10 Unnecessary Items That Don’t Need Excessive Cleaning

Many people have a habit of cleaning and believe that it is necessary to clean as many items and furniture as possible to maintain hygiene. However, not every item needs to be washed and cleaned regularly, according to The Spruce.

Clothes

Most clothes can be worn multiple times, except for underwear, socks, and sportswear…

After each wear, you should hang clothes up immediately, neatly, and avoid piling them up on chairs or floors, which can lead to odors.

Washing clothes too often can reduce the elasticity and quality of the fabric. Additionally, using too much detergent can also affect the quality of clothes and the washing machine.

Currently, many new washing machines have water-saving modes. Therefore, if excess detergent residue is still clinging to the clothes, it will make them more prone to dust and sweat.

Dirty dishes

You don’t need to rinse dishes with clean water before putting them in the dishwasher.

Dishwashers and dishwasher tablets contain enzymes that can cling to food particles, remove them from the dishes, and clean them with water.

Therefore, you don’t need to spend time and effort cleaning dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. Just scrape off the leftover food into the trash before loading them into the machine.

Ceiling fans and lighting fixtures

Many people have a habit of cleaning lighting fixtures every day.

However, this is unnecessary because the amount of dust on the lamps in one day is quite small, not enough to cause health problems.

Ceiling lights and fans should be cleaned once a month. If you notice that dust in the space causes asthma or allergic symptoms for you and your family, clean the fixtures once a week.

Note: Clean high furniture first, then vacuum up the fallen dust on the floor.

Blankets and bedspreads

Many people wash blankets and bedspreads weekly, while others only wash them when they discover stains or dirt.

In reality, you only need to wash blankets and bedspreads before the change of seasons.

This frequency may vary depending on the person. If you often eat on the bed, have pets or sleep together, you can keep the bed cleaner by using an additional washable bed cover. Also, clean immediately when there are spills on the bed.

Curtains

Curtains in the living room and bedroom do not need to be cleaned regularly.

Once a year, you should take the curtains for cleaning to remove dust in the gaps and wrinkles of the fabric.

You can also put the curtains in the dryer to remove dust and smooth out some wrinkles. Note that you should not use too high temperatures when washing or drying curtains as it can cause some fabrics or linings to shrink.

Curtains in the kitchen and bathroom should be cleaned more frequently as they are prone to grease and water stains.

Carpets and upholstered furniture

Using too many chemicals can make carpets attract more dust. Over-wetting can cause bacteria and mold to grow and thrive on the back surface of the carpet and inside the upholstery of furniture.

Ideally, carpets and upholstered furniture should be deep cleaned once a year using steam cleaning and appropriate cleaning products.

On a weekly basis, you can simply vacuum these items to remove dust.

This helps prevent dust from embedding in the carpet fibers and furniture.

Furniture covers

Fabric furniture covers are often used to prevent dust and give furniture a new look.

However, if they are washed too frequently, the fabric may shrink and lose its original shape.

Therefore, you don’t need to wash them weekly unless there are food or pet stains.

At the end of each season, take these covers for a full cleaning.

Decorative pillows

Decorative pillows do not need to be washed as often as bedspreads and sleeping pillows.

You should wash them about 3-6 months. Washing them too frequently can cause the non-latex of the pillow to break down, while some other materials can clump and shrink. You can also use protective pillow covers to prevent dust and allergens.

Some types of pillows are not suitable for machine washing and should only be dry cleaned. However, most pillows (down, polyester, or foam-filled pillows) can be machine washed.

Oven

You can remove the oven from the weekly cleaning list.

Abusing the self-cleaning mode of the oven can affect the lifespan of the appliance and your health.

When using the self-cleaning mode, the oven emits smoke, including a small amount of CO2. Additionally, it can also damage essential parts of the oven.

To reduce the frequency of cleaning the oven, clean up spills as soon as food spills onto the oven.

Dry storage cabinets

Refrigerators need to be cleaned regularly because they contain fresh and cooked food. On the other hand, dry storage cabinets do not need to be cleaned as often.

On a daily basis, you can dust the shelves and wipe off any spills caused by spices. Once or twice a year, clean out all the food items and do a thorough cleaning.

Additionally, check for any insect infestation in the cabinet and read the expiration dates of food items before returning them to the shelves.

According to Zing