The cleaning spots that get missed, and how to get them
Commonly missed cleaning spots are the ones below eye level or above it: baseboards, light switches and door handles, door frames and the tops of doors, ceiling fans and light fixtures, the top of the refrigerator, under and behind furniture, stair railings and cabinet fronts.
None of these are hard. They're just not where your eyes go when you walk into a room. Here's each one, how to do it, and how often it actually needs it.
Why do the same spots get missed?
It is easy to clean only what you see from standing height: counters, tables, sinks, the floor in the middle of the room. Anything at ankle height, above the door or behind the couch drops off the list because you never look there. Then one day the light hits it, and it's gray.
Baseboards
Dust settles on the top edge, and mop water splashes the face. Vacuum along them with the brush attachment first, then wipe with a damp microfiber cloth and a drop of dish soap. Scuffs usually come off with a melamine sponge, used gently on painted trim. A dryer sheet wiped over clean baseboards slows the next layer of dust.
How often: every month or two, more with pets.
Light switches, door handles and knobs
Everyone in the house touches them, all day. Spray cleaner onto a cloth, never straight onto a switch plate, and wipe the plate and the switch. Get the edges of handles and the back of knobs where your fingers actually go.
How often: weekly, and more during cold and flu season.
Door frames and the tops of doors
The top of a door frame is a dust shelf at a height nobody checks. Wipe the top edge, then the sides of the frame where hands push the door open. Kids' and kitchen doors collect fingerprints at hand height.
How often: every month or two.
Ceiling fans and light fixtures
Slide an old pillowcase over each fan blade and pull it back so the dust stays inside. For fixtures, turn the light off, let the bulb cool, and wipe the outside with a dry microfiber cloth. Only use a sturdy step stool, never a chair.
How often: every month in summer when the fan runs, less in winter.
The top of the refrigerator
Kitchen grease and dust combine up there into a sticky film. Spray a degreaser or warm soapy water, let it sit a few minutes, wipe, and dry. Lay a sheet of wax paper on top afterward and just swap it out next time.
How often: every few months.
Under and behind furniture
Pull the couch, the nightstands and the dining chairs out from the wall and vacuum where they stood. It's where pet hair, crumbs and lost toys end up. Felt pads under the legs make this a pull instead of a lift.
How often: monthly for anything that moves easily.
Stair railings and banisters
Every hand going up and down the stairs leaves oil on the railing. Wipe it top to bottom with a damp cloth and a little dish soap, then dry it, especially on wood.
How often: every week or two in a busy house.
Cabinet fronts and hardware
Cabinet doors around the stove, the trash and the sink get greasy fingerprints at handle height. Wipe them with warm soapy water, then dry. Use a soft toothbrush around the hardware.
How often: a quick spot wipe weekly, a full wipe monthly.
One more: vent covers
Air vent covers collect dust in the slats. Vacuum them with the brush attachment, and every few months take the covers off and wash them in the sink.
Which cleaning covers these spots?
This is the honest answer, and it's why these spots get missed even when you pay for cleaning.
On Standard House Cleaning, RoutineCare, baseboards are dusted on request and usually skipped. Light switches, door knobs and handles, and stair railings are done on request. Tell us before your appointment and we'll do our best to fit it in if time allows. Doors and door frames, ceiling fans and light fixtures aren't on the Standard House Cleaning checklist, and cabinet fronts are spot wiped.
On Deep Cleaning, PureRenewal, every one of them is on the list: baseboards hand wiped, doors and door frames, light switches, door knobs and handles, reachable ceiling fans and light fixture exteriors, cobwebs, under and behind furniture that moves easily, stair railings and banisters wiped, the top of the refrigerator where it can be reached, and cabinet and drawer fronts fully wiped with the hardware detailed.
And Deep Cleaning is unconditional. Every item on the list is cleaned whether or not it looks like it needs it.
If there's one small thing you'd like added to a standard visit, tell us before your appointment and we'll do our best to fit it in if time allows.
What if something was missed?
That's what Tina's Guarantee is for. If something in your booked scope was missed, walk through before the cleaner leaves and tell us, so it can be fixed on the spot. If you notice it later, call the office within 24 hours and we'll send a cleaner back to re-clean it at no charge, or take care of it at your next scheduled cleaning. If that falls on a weekend, call the next business day and it still counts.
Call the office rather than the cleaner. Tina's is your contact for booking, communication and support, and the office can close it out properly.
For more on the first spot on this list, see how to clean baseboards.
FAQ
Which spots get missed when cleaning a house? Baseboards, light switches and door handles, door frames and the tops of doors, ceiling fans and light fixtures, the top of the refrigerator, under and behind furniture, stair railings and cabinet fronts.
How often should baseboards, switches and door frames be cleaned? Switches and handles get touched every day, so a weekly wipe makes sense. Baseboards, door frames and ceiling fans hold up fine with a wipe every month or two.
Does a standard house cleaning include baseboards? Not by default. On Standard House Cleaning, baseboards are dusted on request and usually skipped. Tell us before your appointment and we'll do our best to fit it in if time allows. On Deep Cleaning they are hand wiped every time.
What if something in my booked cleaning was missed? Walk through before the cleaner leaves and tell us, so it can be fixed on the spot. If you notice it later, call the office within 24 hours and we'll send a cleaner back to re-clean it at no charge, or take care of it at your next scheduled cleaning. If that falls on a weekend, call the next business day and it still counts.
Book a cleaning
We clean homes across South Jersey and Central Jersey. Book online at tinascleanteam.com/book-now, or call or text (609) 831-4455.
