7 Common Cleaning Mistakes

Keeping your home clean takes time and requires a lot of energy, while cleaning itself could seem pretty straightforward, however there are plenty of the ways you may be doing wrong, damaging your house — and your health — without even knowing it. Discover some common mistakes you might be making, together with an explanation of what you should be doing instead during the cleaning process at home.

1. Don’t mop the hardwood

Too much water can discolor or damage wooden floors — and wooden furniture too! Instead of a regular mop, use a dust mop or vacuum to clean dust and dirt, and if your floors are feeling especially mucky, use a specially formulated wood floor cleaning product. Use a lightly dampened mop and go over them with a dry cloth to get rid of any standing water when you're finished. If you still want to use a mop, make sure to use the smallest amount of water possible by thoroughly wringing it as you clean.

2. Don’t vacuum rugs without a carpet attachment.

Using the incorrect type of vacuum head on your carpet or rug may lead to threadbare sections underfoot before you recognize it. Without using the carpet attachment, "you will probably damage your carpet or rug.

3. Think twice before using the microfiber dusting pads.

Those microfiber dusting cloths may be convenient, but they're also making more work for you within the long term. These pads use static to attract dust, creating static-build that stays on your surfaces and attracts more dust, forcing you to dust more frequently over time.

4. Be careful with using an acid to clean your marble countertops.

Vinegar, Windex, and bleach will all dull your marble or any stone surface in your home so stick to a mild dish soap and hot water.

5. Avoid mixing bleach with other cleaning products.

Just, please, don’t do it. Do you know the chlorine gas, the dangerous toxic stuff? That's what you make when you mix ammonia with bleach. The only thing you should really be mixing bleach with is laundry detergent or a little bit of dish soap. And no matter what, always clean with bleach in a well-ventilated place.

6. Don't toss your bras within the dryer with the rest of your clothing.

Machine washing and drying is bad for bras as both can stretch the elastic and bend the hooks out of shape. If hand-washing and line drying is not your method, be sure to put your bras in a special delicates bag. I know, it's not a perfect fix, but it will definitely help your bras stay in shape for longer.

7. Don’t wash your windows on a sunny day.

A bright, sunny day is the perfect day to do all your outdoor cleaning, right? Not really. When glass dries too quickly, it streaks. Doing all of your window washing on a cloudy day is best. Windex or watered-down ammonia both work. Once you've cleaned the glass, rub it completely dry with a microfiber towel or squeegee.