This is embarrassing to admit, but cleaning is my hobby. Yes, you read that right, I love to clean. This wasn’t always the case – my mother was an indifferent housekeeper. We rented, didn’t own, and for some reason she thought this gave her a free pass to not really keep up with it. One house she rented was a run-down Victorian that could never be properly cleaned. The area around every faucet was rusty and mold blossomed along one wall behind the washing machine.
I discovered tiny mushrooms growing in the cellar. I tore them up and dumped a cup of laundry bleach on them which was an improvement. As a teenager, I was obsessed with appearances. Before inviting friends over I would scrub every surface. My mother had the brilliant idea to camouflage decades of grime and decay with Persian rugs and lots of pillows.
Over time I developed into what you might call a clean freak. I am that weirdo who actually likes the smell of Clorox. I can happily spend a Saturday evening wiping down Venetian blinds. But even a self-described clean freak like me acknowledges there are certain jobs around the house better done by a professional. I’m talking about deep cleaning here.
Certain cleaning jobs are what I would call seasonally particular. For instance, after a harsh winter, it’s a good time to assess what damage winter has wrought on your house. Maybe you experienced some flooding from heavy rainfall or snow and your basement took on water. Just because you got the floor dried out doesn’t mean you won’t get mildew. Did your roof develop ice dams after several freezes followed by quick thaws? If so, your interior walls may have gotten damp. Damp breeds mold, and could invite certain pests. Have you taken a walk around the house to inspect your foundation? Keep an eye out for cracks in the cement.
You might very well ask the question, do I really need this level of cleanliness? The answer is yes, because the alternative can be harmful to your family and your home. Dust bunnies and fine debris allowed to accumulate for years in heating and cooling vents pose a genuine risk for fire. There are also the health issues related to a dirty house. Especially if you have a family member who has respiratory issues or suffers from allergies.
Did you know dirty ducts are a primary cause of allergies and have been associated with chronic coughing and sore throats? While the scientific evidence on this is sketchy, some people believe breathing dirty air speeds up the aging process.
About two weeks after we moved into our present home, I braced myself for what I knew was going to be a rough task. I was determined to explore what lurked under the drain cover in the bathroom shower. There was no emergency and I didn’t have to do it. The water was flowing smoothly and nothing was clogged. But our house was a vacation rental just before we bought it and I felt squeamish thinking of all the unknown bodies who had ever used that shower.
The house was more than broom clean at the time of purchase and every nick and scratch was touched up, but I couldn’t shake out of my mind things like bathroom drains and what was down them. I tackled the job with kitchen tongs, rubber gloves, a bucket of hot water heavily laced with white vinegar, and a strong stomach. After some tugging with the tongs, I dislodged a great greasy mass of hair. In hindsight, I wished I’d called a professional. That’s where HomeSquare comes in.
There’s a meme going around on social media called Housekeeping 101. It has a long list of suggestions of what needs to be cleaned and how often. It’s recommended you make your bed every day, mop the floors every week, once a month dust the blinds and clean your dishwasher.
Every three months you should clean your range hood. It’s advised you attend to your gutters, your dryer vent, and the exterior of your home and its walkways on a yearly basis. Although, if you live in a damp, mold-prone place near water, I would advise more frequent attention. Basically, I agreed with everything the meme said except for daily laundry. Now that I have no teenagers living in my house, days can pass before I have to do laundry.
Nobody wants to live in a dirty house and luckily for you, you don’t have to! Contact your HomeSquare Pro today to discuss our home maintenance plans that include tough seasonal tasks like gutter cleaning.
There are plenty of nooks and crannies in every room of your house which need attention on a regular basis. It’s difficult to identify and maintain them yourself year-round, which is why HomeSquare’s Essentials maintenance plan includes more than 50 services for you without you even remembering to ask. With Essentials, a licensed and insured handyman is dispatched to your home to keep those areas tidy while you can keep your free time for yourself and your family.
Eve Marx
Eve Marx is a national journalist and book author. Follow her reflections on home design and interior style on Instagram at the hashtag #funkybeachhouseseasideror.