Common Cleaning Mistakes That Make A Home Look Dirtier

Everyone has to clean to maintain a desirable and sanitized home. Daily, weekly, and seasonal cleaning tasks are all essential to keep a home tidy. In addition to regular cleaning, one must remember there are correct and incorrect ways to clean different surfaces in your home. If you clean incorrectly, your home may appear even dirtier than it did before you started.

Common cleaning mistakes that can make your home look dirtier include using the wrong cleaning products, especially on wood, stone, and metal countertops. Cleaning with a dirty mop or mopping before you sweep can make your floors look dull. Don’t leave streak marks on surfaces, and avoid washing windows on hot sunny days. Never use the same rag to clean all surfaces, and remember to clean top to bottom.

If you clean regularly but can never get your home as clean as you’d like it, there’s a chance you’re cleaning it incorrectly. Cleaning is important, but doing it properly is essential to maintaining a sparkling clean dwelling. To ensure you aren’t cleaning your home incorrectly, keep reading to learn some of the most common mistakes that can make a home look dirtier than it did before you picked up a rag.

14 Cleaning Mistakes That Will Make Your Home Look Dirtier

1. Using A Dirty Mop

Cleaning your floors with a dirty mop is an easy way to make a home look dirtier. A dirty mop often smells horrible, and it will smell worse once it’s wet. When you don’t properly clean and disinfect your mop after using it, there’s a chance the next time you use it, you will unintentionally clean your floors with a filthy mop.

Before mopping your home, ensure the mop's head is clean and disinfected. It’s wise to let it soak in hot water with disinfectant before using it. This ensures bacteria and dirt are removed before you clean your floors.

2. Wiping Surfaces With The Wrong Type Of Rag

Each surface requires a specific cleaning tool. Windows are best cleaned with paper, like paper towels and newspaper. Other surfaces should be cleaned with a rag, and still others with a microfiber cloth.

Using the wrong rag, sponge, or towel on a surface can result in a sloppy finish, with streaks and residue remaining behind. Ensure you know the right product and tools needed for each cleaning task.

3. Using The Wrong Cleanser On Countertops And Surfaces

Surfaces throughout the home are made of various materials. Some are made of stone, while others are metallic, and still others are wood, vinyl or linoleum. Each unique surface requires a specific type of cleaning product. 

The cleaning solution you use on wood is vastly different from what you might use on linoleum and metal. Using the wrong product can make your surfaces appear dull. This mistake can even ruin some surfaces, such as wood and stone.

4. Neglecting To Use Wood Cleaner On Wood

Wood is an organic material. It has natural oils and is porous. To ensure your wood shines and stays healthy, use wood cleaner from time to time. If you use the same “multi-purpose” cleaner on your wood as you do on your kitchen counters, then your wood will look dull. 

Ensure you treat wooden furniture with care by using wood-specific cleaners to help it sparkle.

5. Not Properly Diluting A Cleaning Solution

One of the most common mistakes people make when they clean is diluting cleaning products incorrectly (or not at all). This occurs often when creating mop water, but it can happen any time you use a concentrated cleanser.

If you use concentrated cleansers incorrectly, they can leave a film, slippery residue, and powerful fragrance in their wake. Always read the instructions before using a new cleaning product, and follow the measurements exactly.

6. Mopping Without Sweeping First

Another way to make the floors in your home look dirtier, even after cleaning them, is to not sweep the floor beforw mopping them. You must always sweep before you mop the floors. Otherwise, you will soak dirt and small objects, which can then stick to the floor.

Instead of creating a shiny new surface, you are simply soaking the dirt and pushing it around. Sweeping thoroughly before mopping ensures your floors look clean when you finish.

7. Using Dirty Water Instead Of Refreshing It

For larger cleaning jobs, such as mopping all your floors and deep cleaning the kitchen and bathroom, you must refresh buckets of cleaning solution from time to time. 

When you clean the floor with dirty mop water, you aren’t cleaning effectively. Even if the water has ample cleaning solution, you must refresh it to ensure you are cleaning each surface with clean water.

8. Leaving A Film Of Cleanser On Metal And Appliances

Wiping surfaces with cleansing solutions is only the first step. You must also wipe away the solution with a clean rag. Sometimes you must rinse surfaces with clean water to ensure the cleanser is completely removed.

Metal cleaners can leave a film on surfaces. This can cause the metal in your home to appear tarnished, even if you just cleaned it. Remember to remove and wipe down all surfaces after cleaning to ensure no product is lingering.

9. Using The Same Cloth To Clean All Surfaces

When cleaning a room in the home, it’s tempting to use the same cloth to wipe all surfaces. In some cases, you can use the same rag on multiple surfaces. In other instances, however, it can cause problems. For one, you should never use the same cloth to wipe counters that you use to wipe floors and other dirtier surfaces.

Furthermore, since different materials require different cleaning solutions, they also need specific cloths and rags. 

10. Washing Windows On Hot And Sunny Days

Cleaning your windows can transform the entire look of a room. Sparkling windows give the impression of a cleaner dwelling. They also allow more natural light into the room. This creates a warmer atmosphere throughout the home. But cleaning windows can be tricky. One common mistake people make is wiping windows on hot and sunny days.

When you clean windows on hot and sunny days, the cleaning solution can evaporate before you have time to wipe it off. This can cause streaks and spots on the windows. It also means you need more liquid to clean the windows, which can result in unintended residue left on the glass. 

Choose mild and cloudy days to clean your windows to ensure the best results. 

11. Using Harsh Chemicals When You Shouldn’t

Chemicals like bleach are essential tools in fighting against bacteria, mold, and mildew. They are great disinfectants, but they shouldn’t be used on all surfaces. In some cases, using harsh chemicals can damage surfaces. This includes marble countertops, wood, and other natural materials. 

The use of harsh chemicals can leave strong smells that linger in the home and dull surfaces, making them look lackluster rather than new and shiny. 

12. Leaving Surfaces Wet After Cleaning Them

Washing surfaces is an important step in the cleaning process, but washing isn’t the only step. Do your best to avoid leaving countertops and floors unnecessarily wet. When the wet surfaces dry, the evaporated liquid may leave a film or watermarks, which leave surfaces less clean than you’d like. Remember to remove as much water from rags and mops when cleaning to ensure minimal moisture remains on surfaces. 

13. Leaving Streak Marks On Surfaces

After cleaning some surfaces, you must buff them with a paper towel or microfiber cloth to ensure they shine and have a polished look. This is particularly true with glass and other reflective surfaces. When you skip this step, you may leave unsightly streaks and wipe marks all over the place. This can make your wiped surfaces look filthy, even if they are disinfected.

14. Cleaning Bottom To Top Instead Of Top To Bottom

One important cleaning rule that is often forgotten is cleaning each room from top to bottom. This means you should start by dusting ceiling fans and finish by mopping the floor. If you clean in the reverse order (bottom to top), you may be left with a home that still looks dirty. 

Dirt falls downward. Therefore, if you clean the ceiling and countertops after sweeping and mopping, dirt and dust may fall to the ground. Always clean your floors last to ensure the entire home looks clean when you’re finished.

Summing Up Cleaning Mistakes That Make A Home Look Dirty

Cleaning is important, but cleaning properly is the only way to ensure your home looks pristine when you finish. Some cleaning mistakes that can make a home look dirtier include using dirty water, a dirty mop, or the wrong rag and cleaning tools. Always clean from top to bottom, and buff reflective surfaces to avoid streak marks. Avoid cleaning windows on hot and sunny days, and ensure you use the right cleaning solution for each surface.

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