The 5 Cleaning Chores Everyone Forgets, According to Reddit

From the bathroom exhaust fan to the top of the fridge, there are always some spots in the home that you tend to overlook while cleaning. A Redditor recently posted a question on the r/CleaningTips forum, asking: What’s one "deep cleaning" task you always do that others often forget? "For me, it’s vacuuming under the fridge—nobody thinks of that!" they wrote.

The question elicited tons of responses, with people sharing areas of the home that are often forgotten, like the inside of the trash can and baseboards. Here are the top spots that Redditors say they always remember to clean, but think others forget.

Trash Can

Next time you take your trash out to the curb, give your trash can a deep clean. "Even with a good trash bag, stuff gets in the bottom or around the rim. I take it out once a month to hose it down and scrub it with an extra toilet brush," wrote one commenter. "I love the idea of a spare toilet brush! I lightly hose mine and give a generous sprinkle of Comet. Let it sit for 30 minutes to one hour and hose it off. Very little effort on my end, and no scrubbing needed," suggested another commenter.

Ceilings

Don't forget to look up when cleaning. A few Redditors noted the dust and cobwebs that accumulate in the corners of ceilings. "I have 11-foot ceilings. I have this super long dusting puff that I use to dust corners and light fixtures," one Redditor said. "After seeing a tip on Reddit, I brought our low-power electric leaf blower inside and opened the front door to get the cobwebs from our tall ceiling in the stairway. It worked amazingly well. Also blew the dust out of our wall heaters instead of taking the really long screws out to dust by hand. Definitely will be done once or twice a year going forward," another commenter shared.

Microwave

One Redditor said, "Oh God, never, and I mean never, look into my microwave. I always forget until I open the door and scream." Commenters suggested investing in a splatter guard to keep the microwave clean. "I store mine in the microwave so it’s literally impossible to forget about it and just as much work not to use it," wrote a commenter.

While a splatter guard is effective, the microwave will need a thorough cleaning eventually. When the time comes, one Redditor suggested warming up vinegar "for a couple of minutes (so that it steams your microwave) and then wipe with a towel."

Outside of Windows

To make window cleaning easier, one Redditor said she cleans the outside of her windows from the inside of the house by titling them inwards. "You can shine the inside all you want but if you don't wipe that part down, there's a whole layer of gunk waiting to be cleaned. When I do that I also clean the interior of the window where the screen lets all the pollen and dirt accumulate. I only do this about four times a year, though."

Baseboards

Another common cleaning task that's often overlooked is baseboards. One Redditor asked, "How do you clean your baseboards? I feel like there must be a better way than what I am doing." A poster replied, saying they use a Swiffer duster with an extended handle. "Easy and you don’t hurt your back," they wrote.