The Importance of Deep Cleaning and Its Benefits For a Healthy Home

A clean home is something we all aspire to, but true deep cleaning extends far beyond the quick tidying or surface cleaning our homes see on a regular basis. Deep cleaning tackles all those hidden or neglected areas of your home that harbor dirt, dust mites, germs, and other contaminants. Not only does neglecting these spaces lead to unhealthy indoor air quality, it can also negatively impact the wellbeing of you and your family. By thoroughly deep cleaning your home, you reap multiple benefits including a healthier indoor environment.

Reasons Why Deep Cleaning is Important

Deep cleaning your home on a regular basis provides critical protective and preventative health benefits by rooting out dangerous irritants and allergens such as:

Dust Mites

Too tiny to be seen with the naked eye, dust mites are easily inhaled deep into the lungs. Bedding and upholstered furniture contain their primary food source of dead skin cells and human hair. They thrive in fabrics, carpet, curtains, and other places prone to collecting dust. Their body parts and fecal matter are powerful triggers for allergy and asthma symptoms.

Pet Dander

From cats and dogs to hamsters and birds, pet dander coats surfaces and fills the air in homes with furry or feathered friends. This triggers allergic reactions and breathing difficulty in sensitive individuals. Dander gets trapped in carpet fibers, sticks to fabrics, and circulates through home ventilation systems.

Pollen

During certain seasons, outdoor allergens like pollen easily travel indoors on peoples’ clothing and skin and by circulating through open doors and windows. This pollen settles on surfaces and remains potent for months, triggering allergic reactions in susceptible individuals.

Mold and Mildew

Too much moisture breeds mold and mildew growth in the bathroom, basement, pipes, and anywhere leaks occur. This microscopic fungi releases spores and mycotoxins into indoor air leading to allergic responses including wheezing, watery eyes, runny nose, and skin irritation. Mold exposure poses even nastier health risks like neurological issues and cancer with prolonged contact.

Deep cleaning eliminates layers of stubborn allergens in the home’s nooks and crannies that regular cleaning fails to eliminate. Without disturbance, these allergens accumulate to overwhelming levels for sensitive individuals.

Odors

Beyond aggravating smells, lingering funky odors indicate the presence of microbiological contaminants wreaking havoc on indoor air quality. Pet, food, and mold smells offer the first clue that deeper cleaning is long overdue. Smoke odors also raise major health concerns by indicating residue from cancer-causing secondhand smoke may still be lingering inside wall cavities or ventilation systems.

Chemical Residues

Air fresheners, all-purpose cleaners, and laundry products make homes smell fresh and clean upon initial use. However, research shows after rinsing dirty mop heads inside buckets or using antimicrobial wipes, toxic quaternary ammonium residues remain on various surfaces which have been linked to reproductive issues and allergies. Other dangerous chemicals like solvents, lead, pesticides, or flame retardants find their way into homes through various channels. Deep cleaning helps remove built-up layers of residue.

Illness Risks

Research definitively shows improper maintenance of humidifiers, drain pans in heating and cooling equipment, and failing to wash bedding frequently exponentially increases risks of developing cold, flu, sinus congestions, staph infections, gastrointestinal issues, and asthma flare-ups. Deep cleaning all these germ hot spots reduces disease transmission throughout living spaces.

Key Areas to Deep Clean

Targeting cleaning efforts effectively requires knowing key areas prone to harboring higher than average concentrations of disease-promoting particles. Places demanding deeper scrubbing include:

Floors

Carpets trap countless allergens and microbes unreachable through surface vacuuming alone. Hard floors allow annoying messes like sticky residues and mud to accumulate in cracks. Pay special attention near walls, corners, and baseboards where dirt loves collecting.

Fabrics

Bedding provides an unlimited food source allowing dust mites to multiply exponentially if left uncleaned. Other problematic fabric items include frequently handled throw pillows, drapes, upholstered furniture, plush toy stuffing, and cloth lamp shades. Wash and thoroughly dry these items as much as practical.

Kitchen

Kitchen drains catch nasty pathogenic, moldy gunk easily aerosolized when running water. Range hoods filter out cooking fumes but need frequent scrubbing as grease builds up. Refrigerator coils, rubber door seals and vegetable bin drawers also grow science experiments over time. Don’t forget pantry staples like jars and bins where insects and rodents poke tiny holes.

Bathrooms

Mold cigarettes, bacteria blooms, and unpleasant surprises spawn easily in bathrooms. To prevent this, vigilantly combat soap scum, hard water spots, mildewy caulk and shower curtain liners. Toilet bowls also require extra scrubbing of every crack and crevice.

Air Ducts and Vents

Out of sight out of mind access points easily accumulate thick sludge containing dead bugs, rodent droppings, pollen, dust and other undesirables. As conditioned air travels through them, they pollute entire homes. Schedule professional air duct cleanings at least every five years.

Benefits of a Deep Cleaned Home

Beyond reducing exposures to microscopic critters wreaking havoc on family health, perhaps the greatest rewards stem from enhanced peace of mind, aesthetics and home value appreciation realized from deep cleaning.

Healthier Indoor Air Quality

By effectively eliminating concentrations of pollutants and allergens from a home’s living space, inhabitants breathe easier. Asthma and allergy sufferers experience less frequent reactions allowing people to remain more physically active and productive. A deep cleaned home also reduces risk of infectious transmissions and nuisance pest issues.

Lower Stress Living Environment

Walking into a freshly deep cleaned home smells fresh, looks tidy, and feels calming. People think clearer, make healthier lifestyle decisions, and enjoy relaxation and rejuvenation in uncluttered deeper cleaned living spaces. By clearing away physical disorder and chaos, inhabitants gain mental clarity and control over their environment.

Improved Visual Appeal

A thorough deep cleaning restores surfaces and finishes to like-new condition. Floor scrubs brighten grout. Magic erasers remove caked on gunk. New air filters ensure proper air flow and efficiency. Deep cleaning removes unpleasant surprises decreasing anxieties and frustration. Homeowners feel pride in well cared for living spaces.

Increased Home Value

Meticulously maintained homes with newer looking finishes earn higher selling prices and quicker sales. Though superficial cosmetics matter, buyers recognize telltale signs of a deeper cleaned home. They notice less pet hair clinging to baseboards, fresher smelling upholstered furniture and well organized storage spaces. Homebuyers value health-focused preventative maintenance practices. Less desirable homes linger on the market longer.

Conclusion

Deep cleaning extends far beyond changing sheets, vacuuming floors or wiping counters. It systematically removes layers of unseen dust, allergens, chemicals, and bio contaminants settling inside living spaces which degrade indoor air quality and breed illness. By devoting sufficient time tackling buildup in problem areas, families enjoy cleaner surroundings and better health. Beyond looking nicer, deep cleaning benefits families by creating healthier indoor living environments allowing them to breathe, play, live and thrive easier. Protect loved ones by making deep cleaning a regular habit.