How to Clean Hard Surfaces in Your Home With Ease?

Have you ever gone to touch your countertop, your coffee table or even the doorknob and thought to yourself, How in the world has this gotten this grimy? Our kitchen tables and counters, wooden furniture, tiles and even doorknobs are hard surfaces that experience a lot on a daily basis. Dust, water splashes, fingerprints, bacteria, stains and other debris are silently accruing in these places, which not only look ugly but can also prove to be unhealthy on the hard surfaces. The hard thing is? Each of the surfaces is personal. A cleaner that works like magic on glass may corrode a wooden piece, and what sparkles on a tile piece may tarnish stainless steel.

Stop worrying, though, you do not have to have a cabinet of fancy products to make everything look fresh. It is possible to clean and bring the hard surfaces at home with the proper treatment and using several simple household items to clean hard surfaces. Well, we can take it room by room and surface to surface.

1. Kitchen Countertops: the Centre of the House

Most of the countertops in homes are the busiest, according to Bond Cleaning Oxenford. They put up with it all; the meal prep, coffee spills and so on. Warm water and a mild dish detergent should be used to clean granite or marble countertops with a soft cloth; acidic materials such as vinegar or lemon must be away as they will lead to etching. By contrast, laminate countertops are amenable to a vinegar-and-water cleaning spray to remove daily grime, and more stubborn marks can be cleaned with a paste made up of equal parts of baking soda. Stainless steel counters should be wiped with the grain using a damp microfiber cloth and, to add a little shine, a minuscule bit of olive oil.

2. Wooden Surfaces: Tables, Cabinets and Floors

Wooden furniture and wood surfaces make any space warm and, at the same time, they are sensitive and need tender treatment. First, wipe up with a dry microfiber cloth. To clean daily, a drop or two of dish soap in water, soak a bit of water on a cloth and rub the wood dry. A homemade polish of an equal mix of olive oil with vinegar can be used to add shine and protection to the furniture when fingered in circular motions. Finally, the key that should always be remembered when working with wood is to use no more than enough water or rough chemicals, which would destroy it, warp it, or make it turn dark in colour.

3. Glass and Mirrors: Crystal Clear Shine

Mirrors and glass surfaces are very prone to streaking and smudge marks. The best way to counter the mess is by spraying vinegar in equal proportion. and water and wiping using a lint-free cloth or even a piece of newspaper to have a streak-free surface. On especially tough stains, you can soften up the muck by rubbing alcohol beforehand. Under a clouded day, instead of direct sunlight, cleaning of glass would prevent the solution from drying up too fast to leave the marks behind.

4. Hard Surfaces like Tiles and Grout: Warriors of the Bathroom and Kitchen

Tiles can be maintained fairly easily, keeping in mind that grout may prove to be a real problem as it collects residues. A vinegar and warm water combination will clean ceramic and porcelain tiles. On grout lines, lay on a thick paste of baking soda and water and spray on top with the vinegar. The carbonating of the reaction assists in raising the grime that can be removed by scrubbing with an old toothbrush. Use clean water to cleanse the dirtier and lighter grout. And, when your tiles are natural stone, now is the time to avoid vinegar altogether (and in its place, use a neutral pH cleaner to avoid injuries).

5. Plastic and Acrylic Surfaces: Open and Touching

Light switchboards, plastic seats, and acrylic shelves can attract dust and stains. These will most typically clean up with a weak solution of soap and water and a soft cloth. In tougher marks, tougher marks can be cleaned with the use of a baking soda paste as a gentle scrub. Nevertheless, cleaning tools should be avoided as there are abrasive tools that can scratch or dull surfaces irrevocably.

6. Stainless Steel Appliances: Non-Smudgy and Slick

Stainless steel appliances are usually present in modern kitchens, although their smooth appearance is spoiled in a matter of seconds by fingerprints and smudges. They can best be washed using warm and soapy water applied to them with a microfiber cloth. Bond Clean Brisbane recommend spraying Vinegar dissolved in water should be sprayed and the surface polished to give it a smooth finish. To go one step ahead, just put some olive oil or baby oil in the grain direction, leave the appliances shiny and without a chain.

7. Doors, Handles and High-Touch-Points

Doorknobs, light switches, and handles are also some of the surfaces that one would touch a lot in an area in a household that people forget to clean the most. These surfaces can be sanitised using either a vinegar-water solution or diluted rubbing alcohol frequently. A mild soap solution is effective with wooden doors, and later a wood polish should be used to keep the finish. Needless to say, remote controls, as well as electronic switches, are not deprived of a rare wipe-down, either.

8. Floors: The root of cleanliness

Probably the biggest hard surfaces in your household are floors, and they require maintenance. Hard Surfaces like tile floors may be washed and polished with a vinegar-and-water mixture, but wooden floors must be mopped with a wet mop, then a cleaner that is safe on wood, never a vinegar solution, which may befog a finish. Soapy water may also be used to clean the vinyl and laminate floors, though not with plenty of liquid since excess water could drip into cracks and warp the floors.

Conclusion

It does not have to seem like such a big deal to keep the hard surfaces within your house clean. The trick is to get to know the demands of each material. Although vinegar and baking soda are versatile, they do not fit all. One should utilise the correct approach on every surface, and that is what counts. All you need to ensure your home surfaces shine and last longer are very ordinary ingredients, the right tools and a frequent cleaning schedule.

Also check The Top 8 Do-It-Yourself Air Fresheners for the Kitchen to keep your home fresh along with clean surfaces.