Do you consider yourself a cleaning pro? While we try to keep the house as clean as tidy, the reality is ‒ it's not always easy. Cleaning can be time-consuming, challenging, and you’re probably doing hundreds of other things on the side. Even if you have the time and the energy to clean, you can potentially be doing things that are less helpful. As a result, making your home dirtier.

In this article, we'll talk about how you can avoid making these habits so that you can maximize cleaning your house. After all, when you invest the time and effort in cleaning, you want to make sure that you're doing it right.  

Mistake 1:  Using feather dusters

Don't follow blindly what the ads say. According to the MaidSailors.com, a Cleaning Services NYC provider, feather dusters can trap and lock particles of dirt and dust. Feather dusters don't remove the dirt, they spread it on a particular surface, by making it fall on the ground instead.

As an alternative, you can use a microfiber cleaning cloth. Paper towels can also be used as well, make sure that they are adequately moistened with the right cleaner (depending with the surface to be cleaned.)

Mistake 2: Vacuum cleaning with an old filter

You've used the vacuum to clean the house, but do you remember cleaning the filter?  While you're replacing the bag on a regular basis, chances are, you don't do anything beyond that. But aside from cleaning the bag, you also need to frequently clean the vacuum filter as it accumulates a lot of dirt inside.

Chances are, if you're using a dirty vacuum filter, you're blowing the dirt right back on your vacuum cleaner. It also significantly reduces the overall vacuum power. So be sure to clean the filter on a regular basis.

Mistake 3: Not cleaning floors often enough

Dirt and other particles tend to stick on the padding and fibers of your carpet. While regular carpet shampooing and vacuuming every six months significantly helps in preventing dark tracks in high-traffic areas of your home, you also need to do a thorough once-over by properly vacuuming it once a week.

Hard flooring and laminate floors also accumulate dust and dirt which can be abrasive, causing scratches. If you're not too careful, it creates a duller, dirtier look. If you have these kinds of flooring, properly vacuum it or mop it thoroughly with a damp cloth every week.

Mistake 4: Spraying polish directly onto furniture that isn't wood

Furniture polish has always been around as long as one could ever remember. It does an excellent job on shining wooden surfaces, making it look gorgeous and sparkling clean. However, the problem is that your modern home's furniture isn't all wood anymore. While furniture polish does a fantastic job in nourishing solid wood, in reality, it does very little on other materials. So when polishing furniture, go for a simple, damp, cleaning rag instead.

Mistake 5: Cleaning windows on a warm day

Cleaning your windows on a warm sunny day may be the perfect time to clean those dusty windows. But you're making one major cleaning mistake if you're washing them in the heat.

The reason? The sun will evaporate the cleaning solution (and the water) before you even have time to finish. With that being said, you'll only be left with all sorts of product build-up ‒ not exactly the right formula if you have a gleaming glass in mind.

Mistake 6: Throwing all your cooking tools into the dishwasher

Some kitchen tools and gadgets need to be carefully hand-washed like zesters, graters, and garlic presses. These have nooks and uneven surfaces that won't allow you to get the full effect of the wash cycle. As a result, residual food can spoil, and in turn, making you and the rest of the people in your household sick.

Mistake 7: Placing a toilet brush back into its holder immediately

After cleaning, don't immediately put the toilet brush back on its holder. Germs and moisture tend to get trapped on the brush and the container, allowing to breed and multiply. The next time you use it, these germs will then run back into your toilet. So, instead of immediately returning it to its holder after use, let it dry first completely.

Mistake 8: Letting grout get greasy or discolored

It's never fun cleaning the floor grout. But here's the thing, since it’s porous, and ignoring it can lead to permanent discoloration. In the kitchen, grease in the air when you cook can settle on the grout. The solution? You can use a splatter screen to reduce grease.

In the bathroom, not having proper ventilation can cause mildew to form on the grout as well. Try running bathroom fans every ten minutes after showering, as it significantly reduces the humidity that causes mold and mildew to grow.

Mistake 9: Flushing the toilet with the lid open

Another big cleaning mistake you can make is to flush the toilet with the lid open. Did you know that flushing a toilet can spray up water up to six feet in the air? So when you're done scrubbing, it's crucial to close the lid first before your flush it clean. After all, the last thing that you want to happen is to germ up a bathroom after you've just thoroughly disinfected it.

Mistake 10: Not having a professional cleaners

For a more comprehensive, top-to-bottom cleaning of your home, a Deep Cleaning Service is essential to clean everything. Hiring cleaning professionals will focus on areas that you may have overlooked, or forgotten to clean over a period. Moreover, cleaning every nook and corner of your home is a time-consuming process. Cleaning professionals are there to work quickly and efficiently, saving a lot of your time. These experts have the right kind of experience and equipment to keep your home in top shape.