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Household tools that we use for cleaning make an important part of our tools cabinet. But just because they do all the cleaning doesn’t mean you can ignore their cleaning. Cleaning your cleaning tools is essential to make sure the rest of your house is spotless as well. Unfortunately there are a lot of myths and legends surrounding how this cleaning should be carried out. If you want to know the real truth, keep reading this article.

MYTH: There’s no need to wash the mop since it gets cleaned by the soap you use on the floor.

This might sound like a plausible myth but it’s actually not true at all. String mops are excellent at spreading, soaking and cleaning a wooden or tiled floor with a soapy mixture but that doesn’t mean it gets cleaned itself along the process. It’s true that your string mop will soak in the water and soap on the floor but that soapy mixture will most definitely be unclean and mixed with dirt and grime. So even if you think your mop is getting cleaned with soap, it’s dirty soap and water that’s doing the cleaning. The next time you use this same ‘clean’ mop, you’ll only make the floors dirtier in the process. That’s why it’s absolutely essential that you clean the mop with actual clean water completely separate from that bucket of soapy water you use to clean the floor. Mops should be cleaned frequently perhaps even after every use if you live in a more dusty environment.

MYTH: Just squeeze the dish sponge under running water and it’ll be brand new

There’s no harm in rinsing and squeezing the dish sponge under water to get the soap and dirt out during your dish washing but don’t be fooled into thinking that you’ve completely cleaned the dish sponge with just that. Without using a proper disinfectant, there is no way that your dish sponge will be ready to clean a new batch of dishes. If you use the same dirty sponge for more dishes, you’ll only encourage the growth of bacteria and germs on your plate. That’s the last thing you want in a plate you eat your food from. Disinfecting a dish sponge isn’t that complicated either. All you need is some diluted bleach in a gallon of water where you can soak your dish sponges. Alternatively you could also run the dish sponge in a hot cycle of dishwasher. It’s important to ensure that the water is hot and not cold or even warm to completely disinfect the sponge. The hot steam produced in the dishwasher is what will kill all the germs in the dish sponge and make it hygienic to clean the next batch of dishes. You don’t need to disinfect the sponge after every use though but you should do it after every other!

MTYH: You can use paper towels to clean your house conveniently

There’s no denying that paper towels are readily available and they are easy to use. They also apparently absorb well so you can use them just about anywhere, right? Not really. While paper towels may be an easy cleaning tool, they aren’t actually that good at cleaning. Not only are they bad for the environment (since they encourage deforestation), they don’t work well at all in absorbing oils or cleaning glass surfaces. In fact, these paper towels can break easily and their fibers can cause the surface you’re cleaning to look even dirtier.

When it comes to cleaning your house properly, shortcuts like using paper towels don’t always work and neither should you use them because they are pretty bad for the trees around us. Let’s keep these paper towels only for the few designated kitchen purposes it actually has.

MYTH: You can use bath towels as cleaning tools once they are old – it’s green and cheap!

It’s not uncommon to find people reusing old bathroom towels, tearing it up into rags and using them as a cleaning cloth. This might seem like a cheap alternative to buying new towels and it also apparently feels eco-friendly but that’s not all true. For starters, reused towels will never have the same cleaning properties as a fresh one. The fibers of these towels wear out with time and they don’t catch dust and dirt the same way. It’s better to ditch these old towels completely and purchase new ones for better and healthier cleaning for your house.

MYTH: Scrub brushes that are harder and stronger are better at cleaning

Another common misconception is that scrub brushes with bristles that are hard and sturdy are better at cleaning than those with softer bristles. The truth is that harder and stronger bristles can actually damage the fabric you’re scrubbing or cleaning. Steer clear from this abrasive action and invest in a brush that has quality – and not necessarily strong or harsh – bristles.

Think Maids is your professional Washington DC house cleaning company. Contact us today for all your home cleaning needs!