Cleaning Your Home - With Wind Direction, Sunlight & A Mirror

Most people are very house proud. Cleaning their homes on a regular basis. And at face value, May looks clean. 

But thing's that are out of sight and mind can often be neglected. So looking at things at another angle and perspective, more a 'mouse-eye view', (looking up from below and in every nook-and-cranny), instead of the 'birds-eye' (looking down) is another matter!

Get clean with the help of sunlight, wind direction and a mirror. 
Don't let cleaning compromise your health. 

To ensure our homes are clean, dust and bacteria free can only be really achieved by using a mirror or camera-phone. Or being ambidextrous to help you find the dust and grime you can't see, and how to deal with it.
It's only when you using magnifying telescope with at least a X30 magnification will you actually 'see' the problems.

Wind Direction Technique

I stuck a small thin piece if tissue hanging down on the front and rear windows. This shows me which way the winds blowing. I don't do any dusting, cleaning, or any DIY at home.. until the winds blowing the tissue 'outwards'. When the directions correct, dusting and cleaning commences. If the wind is blowing 'inwards', I'll move to the back of the property where I have a similar tissue which will probably be blowing 'outwards', and continue cleaning there.

The Sunlight / Torch Test

It's amazing where dust comes from. Sometimes it's not the obvious. The only way you can really see it is one, when the sunlight shines through a gap in the window, and two, when the rooms 'pitch black', and a very powerful bright torch is shone. Then you'll see everything. Tissues, toilet paper and serviettes all release millions of particles just by handling them. Tearing or ripping them is the worse. So while your clearing your nose, you will be breathing in these particles. * Paper; when ripped, it leaves so much paper-debris/dust particles. I now use handkerchiefs washed regularly, and I'm very careful where I manually shred my private documents. #winddirection..

While preparing fresh food and meats etc, tiny particles will be splashed and squirted everywhere in every nook and cranny. Wiping will remove most, but many (hidden germs, mould and bacteria) get caught in the gaps of kitchen utensils, furniture and walls.

Cupboards - Drawers

Using a 'mirror reflection' will reveal all the grime. Empty each draw and cupboard and clean, including all items and return. As well as the top, bottom - underside of all cupboards, not forgetting the top of each rooms door.* I've rarely seen people clean 'under' their table tops and under chairs where we all touch those parts at some point when sitting. Take a photo of the underside of tables and chairs at home or in public and you'll see what I mean.

In-between radiators

I poured boiling hot water from the kettle in between the gaps, then I used a split bamboo stick with a small sponge tied to it. This helped remove the clumps of hair, dust and rubble I found. It was obvious they hadn't been cleaned since they were installed. To stop the sponge from slipping, cut a small 'nick/split' on the stick just above and below where its taped to keep it in place. I used old towels and carefully placed bin-liners to catch the water and debris. Cleaning 'electric' and other designs of radiators with gaps in-between them ought to be cleaned with caution and ingenuity.

General House-Hold Item. Remote Controls. Mobile/Cell. Laptop. Desk Top. 

A casual wipe to clean is not enough. A dry brush first, then damp, as well as toothpicks to fully clean all the edges and buttons. Front, base and the back of them. * Desktop keyboards firmly banged upside down regularly to remove any non pc components. (dirt/grime), as well as all knob on some items are best cleaned by removing (if possible), and component buttons only a toothpick or an old toothbrush will clean them effectively.

 Taps - Sink - Toilet

The 'tops' of taps, and the front base of a toilet can look lovely and clean in most homes, but a closer look, take a photo or use a mirror to see the underside of taps and sinks. Behind the toilet bowl you'll see they may not entirely clean. * Surrounding walls ought to be cleaned. this will be remove the faecal bacteria. My post about Public Toilets and faecal bacteria fountain covered the subject.

Cooker

If your oven-racks are black, cleaning them will make your foods nutritionally and hygienically better. Pull out the cooker and clean what's behind and under it. Take out all the racks. Using an appropriate knife and scrape off any hard grime. Then finish off with some elbow grease, soap and scourer to shine. Cleaning chemicals were not needed. * The underside of cooking pans and pots should always be clean to avoid breathing in any black residue stuck on them. * Don't forget forks, probably the most unhygienic cutlery to use if not cleaned properly. If I ever eat out, I'll opt for a spoon whenever possible.

 The research from a study carried out by Initial Wash-room Hygiene, a team of micro-biologists revealed that many kitchens are contaminated by dangerously high levels of coliforms, a bacteria present in faeces which can lead to serious illness. The research also revealed that the handles of the fridge and freezers were bacteria-riddled with high levels of coliforms. Microwaves were also contaminated around the handles and buttons.
 

Fridge & Freezer. Washing Machine

Take everything out of the fridge and freezer. Clean everything and return. Pull the fridge/freezer and cooker out to clean what's accumulated under it. Using ear/cotton-buds or cocktail sticks to help clean between the gaps and rubber/seals which always accumulate grime and mess (bacteria). Including the underside and edges of toasters, kettles, dish drying rack and other household appliances. * Washing machine drawers and inside doors are often missed.

A study by the University of Colorado Boulder found that handbags could have up to 10,000 different kinds of different bacteria, more than a toilet has. The dirtiest item in the average handbag is hand cream - it carries more bacteria than the average toilet seat. Leather handbags carry the most bacteria because the spongy texture provides perfect growing conditions.
   

Wallets, Bags & Purses

Empty all the contents and wipe clean, including bank cards with antibacterial wipes. Peter Barratt, technical manager at Initial Hygienes Research revealed that "the dirtiest item in the average handbag is hand cream containers". They were found to carry more bacteria than the average toilet seat. * Use a small plastic coins money bag to hold your coins in will be more hygienic and easier to manage.

Over a million particles are released from the human body and clothing every hour.

Bedding & Clothing

Mattresses, sheets, clothing and curtains gather so much dust on a daily basis. The best solution is to take them all outside and give them a good shake, not forgetting  to close the doors and windows to stop the dust blowing back in the home. Or when the winds blowing the right way, shaking them near the window. Then use a thin piece of wood or old tennis racket to beat the dust-mites, dead skin and bacteria out of the mattress. Mattress get heavier and heavier each day. Buying a topper for your mattress to easily clean is highly recommended.. * Take all your clothes out from your closet and give them all a good shaking/dusting too. * Cleaning your mattress and other items with just a vacuum cleaner is never enough, especially deep-pile rugs.

Taking time to clean behind, and down the back of a sofa is not just hygienically beneficial. It can be financially rewarding especially if you find cash, or other personal belongings lost in time.

Throws - Cushions - Rugs - Curtains - Plants

If you own any deep-pile shaggy rugs (above image), I beg you to vacuum it thoroughly first, 'then' give it a good shaking. I guarantee, you'll be shocked at the amount of dust and bits that still remain especially when using the "sunlight test" * Throws, cushions and rugs, shake them outside of the property if possible, or out the window, but only when the winds blowing in the right direction. * No need to remove the curtains with the right wind. House plants can help soak up carbon dioxide, but not if they're dusty.  Gently wiping with a soft damp cloth does the trick.

Many vacuum cleaners have design faults. While your using it, the air that blows 'back' into the room after passing through the filter will blow all the dust around the room while your cleaning.  Check yours.

Keys & Jewellery - Kids/Pets Toys.

Keys: prior to cleaning, remove any car remote controls before washing them all thoroughly with soap and water, clean and dry. * When cleaning jewellery, be careful with any bracelets or broach trinkets which has paper/photos inside.Wash with a brush and dry. * Children's and pets toys ought to be 'machine washed' if possible. Other material items wiped-down with hot soap and water.

Research assistant at the University of Arizona's College of Public Health. "Toilet seats generally have 1,000 bacteria or less, and these are in the millions so there's a lot more bacteria on peoples footwear - the inside, outside and underside.

Footwear. Boots / Shoes / Trainers
Remove any inner soles. Using a small nail-brush or whatever you find suitable to remove any dust and dirt, then hot-sponge-clean. Never wear or allow visitors to keep any footwear on around your home - the one's they've walked around the dirty streets in, especially if you have kids crawling around.

Last but not least

• Cleaning the items you used for cleaning.... cleaning products, containers and buckets. ideally with natural products including white vinegar, baking soda, lemons, natural soap and salt. 
• Keep clean all the items we place in our bodies such as contact-lenses and headphones.
• Carpets are one of the homes most unhygienic items. Replace with flooring and suitable rugs that can be easily cleaned, and very comfortable slippers to compensate/compliment for the cold flooring. Never vacuum or sweep floors, instead, mop regularly.
• Each job can take some time. Time which we don't always have. If you have a cleaner, double check their work. If you can't afford one, or unable to clean due to a busy life, clean the fridge one day and the cooker the next and so on. Or as John Bytheway's quotes suggests "Inch by inch, life's a cinch. Yard by yard, life's hard.  
• Move all furniture items to the centre of the room and clean what's behind, underneath and everything out of sight - out of mind.
• Once every-things cleaned, it's so easy to clean there-after - making things last longer without the scrubbing, scouring and scratching surfaces.
• Making these small changes reminds me of the well-known phrase, "clean home, clear mind"... an absolute understatement, especially the latter.  I say, "a dust-free home, without dusty lungs, and the potential for unnecessary illnesses". It doesn't rhyme, but it sure makes sense.

The Solutions To All Dangerous Particles, Poisons & Pollutions

If You Think You're Eating Healthily, Think Again. 

About TOWP - theonlywayproductions.blogspot.co.uk - tinyurl.com/towpblog - 2.11.17.