While we all focus on our personal hygiene (and quite excessively in these times), we miss out on the real culprit and source of viral and bacterial infections – our homes!

We know you ensure regular cleaning and sanitizing of the home, but you might be amazed at what all you have been missing. As always, it’s all about the detailing.

Here is our list of specific areas in the home environment that we know you might be missing out on completely sanitizing:

Utensils

Washing the dishes is one the cleaning jobs that people are not very keen on taking up, especially when you have to wash those stubborn oil stained kadhais. With the magic of baking soda your job is half done and its bliss. Here’s how:

• Take 3 portions of baking soda and 1 portion water.
• Make a paste.
• Use a kitchen sponge to wash your stainless steel utensils with it.
• You’ll be amazed to see how great it works on the utensils, leaving an incomparable shine.

If you get ample sun-light in your kitchen, allow the utensils to dry in the sunlight well before stuffing them back into drawers and racks. Any moisture that enters your drawers and storage areas makes that area fertile for virus and bacteria to thrive. Avoid it!

Kitchen sink

We often enter the kitchen with a thought “everything but kitchen sink”. With the leftovers in your plate or the cooking utensils the sink gets clogged, making the spoons and forks float. This is not a very good sight, we agree! Drainex is always out of stock right! We’ve got you covered. Follow the below recipe to unclog sink drains and free flowing:

• Baking soda with vinegar can be a real trick. Just know the right way of using it.
• The fizz reaction that the combination has, helps in cleaning the clogged sinks.
• Pour 2 table spoons baking soda in the sink, followed by 4 table spoons of white vinegar.
• Cover the drain and let the combo perform its trick for 30 minutes.

Pour some hot water to clean the remains.

Fridge hygiene

Technology, if not managed (we mean cleaned), can be the biggest harbinger of adversities! No, we aren’t exaggerating. Think for yourself, how often do you clean your fridge shelves, the side door or the fruit basket or the freezer cabinet, the ice trays? Being an essential part of our kitchen and our food, it is very important keep it germ free. For fridge cleaning we will not provide a cleanser recipe, but a small tip. We usually take out the shelves, clean them with soap and place it back in the fridge. While you do so, take a sprinkler and pour a solution of vinegar and water. Spray the solution on the inside of fridge doors and inner walls.

 Note: To further deodorize the fridge before you restock your food, place a hot cup of black coffee in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

Curtains

Yes, that large piece of designer curtain that is your window’s friend to keep away strong light, heat and cold. Curtains are often forgotten in regular cleaning and that’s also partly because it is cumbersome to remove, wash / dry-clean and then put back on and also dealing with the naked feeling when the curtains are absent. Curtains absorb dust and mold and if left un-attended for long, can also become homes of tiny lizards. Yes, we do intend to scare you.

• We recommend using light sheers or cotton based curtains instead of the heavy ones unless blocking light is a key need for the room. Lighter cloth is easier and cheaper to manage.
• Keep two sets for each window and keep rotating – It’s a good change of scene for the room too
• If you have heavy curtains, you could do the dry-cleaning twice a year – we recommend October and April as the months to undertake this. In between, take out that vacuum cleaner and get it swooshing the curtains
• Use some fabric spray occasionally for mild disinfection and to get rid of odors if any

Plants

As much as we love green around us we often do not meet the care and concern they demand. Grooming and moving is an essential part of their lifestyle. For house plants, it is suggested that they are arranged in different pots every six months. And while you do that, here are some tips you should consider:

• Water your plant lightly before repotting.
• Get rid of the rotten and dead leaves and roots.
• Gently move the plant from bottom to loosen the living roots – use these to prepare compost.
• Whenever performing this activity, make sure you repot in a slightly bigger pot.

Taking care of plants in it is a relaxing activity. Do it often if you like.

Mosquitoes

With the weather changing its colors from winters to spring and eventually summers, brings along the mosquito menace. For people who own plants at home, mosquitoes are the frequent guest. While some of you would prefer using a repellant, we strongly suggest you to try a homemade remedy. Charcoal based mosquito repellants have a very strong smoke & odor that is not healthy for people with breathing issues. However, dried Neem leaves, camphor and boiled garlic are a few very strong enemies of mosquitoes. You could burn small quantities of either of these natural mosquito repellants in early evening time in open areas for best repellant effect.