds before wiping them off.
Some germs can live on dry surfaces (such as toys) for several hours and moist surfaces (like bathroom sinks) for up to three days.
If you get chewing gum stains on your clothing, place a newspaper over the top and give it a quick iron
Salmonella can survive freezing or dry surfaces for at least 24 hours.
The average woman cleans for 12,896 hours in her lifetime, And men clean an average of 6,448 hours.
Did you know you can clean toys in the dishwasher?
Instead of cleaning your child’s dirty toys one by one, throw them in the dishwasher and let the machine do the work for you. Extra time to play with your children and less time cleaning up after them! Always follow the manufacturer’s recommendations when you clean your kid’s toys.
If you’ve ever been to Disneyland, you know that there’s a lot of ‘cast members’ walking around. But did you know that they wash an average of 285,000 pounds of laundry – every single day? Apparently, Disney reps have stated that if you did one load of every day for 52 years, only then would you clean as much as a they do! And that’s not all- they also dry clean around 31,000 garments per day!
If all of a sudden you begin feeling extra allergic or sick for no apparent reason, contaminated heating and cool ducts may be to blame. The Environmental Protection Agency explains that a little bit of dust in these pipes is normal and largely harmless, but in some cases mold and other debris can build up, wreaking havoc on your health. Experts are still trying to determine whether or not cleaning the ducts prevents these health problems, but the majority agree that removing mold and other toxins from pipes that have become highly contaminated is a smart move.
Hard water affects over 85% of households in the US.
This problem is often noticeable on sinks, glass, and showers or tubs. Luckily, hard water deposits are easy to remove.
You probably consider your vacuum to be a staple cleaning tool in your home, but as it turns out, it may be doing more harm than good. A study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology tested 21 different vacuums—varying in brand, price, and age—and found that every single one released some dust, bacteria, and allergies into the air. This pollution was much more severe with older vacuums, and those that were not equipped with appropriate filters. The best way to prevent dirt and dust from flying back into your indoor air is to buy a vacuum equipped with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter, and clean it regularly.
Remote controls, computer keyboards, phones, and tablets are often shared by multiple family members and guests. In 22 households, the NSF found yeast and mold on the computer keyboard, remote control, and video game controller as well as staph on the last two items.
Surfaces also contribute to bacteria growth and diversity. For example, a carpet can hold up to eight times its weight in dirt and dust and may be dirtier than a city street, according to Chem-Dry.
You can also use disinfectant wipes to clean your items, especially if they’ve come in contact with dirty surfaces.
The National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) found that areas where food is stored or prepared had more bacteria and fecal contamination than other places in the home. More than 75 percent of dish sponges and rags had Salmonella, E. coli, and fecal matter compared to the 9 percent on bathroom faucet handles.
The other kitchen items that need frequent cleaning are:
cutting boards
coffee maker
refrigerator, especially areas in contact with uncooked and unwashed food
kitchen sink and countertops
Here are some tips for keeping these spots clean:
Use disinfectant wipes on the faucet, refrigerator surfaces, and countertop.
Heat damp sponges in the microwave for a minute to kill bacteria.
Soak sponges in a quart of warm water with half a teaspoon of concentrated bleach.
Change dish towels a few times a week.
Wash your hands before and after touching or handling food.
Did you know you can clean a microwave without scrubbing? It’s easy! Fill a bowl with water and a sliced lemon, cook for 2 minutes, then wipe away the dirt and grime. We share more information about microwave cleaning in our portfolio of cleaning tips.
The majority of household cleaning products are packed with loads of potentially harmful chemicals that can cause a slew of different problems to your health. The most concerning products are those that contain cancer-causing carcinogens, such as certain laundry detergents that contain formaldehyde, and jewelry cleaners, which often carry the toxic chemical perchloroethylene. Fortunately, there are plenty of natural, harm-free ways to keep your home clean and shiny. Natural ingredients like lemon, cooking oil, vinegar, and baking soda will all get the job done, while keeping your health in check.
Did you know the average person spends 87% of their life indoors?
That means indoor air quality matters! Regular dusting and vacuuming can help improve indoor air.
Don’t just clean the toilet bowl and seat. The real mess is usually on the rim, toilet base and surrounding floor. Especially when you have small children in the household. Cleaning 411: • Always wipe down the toilet rim and base when cleaning the toilet. • Wipe or mop the floor around the toilet base as needed or at least weekly.
Did you know that 30% of tracked-in dirt is deposited in the first 3 feet of an entrance?
90% of tracked-in dirt is deposited within the first 25 feet of an entrance.
Keep the pet food station clean. If you leave it dirty, you risk your pet ingesting spoiled food. You may also attract ants, roaches or mice. Cleaning 411: • Promptly wipe up spilled food or water. • Wash bowls regularly. • Protect flooring by placing bowls on a washable placemat or charger plate.
There are as many as 3,000 different kinds of bacteria found on money.
Scientists found E. coli, other bacteria related to food-borne illness, and bacteria that cause skin infections. Thanks goodness for credit cards, right?
Keep the doorknobs clean. This actually depends on how vigilantly people in the home wash their hands. Cleaning 411: • If you have small kids, wipe down knobs as needed or weekly (use a rag and hot soapy water or wet wipes). • Otherwise, wipe down knobs whenever you clean your baseboards (more frequently on bathroom doorknobs).
The average dish cloth in the kitchen contains 4 billion living germs.
Switch out your dish cloth with a new one every day or so to keep from spreading germs. This is an important part of keeping your kitchen sink clean and protecting your health.
People forget to clean the inside of the microwave, so it gets pretty dirty.
Cleaning 411:
99% of all carpet stains can be removed if they’re cleaned within the first couple of days. The longer a stain is left to sit on the fabric, the harder it will be to erase. As soon as there’s a spill, jump into action.
Floors – we tread on them daily, right?
Cleaning 411:
Almost half of all people do not use soap to wash their hands in a public bathroom. After thoroughly washing your hands (with soap) in a public bathroom, grab an extra paper towel to turn off the faucet, touch the door handle, and protect your now-clean hand from anything else germy it may come in contact with.
Cleaning for two hours burns 200 calories. Who needs to get on the elliptical when you can just mop the floors?
Did you know blenders clean themselves?
You read correctly! Just fill your blender with water and add a few drops of soap. Turn the blender on for a few seconds and rinse after. Ta-da!
The kitchen sink contains more germs than your toilet. Yes, you actually need to clean your kitchen sink, not just rinse it out.
Did you know you can clean a shower curtain in the washing machine?
No more scrubbing for half an hour trying to get muck off your shower curtains. Just pop them in your washing machine’s gentle cycle with a pint of vinegar and press “start.” Aren’t washing machines one of the best inventions ever? If you feel like getting even more done, you can try cleaning your washing machine too.
You know all those dust particles lying around? Well, roughly 70-80% of them are made up of dead skin cells. And you thought your pet shed a lot!
Did you know mold can grow at the bottom of the trash can?
Mold loves moisture so add 1/2 cup of borax to the bottom of the trash can to absorb mold-causing dampness.
An average mattress contains anywhere from 100,000 to 10 million dust mites. That’s it. We’re sleeping on the floor from now on.
Did you know you can cook a sponge?
Not to eat, to clean! Pop a wet sponge in the microwave for two minutes to kill germs and prolong the life of your sponge. Make sure the sponge is very wet; a dry sponge could start a fire!
Mouthwash can clean floors. If you run out of cleaner, add a capful of mouthwash for every gallon of water and you’ll be good to go. It’s a long story, but to sum it up, Listerine was originally developed to be a surgical antiseptic. However, they realized that surgical antiseptics were only marketable to a small group of professionals. In the hopes of increasing sales, the company began to market Listerine as a floor cleaner – as well as a cure for Gonorrhea! So where does mouthwash come in?
By the time the 1920’s rolled around, they were hungry for a bigger audience. And so began brainstorming issues that everyone faced, that Listerine could cure. By a stroke of genius, they created the medical condition “chronic halitosis” – more commonly known today as bad breath. Apparently back then, bad breath was just ‘breath’. Seven years later, their revenues skyrocketed past $8 million. Check out their site for a complete history!
Did you know that Play-Doh can be used as a cleaning tool?
You can roll a ball of Play-Doh over an area with broken glass after sweeping to pick up those remaining tiny slivers.
Spraying a surface and immediately wiping it away will only do half a job. The majority of antibacterial cleaners are designed to be left on surfaces for 30-60 seconds before wiping them off.
Some germs can live on dry surfaces (such as toys) for several hours and moist surfaces (like bathroom sinks) for up to three days.
If you get chewing gum stains on your clothing, place a newspaper over the top and give it a quick iron
Salmonella can survive freezing or dry surfaces for at least 24 hours.
The average woman cleans for 12,896 hours in her lifetime, And men clean an average of 6,448 hours.
Did you know you can clean toys in the dishwasher?
Instead of cleaning your child’s dirty toys one by one, throw them in the dishwasher and let the machine do the work for you. Extra time to play with your children and less time cleaning up after them! Always follow the manufacturer’s recommendations when you clean your kid’s toys.
If you’ve ever been to Disneyland, you know that there’s a lot of ‘cast members’ walking around. But did you know that they wash an average of 285,000 pounds of laundry – every single day? Apparently, Disney reps have stated that if you did one load of every day for 52 years, only then would you clean as much as a they do! And that’s not all- they also dry clean around 31,000 garments per day!
If all of a sudden you begin feeling extra allergic or sick for no apparent reason, contaminated heating and cool ducts may be to blame. The Environmental Protection Agency explains that a little bit of dust in these pipes is normal and largely harmless, but in some cases mold and other debris can build up, wreaking havoc on your health. Experts are still trying to determine whether or not cleaning the ducts prevents these health problems, but the majority agree that removing mold and other toxins from pipes that have become highly contaminated is a smart move.
Hard water affects over 85% of households in the US.
This problem is often noticeable on sinks, glass, and showers or tubs. Luckily, hard water deposits are easy to remove.
You probably consider your vacuum to be a staple cleaning tool in your home, but as it turns out, it may be doing more harm than good. A study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology tested 21 different vacuums—varying in brand, price, and age—and found that every single one released some dust, bacteria, and allergies into the air. This pollution was much more severe with older vacuums, and those that were not equipped with appropriate filters. The best way to prevent dirt and dust from flying back into your indoor air is to buy a vacuum equipped with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter, and clean it regularly.
Remote controls, computer keyboards, phones, and tablets are often shared by multiple family members and guests. In 22 households, the NSF found yeast and mold on the computer keyboard, remote control, and video game controller as well as staph on the last two items.
Surfaces also contribute to bacteria growth and diversity. For example, a carpet can hold up to eight times its weight in dirt and dust and may be dirtier than a city street, according to Chem-Dry.
You can also use disinfectant wipes to clean your items, especially if they’ve come in contact with dirty surfaces.
The National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) found that areas where food is stored or prepared had more bacteria and fecal contamination than other places in the home. More than 75 percent of dish sponges and rags had Salmonella, E. coli, and fecal matter compared to the 9 percent on bathroom faucet handles.
The other kitchen items that need frequent cleaning are:
cutting boards
coffee maker
refrigerator, especially areas in contact with uncooked and unwashed food
kitchen sink and countertops
Here are some tips for keeping these spots clean:
Use disinfectant wipes on the faucet, refrigerator surfaces, and countertop.
Heat damp sponges in the microwave for a minute to kill bacteria.
Soak sponges in a quart of warm water with half a teaspoon of concentrated bleach.
Change dish towels a few times a week.
Wash your hands before and after touching or handling food.
Did you know you can clean a microwave without scrubbing? It’s easy! Fill a bowl with water and a sliced lemon, cook for 2 minutes, then wipe away the dirt and grime. We share more information about microwave cleaning in our portfolio of cleaning tips.
The majority of household cleaning products are packed with loads of potentially harmful chemicals that can cause a slew of different problems to your health. The most concerning products are those that contain cancer-causing carcinogens, such as certain laundry detergents that contain formaldehyde, and jewelry cleaners, which often carry the toxic chemical perchloroethylene. Fortunately, there are plenty of natural, harm-free ways to keep your home clean and shiny. Natural ingredients like lemon, cooking oil, vinegar, and baking soda will all get the job done, while keeping your health in check.
Did you know the average person spends 87% of their life indoors?
That means indoor air quality matters! Regular dusting and vacuuming can help improve indoor air.
Don’t just clean the toilet bowl and seat. The real mess is usually on the rim, toilet base and surrounding floor. Especially when you have small children in the household. Cleaning 411: • Always wipe down the toilet rim and base when cleaning the toilet. • Wipe or mop the floor around the toilet base as needed or at least weekly.
Did you know that 30% of tracked-in dirt is deposited in the first 3 feet of an entrance?
90% of tracked-in dirt is deposited within the first 25 feet of an entrance.
Keep the pet food station clean. If you leave it dirty, you risk your pet ingesting spoiled food. You may also attract ants, roaches or mice. Cleaning 411: • Promptly wipe up spilled food or water. • Wash bowls regularly. • Protect flooring by placing bowls on a washable placemat or charger plate.
There are as many as 3,000 different kinds of bacteria found on money.
Scientists found E. coli, other bacteria related to food-borne illness, and bacteria that cause skin infections. Thanks goodness for credit cards, right?
Keep the doorknobs clean. This actually depends on how vigilantly people in the home wash their hands. Cleaning 411: • If you have small kids, wipe down knobs as needed or weekly (use a rag and hot soapy water or wet wipes). • Otherwise, wipe down knobs whenever you clean your baseboards (more frequently on bathroom doorknobs).
The average dish cloth in the kitchen contains 4 billion living germs.
Switch out your dish cloth with a new one every day or so to keep from spreading germs. This is an important part of keeping your kitchen sink clean and protecting your health.
People forget to clean the inside of the microwave, so it gets pretty dirty.
Cleaning 411:
99% of all carpet stains can be removed if they’re cleaned within the first couple of days. The longer a stain is left to sit on the fabric, the harder it will be to erase. As soon as there’s a spill, jump into action.
Floors – we tread on them daily, right?
Cleaning 411:
Almost half of all people do not use soap to wash their hands in a public bathroom. After thoroughly washing your hands (with soap) in a public bathroom, grab an extra paper towel to turn off the faucet, touch the door handle, and protect your now-clean hand from anything else germy it may come in contact with.
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