Professional cleaner: These are the 10 mistakes almost everyone makes

A professional cleaner has revealed the top ten mistakes almost everyone makes when they clean their homes.

Kacie Stephens, from Melbourne, runs her own cleaning company, The Big Clean Co.

The mum-of-four advised against practices like using bleach on grout, bi-carbonate soda on carpets, and forgetting to clean your vacuum.

The cleaner also warned people not to use a feather duster or clean their windows when in direct sunlight.

1. Bleach on grout

Bleach is corrosive and breaks down the sealer porous grout has to protect itself from moisture. 

Once the seal is broken and the moisture is in, you’ll find yourself constantly fighting mould until all your grout will be discoloured permanently and start to chip away.

‘Sealed grout only needs detergent and light brushing to be cleaned,’ Kacie said.

2. Bi-carbonate soda on carpets

Using bi-carb soda on carpets causes two problems.

Firstly, the particles are extremely fine and impossible to vacuum up entirely, so majority of it stays in the carpet regardless of vacuum quality.

In addition, if the carpet is made of natural fibres and not synthetic material, bi-carb soda can cause browning over time.

‘It also absorbs water from the air, which means your carpet may get damp and smelly – particularly if you frequently use it as a way to ‘deodorise’, it ends up working in the opposite way and eventually a professional is called in to fix it.’

3. Rubbing carpet stains

Rubbing carpet stains will push the blemish further in and wear away at the material.

The heat you create with the friction can also chemically bond the stain to the surface and make it impossible to get out.

It is instead recommended to gently blot at stains.

4. Blue glass cleaner on windows

‘Professional cleaners use the soapy water in a bucket and squeegee method,’ Kacie revealed.

Blue glass cleaner leaves streaks and residue, and hence requires more effort to use.

5. Not giving products ‘dwell time’

‘Dwell time’ or ‘contact time’ is the amount of time a cleaning product, such as a disinfectant, needs to remain visibly wet on a surface to kill a pathogen.

Spraying a surface with spray and wiping it off immediately after stunts the product’s effectiveness.

6. Forgetting to clean your vacuum

A clean and well-maintained vacuum will last longer and function better in terms of picking up more dirt around your home.

Make sure to regularly clean out the insides, change the filters, and sort out blockages.

7. Cleaning windows in direct sunlight

A warm, sunny day can cause the liquid aspect of your cleaning spray to evaporate much quicker than you wipe it away.

The residue it leaves behind results in streaks that can cause the glass to continue to look unclean.

Kacie advised against practices like using bleach on group, bi-carbonate soda on carpets, and forgetting to clean your vacuum

8. ‘Spray and wiping’ your shower

You need to rinse your shower with water after using a cleaning solution.

A former hotel employee revealed that simply wiping the dirt away doesn’t clean the area – and a lot of people use dirty cloths in the first place.

Kacie put it succinctly: ‘Showers need a shower, too.’

9. Dusting with a feather duster

Feather dusters usually just flick dust around without actually picking it up.

Kacie suggested using a microfiber cloth instead for better and longer-lasting results.

10. Using vinegar as an all-purpose spray or floor cleaner 

One of Kacie’s biggest gripes is using vinegar as a universal cleanser.

‘This is one of the most common mistakes I see,’ she said. ‘I’m just not a fan of it at all, there’s too many surfaces it has the potential to damage.’

The professional cleaner revealed that vinegar can damage stone, marble, polished concrete floors, wood, and stainless steel.

‘It also just smells bad,’ she added. ‘I know it’s good for build up on shower screens, but I’m usually just happy with a scourer or magic eraser.’

The professional cleaner also revealed that vinegar can damage stone, marble, polished concrete floors, wood, and stainless steel – and should not be used as a universal cleaner

Many thanked Kacie for her professional tips.

‘I’ve been doing most of these without knowing! Thank you for telling me.’

‘These are great tips – especially about vinegar! I cannot stand the smell and hate when people clean with it.’