5 ways to clean those hard to reach places

Cleaning those hard to reach places in your home can be a tedious task.  From hard to reach places like your cabinet tops, to those places that are just small and tight, hopefully these tips will help make your cleaning days go a little smoother.

• Ceiling fans:  We have posted several times about cleaning your ceiling fan, it is definitely one area of your home that collects the most dust.  Fans can sometimes be annoying to clean, especially if you have one that is located in a 2-story Family Room.  One of our favorite tricks for cleaning your ceiling fan is to use a pillow case (this works great for those fans located above your bed).  Place the pillow case over the fan blade and pull the case towards you.  The dust will then fall into your pillow case instead of on your bed.  You can then go back over the blades with a cleaning solution if you desire.  For 2-story fans, you can use a high reach duster, and if that still doesn’t reach, then a ladder might be your only other option.
• Ceilings:  Cobwebs, dust, and dirt are notorious for collecting in the corners of your ceilings.  A high reach duster or even your vacuum attachment will easily remove any unwanted dust.
• Behind the toilet:  It is tough to clean behind the small section of space behind your toilet bowel and the wall.  Most cleaning tools just don’t bend and maneuver easy enough to reach those places.  Our recommendation, put on your rubber gloves and start scrubbing.  It is definitely not the most glamorous way, but cleaning this area by hand (with a sponge or bristled brush) is the most effective way to fully sterilize this area.
• Cabinet tops:  The tops of cabinets are dust catchers.  Being located in a kitchen can make the tops of your cabinets the perfect place for a sticky residue to form.  A dry cloth will simply not do the trick on this area.  Try using a grease-fighting dish soap or cleaner to lift the grime, and then wipe over the are with a clean cloth.
• Gutters:  We have talked about all of the hard-to-reach places inside of your home, now lets talk about the exterior places.  The number 1 hard to reach spot outside of the home has got to be the gutters.  The purpose of your gutters is to redirect water away from your siding and your foundation.  Clearing your gutters of leaves and debris will help to prevent damage to your home and your landscaping.  The first thing that you will need is a sturdy, safe, and tall ladder.  It is also smart to purchase some sort of gutter scoop and a plastic tarp (that way you aren’t dumping all the debris onto your lawn).  Once you have scooped all of the debris out of the way, flush the gutters with a garden hose.