Your home will always be clean as long as you conduct regular cleaning routines, right? Well, not so fast. It may feel clean and look clean, but the thing about cleanliness is that we often only pay attention to the dirt and grime we can see with the naked eye. But harmful bacteria living on surfaces can only be seen through a microscope—and it's sitting around your home in more places and in larger quantities than you might think. These bacteria also tend to congregate more in specific regions of the house than others, often highly-trafficked ones. So we'll let you in on the inside scoop so you know where to put forth your time and energy on cleaning days.

Mattresses

These are perhaps one of the most dismissable touchpoints of the home, for an acceptable reason: it's hidden! Atop a mattress lies a topper, sheets, a comforter, and maybe even some throw blankets, so why clean it? Mattresses develop plenty of dust mites and unwanted particles, which can be harmful. Every so often, make sure you flip it and run a vacuum over it to get rid of these particles.

Baseboards

Understandably so, judging by where they sit, baseboards accumulate falling dust and dirt QUICKLY. Still, because they are often out of our general frame of sight, they go overlooked. We recommend dusting first with a dry microfiber cloth and then mixing dishwashing liquid and warm water to scrub away the grime.

Refrigerator

All of it. On top, underneath, and inside. It's highly inevitable that the storage of all your food, especially perishable items, will accumulate a significant load of bacteria. Inside of the refrigerator, you'll want to regularly wipe down the shelves, especially the crisper, which is home to your fresh produce. Use a Swiffer or a similar tool to reach the refrigerator's top and bottom, where much dirt and bacteria also gather.

Doorknobs

Okay, this one might be a little more obvious. However, somehow these frequently touched surfaces still managed to go overlooked in the cleaning routine. It would be in everyone's best interest in your home to take a few seconds each day to wipe these down, especially for the front door(s) and bathrooms. Simply use a damp microfiber cloth and all-purpose cleaner, and you're set.

Light switches

The same logic behind cleaning doorknobs applies to light switches: they are touched multiple times every day. Clean these the same way you would clean doorknobs, but be mindful to not spray the lighting hardware.

Cleaning supplies

It almost seems silly and ironic to clean cleaning supplies. Still, it's sillier and even more ironic to not clean your cleaning supplies when you really think about it. Toilet brushes and sponges are the surfaces that absorb the most bacteria and dirt out of any other materials, so you should make it a goal to keep those clean regularly. There is no sense in spreading their accumulated dirt and bacteria through cleaning with them.

Shower curtains

We clean our bathtubs, but seldom clean the curtains, even though they receive nearly an equal amount of exposure to water and soap scum. Simply toss your curtains into the washing machine, along with two towels, with ½ cup baking soda in the wash cycle and ½ cup vinegar in the rinse cycle. Air dry, and you're good to go.

Trash cans

Even though you use trash bags inside your trash can, that doesn't prevent the foul odors and contaminants from transcending through the thin layer of plastic onto the interior of the bin itself. Use a pressure washer like a water hose to break down the debris inside of the trash can. Then use a scrubber such as new toilet brushes with disinfectant spray to really get down into it.Our team here at Quick & Clean wants to make sure your family lives its cleanest and healthiest lives at home. There are plenty of places we are all likely overlooking during our cleaning routines, and this list is simply the bare minimum. An effective way to get a feel for which regions of your home might need more TLC would be to keep track of how many times you personally engage with a certain surface or area.