Hi I'm Lisa Macqueen, CEO of Commercial Cleaning Company Cleancorp. Please see my below response on surfaces people often forget to clean: 1. Underneath chairs and desks. People often to get to clean these because they're out of sight, out of mind - but it's still very important to clean underneath. Dust and food particles can accumulate, and areas that are high-touch where people might carry or move tables and chairs often high lots of bacteria. To clean this best, use a microfibre cloth and wipe down with an all purpose cleaner. I would do this monthly in an office environment, or weekly if it's a high-traffic area. 2. Door knobs, door frames, and light switches. These areas are touched really frequently. They collect fingerprints and germs, oils from peoples hands, etc which also contributes to cross contamination. To clean these, use a disinfectant wipe or alcohol-based cleaner. Make sure you especially focus on the areas where people touch the most! I would do this weekly in my household. 3. The back of your bathroom door. You probably remember to clean your mirror, sink and flooor, but the inside of your bathroom door will likely be forgotten... and it's often dirtier than you'd think. The back of the door is frequently touched after using the toilet (especially the lock) so they can contain lots of bacteria. I would spray this with disinfectant, leave it for 5-10 minutes, and then wipe down thoroughyl, especially the lock and edges. You should probably do this one a week too, or more often if you can. 4. Phones, keyboards, computers, headsets and remote controls. Tech accumulates oils and bacteria and can spread really fast. They often don't 'look' dirty, so they can be forgotten about. Use disinfectant wipes for electronics, or if there's any stubborn grime, a cotton swab with some alchohol can do the trick. DO this monthly. Thank you! Lisa
Don't forget the space behind your refrigerator and stove. As a home stager, I see the dust and crumbs that collect back there, and they can make a kitchen smell stale to potential buyers. Every few months, pull the appliance out gently and vacuum the area. It's a small detail that makes a real difference in how fresh a home feels.
Here's something I learned running Jacksonville Maids: the baseboards. They collect dust quietly, and if you skip them, even the cleanest house feels unfinished. Just run the vacuum brush over them weekly and wipe them down with a damp cloth once a month. Clean baseboards make the whole room feel complete, and clients always notice the difference.
Doorknobs and light switches are thoroughly disregarded. Although they are touched every time by individuals, they are not necessarily dirty so we form our decision not to clean them. One only needs to take disinfectant wipes or a mild detergent and gently clean off those areas using a cloth. This has to be done once a week, preferably where traffic is most prominent. This can include areas such as bathrooms and kitchens. Personal experience has shown me that it is always preferable to attend to such frivolities within the work environment, not only for ensuring that the work environment remains clean but also for making the environment welcoming to the employees and clients.
A place where the vast majority of people seem to forget to clean is under the bed and on the underside of the mattress. Since it's out of sight and often feels like "cleaning extra," we overlook it, all the time. Dust, allergens, and even moisture can quietly accumulate there. Failing to clean out the space can result in poorer air quality within the room you spend eight hours breathing, and for some people, it even promotes congestion that compromises sleep. I like to flip the mattress every few months and vacuum the entire bottom side of the bed using a brush attachment, before I slide it out and take the opportunity to clear the bulletproof floor using a HEPA filter, so you're actually removing fine particles—not just shoving them around. Most homes should do this once every one to two months, though if you have pets or allergies, monthly is safer. What I love, though, is how much calmer a room feels afterward; dusting from under the bed eradicates even hidden dust that changes the "weight" of a space. A clean foundation — literally — paves the way for a cleaner sleep environment in general, and it's also one of those habits that you don't realize makes a difference until the room is clean.
Homeowners are often surprised when I show them how much dust can accumulate on walls and ceilings. When working outside (like replacing windows or removing siding), we see how even small particles of debris travel inward and come to rest on vertical surfaces. As I found while scrubbing the grime off my window frames, because these areas don't look dirty at a glance, people tend to ignore them, but often when you rub them with a clean cloth, they reveal a light gray film. Left unchecked, that buildup can exacerbate allergies, cause paint finishes to age prematurely, and reduce the life span of interior surfaces, particularly in high-traffic rooms where air currents kick up the particles every day.
Baseboards are spots that pretty much everyone forgets about (they're low and the color of your room's trim, so you only notice them if you actively look), but they need just as much dusting. I remind homeowners that baseboards collect dust, pet hair, and moisture from mopping and can eventually become dirty until the collected dirt discolors paint or makes caulking less effective. A quick wipe with a microfiber cloth and mild cleaner every two or three weeks will keep them shiny, free of stink-causing bacteria and free from long-term damage. People frequently overlook light switches and door hardware. These are high-touch surfaces, which means oils, germs and grime accumulates much more quickly than people realize. Wiping them down monthly — or weekly in high-traffic rooms — with a barely damp microfiber cloth and a gentle disinfectant helps maintain the finish and minimize grime around the edges. It only takes a few seconds to wipe down these little details and avoid damage to the hardware on your property for years to come, all while giving you just another way to keep your home looking well-kept with minimal effort.
Inside of Kitchen Cabinets Kitchen cabinet interior spaces are often overlooked during routine cleaning, along with kitchen counters and appliances. Crumbs, spills, and dust that collect within these hidden spaces can attract unwanted pests and cause unpleasant odors. To clean, start by removing all contents from each cabinet. Use a damp cloth and mild cleaner to clean the interior surfaces of each cabinet. After cleaning, allow each cabinet surface to dry thoroughly before returning it to service. The recommended frequency for cleaning the interior of your kitchen cabinets is approximately 6 months. If you have noticed spills, crumbs, or other debris in your kitchen cabinets, clean them immediately. Bathroom Shelves Bathrooms are typically filled with numerous products on shelves, making them easy to miss during cleaning. The combination of the dust and moisture from these products creates an ideal environment for mold and mildew to grow, creating both aesthetic and health concerns. Clean your bathroom shelves by first removing all products, then dust each shelf, and finally apply a bathroom-safe sanitizer and replace all products. Clean bathroom shelves monthly or when reorganizing the products. Behind Appliances It is very common for individuals to avoid cleaning behind their appliances because the area is difficult to access. Dust that collects behind appliances can attract unwanted pests and cause unpleasant odors. To properly clean the area behind an appliance, remove the appliance and vacuum the area, or wipe it with a damp cloth. Once finished cleaning, place the appliance back in its original position. Electronics (TVs, Speakers, etc.) Electronics like TVs and speakers are often overlooked because they look clean when there's no visible dust. However, dust can interfere with their performance, and these surfaces can harbor germs from frequent handling. To clean, use a microfiber cloth designed for electronics and avoid applying water directly to screens. Opt for a specialized cleaner instead. Ideally, clean electronics every 1-2 months, or more often if they are used heavily.
When I have a new home I'm selling, I always pay attention to the flooring trim and molding. It's so easy to skip and it accumulates a lot of dust. It can really ruin the first impression, especially if the entire home is empty with no furniture.
I often see people forget to clean the underside of their rugs, but this is actually where most dirt, dust, and pet hair accumulate, especially if placed in high-traffic areas, such as the living room. Most people will just vacuum the rug every couple of days, but this buildup of allergens can negatively affect the air quality and your immune system, leading to a wide array of health issues. I recommend taking the rugs outside and shaking them to get all of the gunk out, and thoroughly vacuuming the area before returning. This should be done ideally once a month, especially in homes with children and pets. A clean home isn't just about what you can see; it's about what you can't.
People often forget to clean their vents. When you can't actually see the buildup because the surface of your vents look fine, it can be easy to forget that you have to take them out and clean them. Dirt, dust, and debris can all build up, and that can cause your HVAC system to struggle to work as intended because it has to encounter that extra barrier when trying to push air out. It can drive up your bill and even damage your system. I would recommend cleaning your vents once or twice a year (ideally, before the winter season and summer season, when your heater and AC will be relied on most heavily). You can clean them by removing them and using a vacuum attachment to vacuum up as much buildup as possible. Then, wipe with a microfiber cloth.
People often forget to clean their outdoor furniture, or they just don't do it very often. But, it's so important. Your outdoor furniture gets subjected to weather 24/7. Not to mention, it can also be subjected to the dirt your pets track up there, the pool chemicals from your bathing suit, sunscreen from your skin, you name it. Cleaning your outdoor furniture helps maintain the integrity of the material, whatever it may be, and because of that it helps the furniture last longer.
I always dread cleaning the surface of my upper kitchen cabinets, which I find important to do as someone who cooks a lot at home. I believe them being out of my reach and not directly seeing the dirt and grease dust it easily builds up makes it easier to forget to clean. What I do to clean it is put wax paper on top of the surface and replace it every month. I find doing this on a monthly basis helped improve the indoor air quality and even ensured my cat would come back from her adventures without dirt all over her face. Being a minimalist takes twice the effort to clean, especially if you have white walls like me. My dog would rub its body against our walls at times, often leaving a dark shade of dirt on it. In this case, what works best for me is a combination of spot cleaning and monthly wiping with a microfiber cloth using my cleaning mixture of dawn soap, vinegar and hot water. This helps maintain my walls' original luster and enhances the overall appearance of my home.
I founded MicroLumix after a friend died from a staph infection she contracted from a contaminated door handle, so I've spent years studying exactly this problem. The surface people consistently forget? **Door handles, bed rails, call buttons, and elevator buttons**--what we call High Volume Touch Points (HVTs). People forget them because they're cleaned maybe once or twice a day, but they're touched hundreds of times between cleanings. Here's the reality: 80% of common infectious diseases spread by hands, and according to the CDC, 54,000 people die daily from preventable infectious diseases. In hospitals, these surfaces harbor MRSA, C. difficile, and SARS-CoV-2 for days. A nurse touches a contaminated bed rail, then touches five patients--the infection spreads that fast. Traditional manual cleaning can't keep up with the contamination rate. In our lab testing at University of Arizona, surfaces recontaminate within minutes of being touched after cleaning. That's why we developed automated UVC technology that sanitizes within 5 seconds after every single touch--achieving 99.999% efficacy against pathogens including norovirus and MRSA. For home use, wipe down door handles, light switches, and fridge handles with disinfectant daily--not weekly. Focus on anything multiple family members touch within an hour of each other. The gap between touches is when transmission happens.
One of the most overlooked surfaces that people often forget to clean is the light switches and electrical outlets. These high-touch areas accumulate a surprising amount of dirt, dust, and grime over time. As a result, not only do they negatively affect the aesthetics of your electrical systems, but they also potentially create problems with their performance. We tend to touch light switches numerous times each day; however, many homeowners neglect to wipe them down on a regular basis. The build-up of oils, fingerprints, and bacteria can become so severe that it creates dirty-looking light switches that have the potential to spread germs throughout your home. Electrical outlets are another culprit. Dust, pet hair, and other debris can easily enter the outlet crevices and interfere with the connection between the plug and outlet, and even create fire hazards if allowed to remain for long periods of time. People generally do not recognize the importance of maintaining cleanliness and the maintenance of these less-than-noticeable electrical components. These areas are commonly forgotten because they're just not as visually obvious as floors, countertops, or other major cleaning targets. However, they are extremely important for the safety and operation of your electrical system. Ideally, your switches and outlets should be cleaned on a monthly basis. Cleaning them will help in preventing the build-up of contaminants that could be interfering with the electrical functionality and creating possible fire hazards. The best way to clean is to use a disinfecting wipe or a soft, dry microfiber cloth to lightly wipe the surfaces of the electrical devices. Do NOT spray any liquid or expose the electrical components to moisture; this is extremely hazardous.