What non-obvious things make a house feel clean?

[Custardapples]

Obviously you can have a clean sink, loo, etc. but I think there are some non-obvious things that help make a house look and feel clean and I want to know what they are! My house never feels like this and some other people’s homes do. I feel like I’m missing crucial knowledge of how this works.

One thing I’ve just discovered is that the grout between our kitchen floor tiles hasn’t been sealed and that’s why it’s always so grubby. Things like that.

What else can I do to help my house feel clean, fresh and pleasant apart from the obvious?

Thank you!

There is to me. No way is the kettle being put in a cupboard, nor the Air Fryer, They're no more 'clutter' than a table lamp.

This is the best thread we’ve had for ages.

For me;

• Window cleaning - Exteriors, interiors, gutters and fascia boards cleaned. Makes a huge difference.
• Hoovering - the quickest thing to do that makes the house feel cleaner
• Cleaning the outside of kitchen cupboards - it’s amazing how grubby they are when you look
• Tiles and grout - scrubbing brush and CIF. Nothing else cuts it.
• Dusting - My biggest indicator of whether a house is clean or not is dust on things like boxing in the bathroom or on an extractor fan. Dust those hidden dirt traps.

Plus all the usual things like removing clutter, keeping laundry, kids toys in a dedicated space.

If only there were enough bours in the day to do all these things 😂

Lots of helpful ideas - thank you!

I think a few things are becoming clear as I reflect on these. We live in a non-new build (not super old but not recent) house in the countryside. The fresh air is awesome but mud, dust, cobwebs, and all kinds of insects are always finding their way inside. (And unlike many people I actually quite like spiders so find it very difficult to destroy their hard work!)

Our kitchen is poor quality and I think it’s never going to look great therefore. Loose baseboards, chipped edges, etc. We can’t replace it.

We have small children who are 80% crumbs held together by something sticky so there’s that.

Touching up paint, cleaning windows, skirtings, doors, looking into robo vac, sorting out storage, flowers, fresh grout - all seems do-able.

Regularly air your whole house, even in Winter (for even brief amounts of time). When I do my weekly clean, I throw open every window and door.

In the Spring, wash your walls. Literally wipe your paintwork with a jay cloth dipped in plain warm water, watch the water quickly turn black, keep changing it. It’s amazing how filthy walls get, even those that don’t look it.

Use small make up brushes to thoroughly dust pictures frames, they really get in the corners.

Write down a list of everything that needs cleaning and how often. I have daily/weekly/monthly/seasonal lists. I clean the following, but never all at the same time, pick a couple a month:

• Wipe inside of windows and surrounds.
• Empty each kitchen cupboard, wipe insides. Don’t forget the tops!
• Clean small kitchen appliances.
• Clean light fixtures (mine benefit from a rinse as jewelled, so hard to dust. My DD’s hot air balloon folded paper one requires a fine make up brush to dust).
• Dust inside your radiators.

My top tip though is just to have less stuff overall. Less in every category you can think of. Less mugs, less shoes, less toys, less towels, etc. Avoid any unnecessary duplication where possible. Who uses this? How many do they realistically use/need?

Good luck!

Countryside dust is a different kettle of fish. Something I’ve noticed in our house is the dust IN the door frames, so every month or so - I wipe down the inside of the door frame and it makes a big difference. Easier than touching up the paint.

Opening the windows is the best thing you can do. I love the fresh feeling it brings.

No clutter, fresh air, hoovered, mopped, and dusted in all areas especially under furniture

Depending where you live and what your waters like, if it's very hard then a water softener is an amazing investment. Our dishes are actually sparkling. Soap feels soapier. No more limescale build up in the bathroom. Feels lovely

I could not live like this!!

I just clean everything everyday. Sinks and toilets ( showers twice a week but we clean screen after every use) I hoover everyday , sometimes twice, all beds are made and sprayed , all washing in the bin in the utility, all clean clothes put away, very minimal on kitchen sides , good reed diffusers , clean windows and doors. I clean all the door handles and light switches at least once a week. Fresh plants / cut flowers. I just don’t like mess or clutter.

This x 💯

Yes, I do that every morning and evening no matter what season. There's nothing like it.

This.

plus hoovering sofas and washing the cushion covers. Hoovering/dusting lamp shades

absolutely NO to candles and plug ins. Smells cheap and is bad for health. Just makes the house scent sit on top of the unclean house smell. Much better to simply open windows.

You don't need to live in a show home. Social media homes aren't always real! I once saw a sign up in someone's kitchen; "Clean enough to be healthy, dirty enough to be happy!"

The single thing (well 2 things really ) that makes a house look instantly better for me is

1 clean well maintained floors that are clear of clutter
2 other surfaces genally clear of clutter

Those two make the biggest overall difference from a house having a grubby feel to looking much better/ fresher

Obviously things like skirting board and cobwebs in corners and light fittings etc make a difference but in my experience they make less of a difference than having clean nice floors that are not cluttered throughout the house.

Sorry of this has been said already but haven't RTFT yet.

But one fun thing to do is actually use a hairdryer to blast out all the fluff and shite that hides behind radiators. Works so much better than a radiator duster which I used to use. And we have laminate flooring in the hallway and a zillion cats and I swear to god the amount of fur is unreal. How any of them aren't bald I've no idea 😂😂😂

To smell clean - dust behind the radiators and rub a drop of your favourite fabric conditioner or house-scent oil (M&S cut flowers is summery) onto the back of the radiator.

When I (not often enough) wash my curtains and soft furnishings, the rooms smell fresh and gorgeous for months.

Nature is a mystery. Good hairdryer tip 👍

Gleaming mirrors and windows.

Clean windows and mirrors, especially on a sunny day. Clean approach to the house, ie is the path to it clean, litter and weed-free, is the front door itself clean and bright, is the hall clean and tidy, or do you open the door and step into a muddle of sweaty-smelling shoes and piles of coats? And no, a nasty chemical plug-in "freshener" or a Yankee candle doesn't help, just puts another layer of smell over the unpleasant ones. Open windows as much as possible.

If you have the cupboard space! Where do all you 'clear the surfaces' people live - a mansion??

Got mine from Must Have Ideas…..brilliant piece of kit……until it gets stuck 🤣🤣

Deal with stuff, don't clutter, don't save stuff for a rainy day and put it all away every day, so when passing a pile of washing then deal with it. You can't clean around stuff. Clean woodwork, use a product that lifts grease and has a nice scent. Floors not great, clean, place a few cheap rugs strategically placed. Space in the hall, then washing baskets for kids / you / partner and place all their stuff in a basket and off to their space at the end of the day. Zoflora has some good clean scents and I swish the mop over the doormats, so that starts the clean effect. Clutter is clean's enemy. You asked where we store items, much easier if you only own what you use, so again, do you need 50 plates when 8 will do, have enough mugs in the cupboard for a football team....

Just less stuff. I have no stuff on any surfaces, including kitchen worktops. It makes it easy to run the cloth or duster over everything regularly and everything looks clean because there’s no clutter.

When do you people sleep/eat/go to work??!! Or is it 'the cleaner' doing all this stuff?