This Mother’s Day, Clean the House

This Mother's day, give Mom and the whole family a gift that everyone can appreciate: a clean house.

Don’t stop at wiping down the surfaces and running the vacuum cleaner. Clean even those hard-to-reach places. Look up and look underneath, and you’ll find plenty of built-up dirt, dust and grime. Take your mop and sponges to these neglected areas of the home:

Ceiling fan blades. The dust up there is probably thick enough to write your name with your finger. Vacuum the blades with a brush attachment on an extended arm. But don’t use water—fans are electric.

Cabinet tops. Nobody sees the tops of cabinets or the surface of the highest shelves, so nobody remembers to clean them. Stand on a stool or stepladder and peer downward. You’ll see plenty of dust.

Molding. Chair rails typically get dusted because they’re at a height that makes them easy to see. But the molding around the top of the walls or over the doorways collects dust that rarely gets removed. Stand on a stepladder and vacuum or dust them off. The whole family will appreciate this tidy touch.

Behind the toilet. Everyone scrubs the bowl and the seat, but does anyone take the time to clean the back of the base and the floor behind it? If not, you could be inviting mold and mildew. Use a stiff broom to sweep behind the toilet and then wipe it down with a disinfectant.

Under the couch. If you can, recruit someone to help you move the couch so you can vacuum under and behind it. If you’re on your own, use a broom handle to fish out anything that’s hiding under there and then reach your longest vacuum cleaner attachment underneath to pull away the dust.

Around wires and cables. That tangled mess behind the entertainment center or Mom’s computer desk is a dust magnet. Unplug everything and clean the cords with a dry dusting cloth every couple of weeks. Use the same cloth to wipe down the computers and TVs while you’re at it.

Under the kitchen sink. That’s likely where your household’s cleaning supplies reside—but it probably rarely gets cleaned. Take everything out, wipe the area down with a damp sponge and put everything back.