Everybody makes mistakes sometimes, and it is important to learn from them and try to be better. The same goes for tidying up your home. You have no idea how many Londoners perform simple cleaning chores completely wrong. That is why we have collected a large list of commonly made house cleansing mistakes/myths. Read, learn, evolve.

Always Start by Vacuum Your Floors

Let’s start with something widespread:

  • Myth: You always start with the most time-consuming task – vacuuming.
  • Why not: This is a common misconception, however, if you follow true with it you will end up with a very dirty home. If you start cleaning from bottom to top, all of the dust, shed skin, hairs and small particles will end up on your freshly cleaned carpet.
  • What to do instead: Leave hovering for the end, after all, other parts of your home are cleaned and shelves are dusted. This way your home will maintain tidy for a longer period.

Disinfecting and Cleaning Are Not Synonyms

This misconception can lead to serious health problems for you and all who live in your home.

  • Myth: If you cleaned your home, therefore, it is germ-free.
  • Why not: It is important to differentiate cleaning from disinfecting. The first is the act of removing dust, dirt and other particles from your home. The latter means to properly kill and remove bacteria and other microscopic germs.
  • What to do instead: Clean your home using your usual methods once a week. You know the normal hovering, swiping and dusting. Monthly call a professional cleaning team to disinfect and sanitise all surfaces in your London house.

Do Not Trust Bleach in Your London Home

Altho bleach has many alternatives, this product is still widely used all around the world.

  • Myth: Bleach is this magical chemical that can clean all stain from every fabric or material.
  • Why not: Bleach consists of very dangerous chemical ingredients. Altho it may be true it can be used to disinfect most surfaces, this product can seriously damage your home. This cleaner is dangerous for your health. It can cause discolouration to your carpeting and upholstery or even dissolve paint and polish.
  • What to do instead: Experienced domestic cleaning companies advise doing a thorough research and to try to replace bleach with more natural products.

The Smell Test

In some cases, you can be deceived even by your own senses.

  • Myth: If a cleaning detergent smells pleasant it must be a good product. Therefore buy only heavily scented solvents.
  • Why not: This is our brain tricking us to believe everything we smell. However strong odours are achieved with very powerful ingredients in concentrated quantities. If your floors smell of freshly cut grass and spring flowers it doesn’t mean they are clean.
  • What to do instead: Read the labels, if your cleaner consists of more artificial aromatizers than actual disinfecting chemicals, skip on buying it.

The Big Duster Lie

Dust exists in every home, and it is a constant battle to clean it.

  • Myth: Feather dusters are the best cleaning tool.
  • Why not: The reality is no matter what type feathers are used, your duster won’t be able to properly collect the small particles. They will only disperse in the air and spread to the floors.
  • What to do instead: Use a microfibre duster or cloth. Always dampen it before you attempt to wipe a surface to achieve maximum results.

All Your London Home Needs Is More Furniture Polish

Most pieces of furniture are made of wood, therefore, you need to take special care for them to look good and clean.

  • Myth: You must use furniture polish every week, or the wooden parts will get damaged.
  • Why not: An excessive use of polish may create a sticky coating on your furniture that will attract all sorts of hairs, dust and dirt.
  • What to do instead: Use a wood cleaner weekly and only reach for the polish once a month. This way your furniture will still look new, but you won’t worry about the dirt anymore.

More Is Always Better

Overdoing it isn’t always the best solution especially when we are talking about your lovely London home.

  • Myth: Regardless of the type of cleaning detergent, if you use more of it, it will guarantee you better results.
  • Why not: There is absolutely no evidence that suggests this myth to be true. In reality the more cleaning liquid you use, the harder it will be to rinse it.
  • What to do instead: Read the labels and follow the recommended cleaning doses.

Reading the Morning Paper

Some myths can be quite old and widespread as this one:

  • Myth: Use newspapers to clean your windows and mirrors, if you want spotless glass surfaces.
  • Why not: The ink printed on newspapers can easily come off when in contact with water and window cleaner. This means you will end up with big black smudges that are significantly hard to remove.
  • What to do instead: Use a regular microfibre cloth or even kitchen paper. If you really want to have great results, you can always use the pristine cleaning services of a local London company.

Stephanie Cooper

Stephanie is a content marketing specialist for Top Cleaners for the past several years. She has extensive experience working with cleaning companies and knows her audience. Stephanie creates engaging and useful content helping the customers of Top Cleaners with their struggles and providing them with the most accurate insight.