Best House Cleaning Tips for Hard-to-Reach Areas

To keep a spotless home, you must get to those hard-to-reach areas that collect the most dust and dirt. Keeping tall windows, ceiling fixtures, and heavy appliances pristine can be challenging, but with the right tricks, you can wash away dirt wherever it hides. 

Explore our guide to learn the best house cleaning tips to keep your home clean from floor to ceiling. 

Clever Tips for High-Reach Cleaning

A spacious home is great, but you need to get creative to reach those areas that are just out of reach. Whether you are trying to clean your ceiling, overhead fan, or windows, it is all about having the right tools. Here are some easy cleaning tips to get to those overhead areas. 

How to Clean Your Ceiling

An extendable duster or long broom will work fine if you are just trying to get rid of a few cobwebs. When using these tools, make sure to clean the heads often. If a duster gets too dirty, you can end up moving dust across your ceiling rather than cleaning it off entirely. You will also want to vacuum your floor afterward to get any dust that may have fallen on the floor or carpet.

If you have a vacuum with an extendable nozzle, you can also use the brush head to remove any dust directly from the ceiling. 

Try a soap, water, and a little vinegar solution for stuck-on stains. Using a ladder for high-reach cleaning is best since you will need to clean them and rinse these areas with water.

Cleaning Your Ceiling Fan

While you could try and get a ladder to reach a high-ceiling fan, there is a much safer way to do it. A tall, extendable duster is one way, but it can be tough to reach the tops of the fan blades, as the blades tend to rotate as you try to clean them. However, many hardware stores carry specialized fan cleaning tools that hold the blade in place while making contact with the bottom and top of the blade.

Simply run the mop over the blades and watch the dust fall to the ground. Since you will be under the blades as you dust them, you may want to wear a surgical mask and cleaning goggles to avoid breathing in dust or getting any in your eyes. 

Afterward, just vacuum the floor to rid yourself of the dust entirely.

Tips for Cleaning Hard-to-Reach Windows

Tall windows should not get dirty too often – after all, you will not be getting any handprints that are too high up. However, dust and cobwebs can start clinging to windows over time. For this reason, you only need to clean tall indoor windows about twice a year. 

Depending on the weather, you may need more frequent cleaning for hard-to-reach outside windows. A rainy dust storm can certainly leave unsightly dirt spots across your windows.

Invest in an indoor window cleaner or foam sponge mop to get to the very top of tall indoor windows. Spray the mop with your window cleaner of choice and scrub the windows up and down until they are clean. If you notice any streaks, replace the wet mop head with a dry one. Many window cleaners come with microfiber surfaces that will not leave lint or fibers on your windows. 

For outdoor windows, a foam mop works best. Saturate the mop with soap and water and wipe away dirt or dust. To dry, use an extendable squeegee to wipe away any excess moisture.

Tips for Cleaning Underneath Appliances

Ovens and refrigerators are notoriously hard to clean beneath. They tend to be pretty heavy, so moving them to get under them is not the best plan. Luckily, you can use some simple tips and tools to eliminate excess dust and dirt that fly underneath these areas.

How to Clean Under Your Stove/Oven

At first glance, it may seem impossible to clean underneath your oven. Luckily, you do not need to strain your back, moving a heavy oven to clean underneath it. Most commercial stoves and ovens have a pull-out drawer that acts as a storage area or bread warmer. You will be in a much better position to clean underneath by pulling that drawer out. Lifting the drawer up and out should allow you to remove the whole drawer. However, you will need a few tools to reach far enough back to get any loose crumbs and pieces of food that may have far back. 

Vacuuming underneath should be your first step. Use the extension wand – the long pipe that attaches to the hose – to get the extra reach you need to get deep underneath the oven. You can also use the crevice cleaner – the narrow wand with the angled tip – to get into those nooks for easy cleaning.

After you have vacuumed the area, use an all-purpose cleaner and a rag to wipe up any remaining dirt from the floor.

How to Clean Under Your Refrigerator

Your refrigerator is another bulky appliance that can collect plenty of dust underneath since moving it can be a chore. 

It is advised to move your refrigerator out of its cubby and clean the area twice a year. However, there are several tools for hard to reach places that clean underneath your fridge without all that effort. 

Most refrigerators have a removable grill at the bottom of the unit. This is where the airflow enters the refrigerator, so it will likely have collected plenty of dust. Most models make it easy to pull that grill right off. Once off, you can use a coil brush to collect any arrant dust or dirt that may have collected.

Next, you can use your vacuum and extension wand to get any other dirt you may have missed with your brush. 

Finally, you may want to wash your grill with soap and water before placing it back on your refrigerator. You can clean smaller grills in your sink, but you may need to clean larger grills in your bathtub.

An open concept home provides plenty of space and makes cleaning a lot easier. If you are looking for a new home with plenty of open air, discover our range of spacious homes today!