We all love the feeling of a clean home, but is it as clean as you think?
Not all dirt is visible or immediately obvious – so lots of people miss these spots when they vacuum. Here are 7 commonly missed areas, and tips to help you deal with the dirt.
- Tumble dryer: It’s important to regularly clean the lint filter to prevent your tumble dryer becoming a fire hazard, but when was the last time you went further? Use your vacuum cleaner’s Crevice Tool to easily remove stray fluff from around the door and filter. Make sure the tumble dryer is completely dry first to prevent damaging your vacuum.
- Computer keyboard: Keyboards are covered in nooks and crannies for dust, food, and other debris to hide. Either tip the keyboard upside down over a bin to dislodge debris or crumbs, or use a micro-crevice tool (often found in car detailing kits) to vacuum in-between the buttons, before finishing by spritzing antibacterial spray onto a soft cloth and running over the keys.
- Mattress: Regularly changing your sheets is not always enough to keep bacteria at bay – you may occasionally want to carry out a deep mattress clean. First, check the care label, as different materials require different cleaning solutions. Tackle any stains with a mixture of baking soda and cold water, then let the mattress completely air dry before vacuuming with an upholstery attachment.
- Room edges: Dust, hair and dirt tends to gather at the edges of a room, especially in the dip where carpet meets skirting boards. Use a handheld tool to deep clean around the edges, or opt for the Shark Detect Pro range which features EdgeDetect Technology to sense when you’re near a room’s edge and ramp up cleaning power. LightDetect also turns up the headlights when you’re cleaning in darker areas.
- Under the furniture: Furniture which sits directly on the floor such as divan beds, wardrobes and cabinets are almost impossible to clean underneath, so occasionally you should pull them out and vacuum behind them. Shark vacuum cleaners’ signature LED headlights make this easier, illuminating hidden dust and pet hair pile-ups in those dark spaces. To clean underneath furniture which is raised off the floor on legs, check out Shark’s Flexology vacuum cleaners which bend so you don’t have to.
- Blinds: Venetian blinds, or blinds with horizontal slats, quickly gather dust which could disperse into the air when the blinds are opened, potentially aggravating allergies. Run a microfibre duster or damp cloth along each slat, or look for a dedicated blind cleaning duster with a long, flexible wand designed to reach in between the slats.
- Speakers: The fabric that covers speakers is finely textured and can quickly gather dust. Gently vacuum over your sound system using an upholstery tool or flat dusting brush attachment and a low suction setting.
