Tiles are made out of stone and when it comes in contact with water, it wears down faster. Even though we use eco-friendly materials, we still have to maintain and clean them.

Whatever materials you use, be sure to sweep and mop regularly.

The problem is also with the cleaners we use. Check the label, are there dyes or other colors in the ingredients? That could be the reason for discolored tiles and grout. Try colorless cleaners and make sure they are cleaners specifically for tiles.

It’s so tempting to stack the dishes you’ve just washed just to get things done faster. But it’s going to bite you in the behind eventually. Because the water in those stacked dishes has nowhere to go, it stays there and becomes a place for bacteria to grow.

Nobody wants that. Next time you wash your dishes, let them air dry or wipe the moisture with a dry cloth before stacking.

Dishwashers are such a great invention for washing dishes, pots, pans, utensils, and other big items. It’s such a time-saver! Did you know though that you can’t place everything in a dishwasher? There are items that can only be washed by hand, like graters, peelers, and garlic press.

Basically, any kitchen item that has nooks and crannies needs to be washed by hand (or a brush) because the water pressure in the dishwasher might not be able to get the food stuck in the small bits. If you don’t see it, then the food can get stuck there for weeks, go rotten, and grow bacteria. Just to be safe, just wash them by hand.

We’ve done it before. We’ve loaded the washer and because we’re so tired, we fall asleep or are about to fall asleep and just leave our clothes in there. It seems like a harmless move but it actually does more harm than good. We all know what happens when there’s still moisture present that has nowhere to go.

Bacteria and mold grow. So if you’ve loaded the washer, try to stay awake long enough to place it in the dryer. If you leave it in the dryer overnight, that’s still a better option.

One of the ways to take care of your wooden furniture and keep it looking beautiful is to polish it. You can use either oil or wax but you have to remember, to do it sparingly.

You only need to oil or wax when the furniture is dry anyway and use it the right way. Use oil when your furniture has a polyurethane coating and use wax on bare wood.

A lot of people think shampooing a rug is the best way to keep it clean. News flash: It’s not. When you shampoo your rug, it can stir up things you never want to appear and cause airborne illnesses.

The best way to clean a rug is to still take it outside and beat it with a racket.

We usually use specific cleaners for specific purposes. But when we use too many cleaners, it’s not a good thing either because the chemicals in each product can interact adversely with other chemicals.

This can result in too many chemicals pervading your home and not cleaning effectively. Use the right amount of cleaners in your home. If you really must clean some more, use natural cleaning products like lemon or vinegar or dilute your cleaning products.

The most logical place to store towels would be in the bathroom because that’s where we use them, right? It’s the logical reason but it’s not the right way. Towels soak up moisture easily, which means it’s the perfect place for bacteria to grow.

You can keep them outside the bathroom in a hallway closet or in your bedroom drawer. Just keep it away from the bathroom.

Just because you’ve installed hardwood floors and you were given a guarantee they’ll last for years they will. One reason these floors last long is that you will take care of them, especially if you live in a place with a humid climate.

If you do that, then you know moisture is your greatest enemy. You spent a lot of for these floors so invest in a dehumidifier to protect them. Plus a dehumidifier will prevent the growth of mold as well.

Because hardwood floors are expensive, never ever use bleach to clean them. Bleach will remove the coating on the floors and make them more susceptible to moisture, dirt, and dryness.

You’ll also lose the floor’s sheen when you clean it with bleach. Just use soap and water.

This was surprising. Don’t wash your cutting board with dish soap? Whoa. We’ve been doing that for years! It’s because the microbes are transferred to your sponge, which can transfer the microbes to your dishes, glasses, or cutlery.

Dish soap doesn’t get into the crevices of your cutting board, too. Use hydrogen peroxide to clean your cutting board instead.

That granite countertop is beautiful and you want to take care of it. Of course, you want to remove the dirt and germs that accumulate on your countertop so you wipe them off with vinegar. While vinegar can be an all-purpose cleaner, it’s not the right one for this because it’ll strip away the coat and make it look dull.

Regular soap and water will do the trick. If you want a deeper clean, dilute alcohol with water and wipe away.

Just like oil and grease, pasta water can clog your drain. But where will you throw it away? If you have plants, you can use pasta water to water them. Just make sure your water is unsalted.

Okay, we’re not saying make your bed later in the day. We’re just saying make your bed later. Our tendency is to make our bed the moment we get up off our bed. When we do that, though, we could be trapping the moisture from our bodies underneath the sheets.

Just wait a few more minutes before you make your bed. You can do some stretching, drink your morning cup, or brush your teeth then make your bed.

We all know that drinking coffee and tea can stain our teeth. It’s the same way with porcelain. That’s why we shouldn’t throw it down the toilet or bathroom sink.

And we shouldn’t throw it down the kitchen sink either because it’s like pasta water and can clog the drain. Use it to fertilize your plants instead.

Plastic may seem like the better alternative to cutting boards but they’re actually worse. Plastic will breed more bacteria than wooden cutting boards plus wooden cutting boards will be better for your knives, too.

And tiny plastic fragments can get into your food or wash down your drain. Ditch the plastic and go for wooden cutting boards.

When you clean your bathroom tiles or kitchen tiles or any tile, use a cleaner that’s specifically for tiles. Anything else you use may be too acidic for the porcelain.

This can cause the grout to break apart and come off the wall. If you don’t have any tile cleaner, soap and water is better than using toilet cleaner or any other cleaner.

By all means, open your curtains and let the sunshine in your home. But when the sun gets too bright, close your curtains. Too much UV light can damage your furniture and textile and let them fade.

Besides, when you close your curtain, the room becomes cooler, too. It’s best to get sheer curtains, too, so you can close those instead of the heavy curtains when it gets too hot.

While mulch is great for your garden because it keeps out the weeds, it’s not such a great thing for your home. It does retain water, which can be bad for your home if your mulch is close to your home.

The stagnant water can lead to foundational issues and even cracking. Plus mulch can become a home for termites. If you’re using mulch, keep it far away from your home.

Sometimes we think cleaning water is harmless and it is most of the time. It’s not advisable to clean your wooden floors with water though. Too much water can cause the boards to bend, or become waterlogged and can easily rot.

Wooden floors are coated with polyurethane so there’s no need to use too much water to clean them. Use water sparingly, just enough to wipe the floors.

We see these dust pads in commercials and they really do get so much dirt off the floors. But are they really effective? Unfortunately, these dust pads leave a layer of residue that attracts dirt.

So you end up buying and using more dust pads. You’re better off just using a mop and a broom.

It’s good to clean your windows every now and then but there’s no need to clean them every day. In fact, cleaning windows every day can actually attract more dirt and compromise your window’s structural integrity.

Instead, wash and clean them a couple of times a year or maybe every season. Clean them when it’s not too warm and there are overcast skies. When you clean your windows on a sunny day, you’ll add more streaks on your windows.

Are you cleaning your cleaning supplies, too? Because if you’re not, then you’re just moving dirt around with your unclean supplies and tools. Sanitize your sponge, mops, brushes, and other tools with warm water and soap regularly.

And let them air dry before storing them again because you’ll just be inviting more bacteria to grow and attract more dirt if you don’t.

We get it. Life happens and you get busy. By the time you get any free time, your laundry has piled up but you don’t have a lot of time to wash your clothes. What do you do? You load as many clothes as you can in your washer and dryer. But this practice can actually end up damaging your machine and drum

It can cause the machine’s belt to come off and damage your machine. It’s always best to wash your clothes in batches instead of doing it in one big load. If you really can’t do batches, then pick the clothes you’re going to wear for the next week and wash that first. You can wash the rest on another day.

It’s tempting to stick things on the wall with adhesive tape because it’s just so easy. What’s easy now can be problematic in the long run. When you peel off the tape, you also run the risk of peeling off the paint and ruining the drywall.

Even if you peel off the tape without doing any of this, you’re left with some discoloration. If you’re hanging something on the wall, use a nail or special wall adhesives instead.

Always get your water tested. You need to make sure how much water pressure you have so you can make adjustments. You also need to check if you have too many minerals in your water so you can install a water softener.

If you don’t, you may develop issues with your pipes breaking down, which could lead to burst pipes and flooding. Get your water tested. You’ll save more money in the long run.

Always check your HVAC filters regularly. These filters are responsible for catching dirt and harmful bacteria in the air. That’s why cleaning the filters is so important. If you don’t, then you can have a problem with your heating and cooling systems.

It can lead to higher utility bills and more dirt and bacteria flying around the air you breathe. Cleaning and replacing them is so much cheaper than damaging your system or, worse, getting sick.

We usually place the toilet brush back in its holder when we’re done with it. That means we put it back while it’s wet. And we know what happens when something is wet and covered. Yes, bacteria and molds grow. Before you place it back in the holder, spray it with sanitizer and let it dry.

Can you bring it outside? That’s even better because the sunlight will help sanitize the brush. When it’s dry, place the toilet brush back in its holder.