This past week was National Cleaning Week and in honor of spring cleaning we put out some tips. The things that make our life so simple we often forget to give some much needed TLC. Below are some ways to show those items the TLC they need.

• Your beloved washing machine. Can you imagine that little over 100 years ago we just had the washing board. We had to physically scrub clothes and hang them to dry. Can you see a doctor going home from a long day’s work and bending over a wash board to wash all their clothes? There would be no last minute loads, it would be a regular planned out chore. Well thanks to Mr. James King we have that beautiful oscillating machine in the laundry room that we simply shove clothes into and press a button. After time though we never stop to think about the things the washing machine picks up. Did you know that 60% of washing machines contain bacteria! Along with that your whitey tighties could be harboring E. Coli. So to combat all these nasty things wash your washing machine once a month. For the step by step how-to, venture over here.

• Who loves to take your shoes off after a long work day and rub the carpet between your toes? Who lets their sweet babies learn how to roll over and play on the carpet? Well then you should know that your carpet takes a beating. Filth, dirt and pollen gets down in between the fibers and stays there creating bacteria and constant allergies. So to keep your babies healthy and happy you should have your carpets cleaned once a year. You can rent a carpet cleaner from your local hardware store or have a company who does it all time do it.

• Have you forgotten to change your home air filter this year at all? Don’t lie to me. Most of us forget. Although when we leave it in or forget to change it it gets clogged with dust, debris, pollen and so on. Creating your HVAC system to work extra hard to push air through resulting in lower efficiency. Even if your not even thinking about the system’s efficiency the fact that it is collecting all that is gross. Always check your filter because sometimes it’s not ready to be changed but just in case take a look at the list below to get an idea. Although it is mostly dependent on your environment how often you should change it. Go here to get any size and any filtration level.
  • 1 in. every 30 to 90 days
  • 2 in. every 90 days
  • 3 in. every 90 to 120 days
  • 4 in. every 4 to 6 months
  • 5 in. every 6 months to a year

• Would you be grossed out if I told you that while your dishwasher is cleaning your dishes it is also growing fungi and black yeast. 😦 I am grossed out just thinking about eating off those plates! Alas it can be fixed. Clean your dishwasher once a month and to get the step by step on how to clean that nasty dishwasher go here, the TODAY show did a special on it. It will give you a piece of mind that your littles are getting sick while eating your cooking.

These are just a few things that give us a better quality of life. But these few things are so important to our time management and the hope that our families are living in a clean healthy environment. So in order to ensure that follow these simple cleaning habits. Something so simple could keep your babies or yourself from contracting something harmful.