How Much of Your Life is Spent Cleaning?

According to a study done in February 2015, the average household takes 18.36 hours a week to thoroughly clean. This is a little over two and a half hours a day and over 950 hours a year! This study is based on doing more than simple tidying. It is based on deep cleaning, including dusting, washing windows, sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, washing all counters and cupboards, disinfecting bathrooms, etc.

Another study, this one done in the UK and based on lighter levels of home cleaning, suggests that women spend over a year and a half of their lives cleaning the house. That is 12,896 hours spent cleaning during their lifetime. Men spend about half of this, totaling 6,448 hours cleaning during their lifetime.

Of course, there are many factors which play a part in just how long it will take you to clean your particular home. Factors like the size of the home, the amount of time since it was last cleaned, the number of people who live within the home, the age of any children in the home…all of these play a part in the amount of time it will take you to thoroughly clean.

Your Home’s Structure:

The larger your home is, the longer it will take to clean. That is easily understandable considering that it simply takes more time to clean more space. However, the type of home will also play a factor. It will take longer to vacuum and wash carpets, for example, than to sweep and clean vinyl flooring. If you have carpets or rugs spread through large sections of your home, it will take longer to clean than a home with tile or vinyl throughout it.

How many people live in your home?

More people means more messes. And the younger the residents of the home, the bigger the messes become. A home with multiple young children will simply take longer to clean than a home with one adult. However, even a home with one or two adults will have trouble issues, such as the high traffic areas accumulating dirt on the carpet.

Do you have pets?

Anyone who has a pet loves their pet dearly. However, simple facts show that a home with a pet will take longer to clean. Pet dander, hair, nose prints on windows, plus any “accidents” on the carpet or flooring will add time to your cleaning regime.

Your State of Cleanliness:

The same UK study mentioned earlier also found that a third (32%) of the population does not perform deep cleaning, but only does the bare minimum cleaning required within their homes. This study went on to say that:

• Only 18% of the UK, where the study was conducted, clean their toilet seat daily
• Only 66% of the UK clean their kitchen surfaces daily
• Only 75% clean their kitchen floors weekly
• 75% have never deep cleaned their carpets
• 50% clean their fridge once a month

These are just a few of the many factors to consider when estimating the amount of time it will take you to clean your home. Is 18 hours a week about the norm for a deep clean of your home? If so, it is likely that you often sacrifice the cleanliness of your home due to the time it takes to achieve it. If that is the case, it’s likely that hiring a professional cleaning company can help. Give Scrub-a-Dub Maids a call today to schedule a free estimate: 435-267-0963. 

Commonly missed Cleaning Items

A clean house can reflect the personality of their owner. Also, it can reduce the chances of getting sick as regular cleaning can prevent the presence of bacteria and infections. However, there are some aspects of home cleaning that are commonly missed which in time can get unsanitary and extremely dirty when neglected for long periods of time. You’ll probably be amazed at the areas you’re commonly missing when cleaning!

Condiments:

The first house area that is commonly missed during the cleaning process is the condiments on your fridge. Condiments are regularly used in everyday meals and, with that use, they can become dirty. They may stain our food and hands because of the leaks out of the bottle. When not cleaned regularly, these items will create the perfect breeding area for bacteria and germs. Condiment containers are quick and easy to clean, but are still often forgotten or missed during the entire cleaning process.

To clean condiments bottles, you can simply use disinfecting wipes and wipe them off. Do this as part of your regular cleaning regime to help prevent the growth of bacteria.

Refrigerator Door Handle:

The next house area that is commonly missed during the cleaning process is the refrigerator handle. This is one of the places where all the people in your house come in contact with. The main issue here is the possibility of touching the raw foods before or after getting in contact with the refrigerator handle. It may cause serious problems when you regularly miss cleaning this part of your home since it is also a good breeding area for bacteria because of its moist surface.

In addition, the handles of every door/cupboard in a home are also often missed during the cleaning process. You can use again the disinfecting wipes to clean these handles to kill the housing germs and bacteria.

Keyboards:

The next area that is commonly missed in cleaning is your computer keyboard. Usually, this is one of the places where you regularly have contact and can share gems and bacteria. Often, we snack and drink beverages at our desks, which can leave a keyboard covered stains and crumbs. Cleaning the keyboard is time-consuming and can be a little difficult with all of its nooks and crannies.

The first thing that you should do is to shake your keyboard upside down and use a cylinder item with compressed air to blow out the remaining debris. You can also use the sticky side of a post it note to help pull remaining crumbs or hair from between the keys. Finally, use a micro-fiber cloth dipped in rubbing alcohol and wipe down all of its keys to remove any remaining dirt and any bacteria that have built up.

Phones & Remotes:

The last area we will be discussing in this article that is commonly missed is your hand held phones and remote controls. Since you’re touching these devices throughout the course of your entire day, germs and bacteria are definitely building up there.

It would be better to clean them off by using a disinfecting wipe and kill the germs and bacteria in it.

Disinfecting wipes can definitely be one of the most important cleaning items to use in your cleaning regime.

If you do not have the time to complete your cleaning yourself, or wish to have the benefits of the deep cleans that can be provided by a professional cleaning service, Scrub-a-Dub Maids in St George, Utah is here for you. Give us a call today: 435-267-0963!