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How to clean a mattress and how often to do it

When you snuggle into your bed at night, you’re sleeping on more than a comfy mattress. We’re talking sweat, dust, dust mites and allergens all sharing the bed with you. That’s why it’s important to clean your mattress at least twice a year or, better yet, with the change of the seasons

How to clean a mattress:

Step 1: Vacuum

First strip the mattress of all bedding. Using the appliance attachment, vacuum the mattress, paying close attention to the seam line. That’s where most buildup settles. Vila recommends using a HEPA-rated vacuum because it has the most powerful suction abilities.

Step 2: Spot clean

If you’re fond of snacking in bed, there will likely be oily stains from food spills. Remove them using a paste of baking soda, salt and water. Cover the stain with the paste, let it set for 30 minutes then brush it away. Wipe with a cloth dampened in cool water and dry with a hair dryer or a fan. For stains created by crayons, beverages, blood or urine, dab with a 50-50 mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water. Work into the stain using a soft toothbrush. Allow to dry for five minutes. Repeat as needed.

Step 3: Deodorize

Sprinkle mattress top with baking soda. Let it sit for an hour, then vacuum up the baking soda.

Step 4: Rotate or flip it

For one-sided mattresses, rotate the top of the mattress to the foot of the bed. For a two-sided mattress, get some help to flip the mattress entirely. Once flipped, sprinkle with baking soda and vacuum it up after an hour.

How to wash a duvet — and how often to do it

Washing your duvet can seem like a monumental chore. Will that beast even fit in your washer and, if it does, will it take a month for it to actually dry? Here’s the good news: A duvet cover should be washed once a month, but duvets themselves can go an impressive five to 10 years without needing to be cleaned.

“There have been a couple situations where we definitely needed to launder our duvets, but for the most part, if you have a cover on it, you can easily freshen up your duvet before you need to all-out wash it,” “If you need to freshen up your duvet or comforter, simply put it in the dryer on low heat with three wool dryer balls or three clean tennis balls. I will stop it every 10 minutes or so to redistribute the duvet or comforter and then repeat for a total of 30-40 minutes. This fluffs up the duvet or comforter and redistributes the filling for a freshened-up bed. If you want to kill germs but not wash it, put the dryer on high heat and keep an eye on it, rotating every 5-10 minutes and dry for 30 minutes.”

“There have been times when I have disregarded the directions because it was more expensive to have something professionally laundered then it was to replace it,” she said. “I took the chance and laundered it myself and saved the duvet for the cost of the water and detergent. Of course, launder at your own risk.”

While professional cleaning is usually recommended to clean the entire duvet, alternative cleaning instructions may also be listed on the care label. If DIY options are offered, it’s important to understand it is a time-consuming process and you’ll need an oversize/commercial washer and dryer to do the job.

How to wash a duvet

Stitch together any loose or open seams and holes to prevent a washer full of feathers later on.

Pre-treat stains or use a gentle, stain-removing detergent.

Wash in an oversize/commercial capacity washer, using a gentle setting, warm water and mild detergent.

Because the filling is dense, rinse twice to remove excess detergent.

Dry in an extra-large capacity dryer according to recommendations on care label, usually on low or air/fluff cycle. This is the time-consuming part because it’s difficult to dry the fillings inside the duvet. You’ll need to periodically stop the dryer and hand fluff feathers/down/fiberfill to help it dry move evenly. The duvet may take hours to dry completely.

To ensure that the down/feathers/fiberfill are completely dry, hang the duvet to air dry for an additional 24 hours. (Drying the duvet outside takes even more time and could result in mold/mildew forming on the damp feathers/down.)

How to clean lunch boxes, thermoses and coffee mugs

According to research from e-cloth, 73 percent of fabric lunch boxes tested contained mold and 20 percent had bacteria (staph and enterococci) that could contaminate food and cause food poisoning. Yikes!

How to clean lunch boxes and food-storage containers

Start by getting rid of all smashed grapes, smeared peanut butter and other obvious crumbs and smears your child left behind — as well as whatever “treasures” he or she picked up that day.

To remove the most bacteria and mold, wash fabric lunch boxes and reusable food containers after every use with soap and water. A microfiber towel, rather than a regular wash cloth, will help fight bacteria.

Most hard plastic, metal lunch boxes and reusable containers are safe for the dishwasher, but check the manufacturer’s cleaning instructions to make sure.

If the lunch box still doesn’t smell fresh after a good wash, sprinkle it with baking soda and let it sit overnight. In the morning, rinse and dry. It should be fresh and ready to use!

Never..

…use baby wipes on lunch boxes. Like plain cloth, these just move dirt around and do nothing to remove bacteria. …use chemical cleaning sprays on lunchboxes. These leave behind a chemical residue and odor that could get into your child’s lunch.

Always…

…wash your hands before preparing your child’s lunch and remind him or her to wash hands before eating at school. (It can’t hurt to pack a few sanitizing hand wipes for good measure.)

How to clean reusable beverage containers

1. Thermoses

A simple soap-and-water wash is the way to go here, using a microfiber towel and a bottle brush. Since moisture is a breeding ground for bacteria, leave the lid off so it can dry thoroughly. Thermoses should never go in the dishwasher or be submerged in hot water. Be sure to follow care instructions for these items.

2. Screw-top containers

Separate the top from the container and run both pieces through the dishwasher every day (top rack only, of course). Make sure the drying cycle is on since the container needs to be completely dry. If not, it will become a breeding ground for germs. Another option is to hand wash the container in warm water and dish detergent after every use. Use a microfiber cloth and a brush to remove any slimy build-up that may have formed. Rinse well and dry thoroughly before using.

3. Containers with spouts or pop-up straws

Wash in soap and water, using a small bottle brush to clean those hard-to-reach nooks and crevices in the drinking spouts. Rinse well and be sure to dry completely — either by air-drying overnight or hand drying with a clean cloth.

To remove odors:

If a container does not smell fresh after washing with soap and water, fill with hot water and add a tablespoon of baking soda. Allow it to sit overnight. In the morning, rinse and dry. By then, it should be fresh and odor-free!

How to clean a freezer and how often to do it

If you’re like most people, the exact contents of your freezer are something of a mystery. Once items enter that frigid “black hole,” it’s out of sight, out of mind. Now’s the time to get rid of “UFOs” (unidentified frozen objects) and give the freezer a good cleaning. It’s easy

How often should you clean your freezer?

Unless there’s a lot of spillage, a prolonged power outage or you live in a high-humidity area, most freezers can get a thorough cleaning once a year Follow manufacturer’s suggestions, however, since recommendations vary from model to model.

How long should it take?

It should only take an hour or so to clean the freezer on average. Tack on more time if there are lots of spills.

How to clean a freezer:

Supplies:

Microfiber cloth

Baking soda

Mild dish soap

Vacuum

Long-handled bristle brush

Toothbrush

Instructions:

Unplug it: Start by unplugging the freezer. Never clean a freezer while it is running or you could damage it.

Keep the food cold: Frozen food will usually remain frozen while you clean the freezer if you place it in an ice chest or a newspaper-lined container, like a laundry basket, sink or box. Ice cream and other products that defrost quickly should be placed in an ice chest with a piece of dry ice on top.

Wipe it: Using a microfiber cloth, wipe shelves and the inside of the freezer with either a mixture of 1 tablespoon baking soda to 1 quart of warm water or a mild soap-and-water solution. Do not use abrasive cleaners, cleaning waxes, concentrated detergents, bleaches or cleaners containing petroleum or plastic parts, as this can cause damage,

Dust the coils: For a refrigerator/freezer combo, vacuum coils every six months. Dirty coils are inefficient, cost more to run and can wear out the compressor more quickly. Clean coils with a long-handled bristle brush, then vacuum the dust that falls off. If you have pets that shed or if the freezer is in a dusty area, the coils may need to be cleaned more frequently. This same cleaning method can be used with stand-alone freezers where the coils are located at the front or bottom of the unit. However, if the coils are built into the outer cabinet of the freezer, you get a pass because they’re not accessible.

Check the gasket (the rubber that seals the door): Clean and inspect door gaskets yearly, or as needed. Clean the gasket with a mild soap-and-water solution, a microfiber cloth and a toothbrush. Check for tears or holes as you clean.

How to wash pillows

Spring cleaning your bedroom? Remember to clean your pillows, too! After all, while you’re snoozing peacefully, your pillow’s collecting drool, sweat and other bodily fluids, not to mention dead skin cells, dust mites and their excrement. Yuck! That’s why cleaning coach recommends cleaning pillows every three months. Just follow the easy steps below and you’ll sleep cleaner tonight.

Non-washable types

“Most solid/memory foam pillows are dense and cannot be machine washed,” cautions.

Freshen them by vacuuming (use a setting that has less suction) or place them in the dryer on an “air only” setting for 15-20 minutes.

To remove stains, spot-clean using a cloth lightly moistened with mild soap and water. Rinse with a damp cloth. Blot with a towel and allow the pillow to air-dry before covering it with a pillowcase or protector.

If the pillow comes with a removable cover that is washable, clean it according to directions on the care label.

Washable types

If your solid/memory foam pillow is hand-washable, be careful. “Solid foam, when wet, is fragile and can tear easily,” says. “Proceed gently.”

Submerge the pillow in lukewarm water mixed with a small amount of mild detergent. Carefully squeeze water through the pillow to clean.

Using cool water, rinse until water runs clear.

Gently squeeze to remove excess water.

Place on a flat surface to air-dry. If possible, dry outdoors on a sunny day.”

How to wash down or synthetic pillows

“Not all down/synthetic pillows are washable,” says. “First and foremost, follow the manufacturer’s directions for cleaning the pillow and the cover, too.”

Repair torn or loose seams before laundering so you don’t end up with a machine full of feathers.

For down pillows, wash only in a front-loading washer. Top-loading washers with agitators in the center could damage the down.

Wash two pillows at one time to keep machine balanced during the spin cycle. If you don’t have two pillows, add extra towels to balance the load.

Set the washer for an extra-large load. Prefill with warm water, add a small amount of low-suds detergent (enough for a small load), then allow the water to agitate for a couple minutes to make sure the detergent is dissolved and evenly dispersed in the water.

Place pillows in the washer.

Wash on gentle cycle.

Rinse twice in cold water.

Step-By-Step Guide on How to Deep Clean a Bathroom

Every room needs a deep clean sometimes—and that goes double for the bathroom. Everything from your shower curtain to your toothbrush handle (sorry) can be, and likely is, rife with bacteria. The range of bacteria includes some that can be harmful to humans, including antibiotic resistant gram-negative rods as well as gram-positive cocci, which can cause skin infections, pneumonia, and septicemia. It’s important then to know how to deep clean a bathroom so it doesn’t just look clean but is also rid of all that potentially harmful bacteria.

Things like toilets, bathtubs, showers, and faucets should be cleaned once a week, and you should deep clean a bathroom about once a month. Your weekly cleanings will help you keep things tidy and prevent bacteria from piling up, and your once a month deep cleanings will help address any problem areas. As for what those problem areas are, note that your shower curtain and shower floor harbor a whopping 60x more bacteria than your toilet seat, and that aforementioned toothbrush handle is an unexpected hot spot for germs as well (roughly 12.6 million colony-forming-units (CFU), compared to about 235,000 CFU on the toilet seat). And a basic cleaning isn’t going to cut it when it comes to eliminating all that bacteria.

How to Deep Clean a Bathroom

Follow the steps below to give your bathroom the deep clean it deserves.

Clear the clutter

Bathroom counter covered in stuff? Your first step is going to remove the clutter, as well as anything else that’s standing in the way of a deep clean. Take your bath mat and follow the directions on the tag to clean it. Most bath mats can be run through the washer on the cold cycle and then hung to dry. Do a load of any used bath and hand towels too while you’re at it.

Vacuum all surfaces

Long hair or short, if you’ve got hair there’s a strong probability that a lot of it ends up on your bathroom floor. Ditto for the dust that floats in the air around us. That’s why vacuuming before you start scrubbing is important, since it provides you with a blank surface to work on

Wipe down surfaces

To deep clean a bathroom, you’ll need to give some TLC to every surface in the space—even those that you might not think of very often. Scrub down all surfaces with disinfecting spray or wipes or distilled white vinegar, including the floor of your shower. Don’t worry about the toilet for now since you’ll get to that later, but do make sure to scrub and sanitize your vanity (including cabinet doors), as well as sinks, faucet handles, door knobs, and even the pull on your window. This speaks to the overarching rule of deep cleaning a bathroom, which is that if you touch it, step on it, or sit on it, you’re going to want to sanitize it.

Clean the shower

Hopefully you make a point already of wiping down your shower walls and doors after each use already, but if you don’t, now is the time to tackle all of that build-up. (And if you do, you’ll still want to do the deep clean—it’ll just be a little easier.)

Cleaning and Disinfection for Community Facilities

There is much to learn about the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Based on what is currently known about the virus and about similar coronaviruses that cause SARS and MERS, spread from person-to-person happens most frequently among close contacts (within about 6 feet).

This type of transmission occurs via respiratory droplets, but disease transmission via infectious aerosols is currently uncertain. Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 to persons from surfaces contaminated with the virus has not been documented. Transmission of coronavirus occurs much more commonly through respiratory droplets than through objects and surfaces, like doorknobs, countertops, keyboards, toys, etc.

Current evidence suggests that SARS-CoV-2 may remain viable for hours to days on surfaces made from a variety of materials. Cleaning of visibly dirty surfaces followed by disinfection is a best practice measure for prevention of COVID-19 and other viral respiratory illnesses in community settings.

It is unknown how long the air inside a room occupied by someone with confirmed COVID-19 remains potentially infectious. Facilities will need to consider factors such as the size of the room and the ventilation system design (including flowrate [air changes per hour] and location of supply and exhaust vents) when deciding how long to close off rooms or areas used by ill persons before beginning disinfection. Taking measures to improve ventilation in an area or room where someone was ill or suspected to be ill with COVID-19 will help shorten the time it takes respiratory droplets to be removed from the air.

This guidance provides recommendations on the cleaning and disinfection of rooms or areas occupied by those with suspected or with confirmed COVID-19. It is aimed at limiting the survival of SARS-CoV-2 in key environments. These recommendations will be updated if additional information becomes available.

Cleaning and Disinfecting Your Facility

How to clean and disinfect

Clean

Wear disposable gloves to clean and disinfect.

Clean surfaces using soap and water, then use disinfectant.

Cleaning with soap and water reduces number of germs, dirt and impurities on the surface. Disinfecting kills germs on surfaces.

Practice routine cleaning of frequently touched surfaces.

More frequent cleaning and disinfection may be required based on level of use.

Surfaces and objects in public places, such as shopping carts and point of sale keypads should be cleaned and disinfected before each use.

High touch surfaces include:

Tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, sinks, etc.

Disinfect

Disinfect with a household disinfectant on List N: Disinfectants for use against SARs-CoV-2external icon, the virus that causes COVID 19.

Follow the instructions on the label to ensure safe and effective use of the product.

Many products recommend:

Keeping surface wet for a period of time (see product label).

Precautions such as wearing gloves and making sure you have good ventilation during use of the product.

Always read and follow the directions on the label to ensure safe and effective use.

Wear skin protection and consider eye protection for potential splash hazards

Ensure adequate ventilation

Use no more than the amount recommended on the label

Use water at room temperature for dilution (unless stated otherwise on the label)

Avoid mixing chemical products

Label diluted cleaning solutions

Store and use chemicals out of the reach of children and pets

You should never eat, drink, breathe or inject these products into your body or apply directly to your skin as they can cause serious harm. Do not wipe or bathe pets with these products or any other products that are not approved for animal use.

Cleaning and disinfection

Cleaning and disinfecting are two different processes:

Cleaning means physically removing germs, dirt and organic matter from surfaces.

Disinfecting means using chemicals to kill germs on surfaces. It’s important to clean before disinfecting because organic matter and dirt can reduce the ability of disinfectants to kill germs.

A combination of cleaning and disinfection will be most effective in removing the COVID-19 virus. Cleaning reduces the soil load on the surface, allowing the disinfectant to work and kill the COVID-19 virus. Disinfectant may not kill the virus if the surface has not been cleaned with a detergent first.

Routine cleaning

Workplaces should clean surfaces at least daily. Special attention should be given to frequently touched surfaces (e.g. tabletops, door handles, light switches, desks, toilets, taps, TV remotes, kitchen surfaces and cupboard handles). Ideally, once clean, surfaces should also be disinfected regularly. Alternatively, you may be able to do a 2-in-1 clean and disinfection by using a combined detergent and disinfectant.

Surfaces and fittings should be cleaned more frequently when:

visibly soiled

used repeatedly by a number of people (e.g. trolleys, checkouts, EFTPOS machines), and

after any spillage.

For routine cleaning, disinfectants are usually only necessary if a surface has been contaminated with potentially infectious material. For this reason, when and how often a workplace should undertake disinfection as part of routine cleaning will depend on the likelihood of contaminated material being present at the workplace. For example, in a busy retail environment with many customers and others entering a workplace each day, more frequent disinfection is recommended to prevent the spread of COVID-19. By contrast, for a small work crew operating the same item of plant each day with little interaction with other people, routine disinfection in addition to daily cleaning may not be reasonably practicable.

How do I clean?

Use the following steps to clean an environment:

Wear gloves when cleaning. Gloves should be discarded after each clean. If it is necessary to use reusable gloves, gloves should only be used for COVID-19 related cleaning and should not be used for other purposes or shared between workers. Wash reusable gloves with detergent and water after use and leave to dry. Clean hands immediately after removing gloves using soap and water or hand sanitiser.

Thoroughly clean surfaces using detergent and water. Always clean from the cleanest surfaces to the dirtiest surfaces. This stops the transfer of germs to cleaner surfaces and allows you to physically remove and dispose of the largest possible amount of germs.

If you need to use a disinfectant, clean the surface first using detergent then apply a disinfectant or use a combined detergent and disinfectant (see next section). A disinfectant will not kill germs if the surface has not been cleaned first. Apply disinfectant to surfaces using disposable paper towel or a disposable cloth. If non-disposable cloths are used, ensure they are laundered and dried before reusing.

Allow the disinfectant to remain on the surface for the period of time required to kill the virus (contact time) as specified by the manufacturer. If no time is specified, leave for 10 minutes.

Your Guide To Whole House Deep Cleaning

The first step to a happier healthier home is the reset. Here’s how to deep clean your house. Welcome to the first week of our Simple Hacks to a Happier Home. Our goal is to take a simple approach to cleaning up, clearing out and ensuring that your house is a true sanctuary. Like any good project, you need to start with a blank canvas. And while doing a whole house deep cleaning

The first part of our printable is the annual updates section. Here you’ll find 9 tasks to do for outdoor inspection and 8 tasks for indoors. This list is comprised of the big housekeeping items that are easy to overlook but are important to the health and safety of your household for the year to come. These are house deep cleaning items like assessing your surrounding trees. It is time for a reshape? Do all the limbs look alive and healthy. No surprise falling branches here please! Inside you’ll want to do things like change your air conditioning filters which will not only help your system function more efficiently (your bills and the planet will thank you) but this can also help with allergies and musty smells.

There are also tasks on this list that suggest you call in professionals. While there are costs associated with this, it’s important to call in experts when safety hazards are involved. This is an investment into your family and into the value of your home!

Whole House Deep Cleaning Step 2:

While the items in part one are biggies, they aren’t too time consuming. For part two, we’ll get into the more traditional routine of spring cleaning: the time-honored ritual of cleaning up and airing out every nook and cranny of your home.

Some tasks on this list probably land in the category of regular weekly chores. If so, good for you! You’re ahead of the curve! For others, things like clearing off bookcases and dusting not only the shelves but the objects on them are a nice way to get reacquainted with your stuff. Spoiler alert: Next week we are diving into the art of decluttering. So as you do your room-by-room cleaning this week, keep an eye out for things that you’re ready to part with now. If you realize that you’d rather donate than deep clean an item, then you can get ahead for the next phase.