21 Things or Places You Probably Need to Clean at Home

You probably already know there are things and places, in and around your house that you haven’t cleaned in forever, right? They are the things you need to clean, but they get put off, over and over.

They’re the bigger (or smaller) jobs, that take a lot more time and effort to do. Or, you haven’t done them because they’re tedious, or maybe they’re downright gross.

But taking the time to really consider and then actually do some deep cleaning every now and then, is good for your soul. It can be cleansing for your mind and body too.

Sometimes a little elbow grease is just the sort of thing you need to reduce stress, anxiety, and the feeling of being overwhelmed.

Also, when you put in extra effort on something, you usually end up appreciating it more too. I mean, who hasn’t cleaned all day and then made sure that everyone in the family knew about it? (me, me, me!)

In fact, in this article Good Housekeeping refers to these statistics: “A full 70% of Americans say tidying their home offers them a feeling of accomplishment, 61% say it makes them feel ‘de-stressed,’ and 54% say they experience ‘relaxation,’ according to a survey of 2,000 adults released by the online marketplace OfferUp.“

Or, it could just be the OCD in me, but the list below includes the types of things I seem to notice that need to be cleaned, when I’m in someone else’s house. (Not judging, I’m sorry, I just can’t NOT notice!)

These are the problem areas that make me want to jump up and rush right home to make sure they’re clean.

Also, just an FYI, my favorite two cleaning tools are microfiber rags and magic erasers. They seriously seem to help out in every cleaning job.

Microfiber picks up everything, leaves no streaks and just seems to work harder than regular rags or towels. And if you have something that just won’t come off, always try a magic eraser (unless it’s on a surface that the box says not to use it on!)

Okay, I digressed, but here’s the list!

#1- The Fridge:

Your life will be complete once you clean out your fridge. Okay, maybe not, but it’ll feel so good! Take everything out, throw away old, expired stuff, or food that no one is ever going to eat.

If you can, remove shelves and drawers and wash them! Then fully wipe down the inside of the fridge, the back wall and the bottom are great at hiding spills. You may need to use warm water and soap, lysol wipes, paper towels, etc.

Don’t forget the top of the fridge too. It may be really greasy or dusty up there, so use the appropriate cleaning tools to get that job done. Don’t leave a bunch of crap up there either, whatever is there is regularly seen, make sure it’s there for a purpose.

If you can move your fridge, the floor underneath also usually has lots of goodies to sweep up, with dust bunnies being the least of your worries. You can also vacuum all the dust off the back of the fridge too if you can reach there.

#2- Inside your Vehicle:

For a lot of busy people, the car can become a dumping ground for all sorts of things: extra clothes, sports equipment, paperwork and mail, trash, old drink bottles, coins, and more.

So get out there and get all the junk out of there! Throw away all the trash, take whatever you’ve got laying around in there and put it where it really goes, or get rid of it. At least move it temporarily, if it really needs to be in there for a good reason.

Once it’s empty, wipe down all the dashboards, the doors, the little cubbies, the ashtrash, the nooks and crannies and everywhere that you can see or reach. Then of course vacuum away till the floors, and the seats (on top and underneath) are completely clean.

Microfiber rags really help in the car too because they don’t leave lint, and they work wonders on windows too, inside and out!

#3– Shower Nozzle and Top Edge of Shower:

You may never notice this but your shower nozzle is probably disgusting. You might need to google some various options of how to clean this puppy, but the way I do it is as follows.

Screw off the nozzle, create a mixture of 2 parts vinegar and 1 part water, and let it soak in that in a bucket or bowl for a while. Once it’s been enough time (maybe 30 minutes) go to town scrubbing it to get all that built up gunk off of there. Then screw it back on, done!

If you have one of those tub shower combos, you likely have a little ledge at the top of your shower where it meets the wall. Look up there and run your finger across it. Yuck right? Yep, wipe that down too and vacuum up any cobwebs that might be up in the corners by the ceiling.

#4– Sink Nozzles/Faucets:

You can do something similar with your sink nozzles too. But they don’t easily come off, so the next best thing is to fill up a small baggie with the vinegar/water solution and put the nozzle into the bag so it’s soaking, then use rubber bands or something to hold it in place for a while.

Old toothbrushes are also SUPER good cleaning tools. You can use one to get in all the little crevices around the nozzle and all that business there.

I also always use some cleaning wipes to go all the way around the base of the facets, where they meet the counter top. That area gets built up gunk too so be sure to wipe all around that area too.

#5- Shower Curtain/Liner:

When was the last time you looked at the bottom of your shower curtain? If it’s been a while probably got mold, fungus, or other equally disgusting things growing on the part that touches the tub.

So you can do a few things here, 1) throw the liner away and get it new one, cause they’re pretty cheap, and 2) stop using a shower curtain as the liner. You can tell the difference because one feels like fabric, and that’s not meant to be in the water.

At the very least, if you have both a liner and a curtain, you can replace the liner and throw the curtain in the washing machine if needed.

#6- Lamp Shades:

These are very easy to overlook, and you may have never even thought about cleaning these guys. But you really should, because they’re a haven for a buildup of dust and allergens. And you know what dust is right? Mostly dead skin, yikes.

There are two main ways I clean lamp shades. First, get your vacuum hose and put that round brush attachment on it and carefully go over the entire shade. Or two, you can try to use a lint roller! Easy peasy.

#7- Curtains/Blinds:

These are often forgotten too, especially if you have elaborate window treatments. But these too are magnets for dust over time. And if you have vents on the ceiling or fans or anything, they’re probably constantly stirring up the dust from these into the air, and you’re breathing it in.

You’ll want to refer to the care instructions for your particular type of curtains or blinds, but you may be able to vacuum these gently too. Or, you may want to think about getting them professionally cleaned. You might also be able to wash them yourself, but be careful about that for sure.

If you have blinds, you need to clean these periodically, especially if you ever keep your windows open. They are a bigger pain since they’re usually sort of small and delicate, but I use a wet microfiber rag. There are also other cleaning aids that are specifically designed for blinds.

Do these as often as needed, about every time or every other time you dust.

#8- Ceiling Fans:

Very similar to curtains and blinds, ceiling fans are going to build up all kinds of gunk on them over time. Get a stool, ladder or something safe to reach them, and wipe them down fully with the microfiber rag too.

There are also other tools specifically for fans, like with telescoping poles, but I’m not that fancy. Be sure to clean these before you vacuum the floor too, or else you’ll have to do that again.

#9- Tops of Doors:

So, not to sound like a broken record, but yes, tops of doors, including the trim around the door, also collect lots of, you guessed it, dust.

Similar to the way you’re going to clean the fans, get your rags and get to work on wiping them down from top to bottom.

#10- Doorknobs:

I think these deserve their own spot in my list. And I clean these more often than the other things because well, they get used way more.

Many people’s hands likely touch your doorknobs, and they all have germs on them. I like to use a Lysol wipe on these every so often, or as needed. Don’t forget to wipe around the knob too, on the actual doors if possible.

#11- Light Switches:

Similar to your doorknobs, light switches get touched just as often or more. If you look around your house, you’ll probably see that a lot of them have smudges on them.

Wipe these down too with anti-bacterial wipes or some kind of good disinfectant spray. If you wipe around the outlets, be careful and don’t use something really wet.

#12- Light Fixtures:

I’m talking about the glass that usually covers the lightbulbs all over your house. Whether it’s a chandalier, or a sconce, or something else, you can likely take it off the bulb and clean it.

I like to make sure to do these anytime you can see build up of dust on them, or if you regularly get bugs that die in there. Cause that’s just kind of gross am I right?

Use soapy water in the sink and dry them carefully before reattaching or replacing them.

#13- Outside Windows:

Whenever I think about cleaning windows I think of old movies I’ve seen where the maid or nanny says, “I don’t do windows.” Huh? Why not?

Why even have windows if you’re not going to keep them clean? I mean, they let in the light, you look out them, and well, you know, you’re supposed to see through them. How can you if they’re covered in gunk?

If you have high windows on a second floor, I know this may not be something you can do on your own, but for the ones you can reach, get out there and clean them!

For this, I would invest in a tool like something with a long pole that has a scrubbie and/or a squeegee. Or, you may be able to just use glass cleaner and microfiber rags or paper towels. (I’ve always heard newspaper cleans glass well, but honestly have never tried it.)

#14- Inside Drawers & Cupboards:

This one might take you more than a day to get to, but it’s worth taking the time to do even if it does take longer. Trust me, especially your drawers, in the kitchen and bathroom, they collect crumbs, dust, and other kinds of yucky stuff in them.

Take out all your utencils, or makeup or whatever, and clean out the drawer. Vacuuming works really well, and you may need to wipe them out too.

Make sure you also clean the trays that are in the drawers also, as they can collect gross stuff in them too.

#15- Inside the Dishwasher (filter)

I found this one out the hard way. I didn’t realize that there even was a filter on my last dishwasher until it clogged up. And let me tell you- it was disgusting!

Make sure to read your owner’s manuals or look them up online if you need to. But figure out what you need to do to maintain the sanitation inside because that’s where you wash the things that you eat off of. You want that to be clean.

It’s also a good idea to run your dishwasher without any dishes in it every once in a while. This helps to clean out any residue that might be lurking.

#16- Soap Dish

Whether this is on your sink, in your shower, or somewhere else, soap dishes can really get disgusting.

Clean the buildup of residue that collects there every time you clean the tub or sink and it’ll stay manageable. But if you haven’t cleaned this in a while, you might want to get some type of plastic scraper or a scrub brush that’ll help you remove the buildup.

Related Content: How to Clean the Heck Out of Your Home!

#17- TV/Computer Screen

It’s super easy to just ignore the smudges and dust that settles on your screens. But, just like the screen on your phone, you’ll want to regularly wipe down your TV and computer screens too.

Even if the smudges or dust don’t impede your viewing, it’s just kinda gross people. And visitors will notice, trust me, especially kids. (They might even use their fingers to draw a picture in your dust!)

#18- Inside your Phone Case

Another spot you might not clean regularly is the phone case. Yeah sure, the outside you probably wipe down daily, but when’s the last time you popped off your case to see what’s wiggled it’s way inside?

This might not seem like a big deal, and no one else is probably going to notice if you don’t do it. But, you can get all kinds of crumbs, fuzz, dust, oils, and more in there, and over time, can cause damage to your phone if it gets inside. Especially check out the speakers- you might want to use a toothpick or a soft tooth brush to help clean those out if needed too.

#19- Under Furniture

Because I’ve recently had to pack up, not one, but two whole houses for moving, this is high on my to-do list for the future. You’ll know why when you see it for yourself.

Guess what, it gets seriously yucky under your bed, dressers, shoe shelves, couch, chairs, and etc. Like years and years of build up settles into those spots and you might even be breathing it in, depending on the air flow in your house.

And yeah, it’ll probably be a huge hassle to do this, but at least once a year, try to move your furniture and clean behind and underneath them. Vacuum the carpet or wipe down the hardwood or whatever you got there.

#20- Base Boards

Poor base boards are so overlooked and underrated. Too dramatic? Maybe, but they serve a good purpose and make where your floors meet your walls just that much prettier.

These babies likely rarely get cleaned, but they’re easy to keep up if you just make an effort. With hardwood, laminate, tile or any other flooring besides carpet, you can actually just run the broom over them every time you sweep!

Or, if you have carpet, you get out the trusty hose and small nozzle attachment and vacuum up those dust bunnies, on average, at least once a month.

Of all the items on this list- this one is my biggest pet peeve. I always notice dirty baseboards and floor corners- especially in dressing rooms at stores. They’re not invisible guys, just clean ’em!

#21- Washer and Dryer

Last but not least, go look at your washer and dryer right now. Isn’t it funny that the appliances that clean our clothes seem to get so dirty?

With dripped and dried detergent attracting dust and grime, it’s probably a nasty mess right around the inside of your washer. (If you have a top loader) I can’t speak to front loaders since I’ve never had one, but I’m sure there’s spots on those that need to be cleaned too!

The dryer also somehow seems to just attract dust and splatters. It’s easy enough to just get a microfiber towel and a bucket of water and just wipe it down. And be sure to clean out the lint trap area really good- even after you’ve taken out that part that comes out. Look in there, I guarantee it’s full of lint. Get out your vacuum hose again and go to town!

Conclusion

There you have it! 21 places or things in your life that you probably neglect to clean on a regular basis. It’s not too terrible of a list to get through, and you don’t have to do them all at once.

And if you do decide to regularly tackle these chores, seriously, your car and home will feel so much cleaner and comfortable. Take it from a self-described cleaning critic because it’s oh-so completely satisfying once it’s all done!