One Small Spot You Probably Skip Over in Your Everyday Cleaning
Apartment Therapy Weekend Projects is a guided program designed to help you get the happy, healthy home you’ve always wanted, one weekend at a time. Sign up now for email updates so you never miss a lesson.
The cleaning never really ends, so finding ways to change things up will help you keep things interesting. A new approach to your old cleaning tasks might also mean you see trouble spots that you’ve passed over for a long time — and notice how much they need to be cleaned!
I’ve tried many ways to switch around my cleaning routines, schedules, habits, and methods. I’ve done a weekly cleaning schedule where I clean a few designated areas or things a day. But then during the height of stay-at-home orders, our family switched temporarily to a Saturday chores cleaning schedule, when we got all the cleaning done at once. They both have their pros and cons, and work for my family during different seasons of life!
In addition to experimenting with when to clean what, another way you can shake up your routine is to focus on one specific cleaning task at a time, all across your home.
This weekend we’re going to turn our gaze and direct our cleaning energy into one type of spot that tends to harbor dirt we overlook: corners.
This Weekend: Clean your corners.
All types of corners are prone to getting dirt and dust stuck in them. It takes extra attention to get what collects in these triangular dirt magnets when you’re vacuuming, sweeping, or wiping things down. Why not address those corners all at once, get that dirt out, and discover for yourself how immaculate clean corners look and feel?
Here are some corners you can clean:
Baseboard corners. The dirt that gathers in the corners of baseboards seems to stick more than it does even on the straight parts of baseboards. Spray the area down with an all-purpose cleaner, or, for really stubborn dirt, use Mr. Clean spray. Let the cleaner sit for a bit and then use a small scrub brush to dislodge dirt. Finally, use a damp cloth or paper towel to wipe everything clean.
Floor corners. These are easy. They just need attention. Fit your vacuum cleaner with the nozzle attachment and vacuum each corner of every room.
Window ledge corners. Window ledges in general are rarely cleaned, and when they are, they may not receive much more than a cursory dusting and maybe a swipe with a damp rag. Grab some cotton swabs and some all-purpose spray and get those corners pristine.
Counter top corners. Just like dirt is prone to collecting in floor corners, crumbs are likely to collect on countertop corners. Hit them with the vacuum nozzle or a purposeful wipe-down with a wet rag. Alternately, coax the crumbs out of the corner with a basting brush or small paint brush and wipe your counters as usual.
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Remember: This is about improvement, not perfection. Each week you can either choose to work on the assignment we’ve sent you, or tackle another project you’ve been meaning to get to. It’s also completely okay to skip a weekend if you’re busy or not feeling the assignment.