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We all go through the stages: Some weeks you don’t feel like cleaning much, and sometimes you want to wash the whole house top to bottom. Our mood likely dictates when we feel putting in a good work sesh at home (and probably our hormones!), so it’s easy to let it slip, but if you wait too long, your house will end up full of dust and grimy windows.
I get myself motivated by watching organization and tidying content on TikTok, buying beautiful picture books around organizing and cleaning and preparing my own cleaning products when I have the time.
So what are the most common things that you likely forgotten to clean last year?
1. Bathroom Exhaust Fan
That grimy buildup on your bathroom exhaust fan isn’t just unsightly — it’s making the fan work harder and less effectively. When dust and moisture cake onto the blades and grille, airflow drops, which means mold and mildew have an easier time taking hold in your bathroom. Most people never think to clean this until it’s visibly filthy.
Turn off the power to the fan, remove the grille cover (it usually just pops off or unclips), and vacuum away the dust. For stuck-on grime, wipe down the blades and housing with a damp microfiber cloth. Do this every few months to keep your bathroom properly ventilated and prevent moisture damage.
2. Dishwasher Filter and Gasket
Your dishwasher cleans your dishes, but nothing cleans your dishwasher — and that’s a problem. Food particles, grease, and soap scum build up in the filter at the bottom of the machine, and the rubber gasket around the door traps gunk in its folds. Over time, this leads to bad smells, cloudy dishes, and even clogs.
Pull out the filter (check your manual, but it usually twists out from the bottom), rinse it under hot water, and scrub away any debris with a soft brush. Wipe down the rubber door seal with a damp cloth, getting into all the grooves. Run an empty cycle with a cup of white vinegar in the top rack once a month to keep things fresh.
3. Refrigerator Coils
The coils on the back or bottom of your fridge release heat to keep the inside cold. When they’re covered in dust, pet hair, and grease, your refrigerator has to work overtime, which drives up your energy bill and can shorten the appliance’s lifespan. Most people have never cleaned them once.
Unplug the fridge, locate the coils (they’re either behind a grille at the bottom or exposed on the back), and use a coil brush or vacuum attachment to clear away the buildup. It takes five minutes and should be done twice a year — more often if you have pets.
4. Range Hood Filter
If you cook with any regularity, your range hood filter is trapping grease, smoke, and food particles with every meal. A clogged filter doesn’t just smell bad — it stops doing its job of venting cooking fumes out of your kitchen. The grease buildup can even become a fire hazard.
Most range hood filters are dishwasher-safe, so pull them out and run them through a cycle. If yours are heavily coated, soak them in hot water with dish soap and baking soda for 15 minutes first, then scrub gently. Clean these every month if you cook often, every few months if you don’t.
5. Baseboards and Door Frames
Baseboards collect dust, pet hair, scuff marks, and grime at floor level, but they’re easy to forget because they’re literally at the edge of your vision. Door frames and the tops of doors pick up fingerprints, dust, and sticky residue from hands constantly touching them. Neither gets attention during regular cleaning.
Wipe down baseboards with a damp microfiber cloth or a Magic Eraser for tougher marks. For door frames, use a slightly damp cloth and work from top to bottom so you’re not just pushing dirt around. A quick pass every few weeks keeps them from looking dingy and makes the whole room feel cleaner.
6. Light switches & AC digital panels
These are easy to do – add wiping down light switches to your task list and weekly cleaning routine. It will take you 1 minute – and will make such a huge difference in how clean our home looks.