Best cleaning & maid services pros near Wilmington, NC

Bleach isn’t the best choice to use while cleaning a refrigerator. Food absorbs odors, and bleach is known for its lingering smell, which can then lead to your fresh foods tasting off. Most people don’t safely dilute bleach, either. If you’re concerned about bacteria or mold from contaminated food, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends using a bleach solution of 1 tablespoon of bleach to 1 gallon of water for sanitizing. Be sure to let the fridge air out for an hour or more afterward to let the fumes dissipate.

A small amount of diluted bleach is okay to pour down a garbage disposal. As part of your weekly garbage disposal maintenance, use 1 teaspoon of bleach with your concoction of ice cubes and lemon peels. Turn on the disposal and run the water until the blades chop up the ice cubes.

Any more bleach in your disposal can harden oils and greases in your drain, which can cause problems. Always wear gloves when working with bleach, and know that you really don’t need bleach at all—vinegar, baking soda, salt, and ice should do the trick.

To determine whether you can use cleaning wipes on baseboards, figure out if your trim and baseboards are painted or stained. Painted baseboards can often handle wipes that contain bleach or similar disinfectant. However, steer clear of using these wipes on unfinished wood baseboards, especially if you use them regularly.

In between deep cleanings, you really only need to clean the filter, the drum, and the door. Run a sanitization cycle and then wipe down the exterior of the machine. You can skip cleaning the drain hose and the detergent tray, as these steps only need to happen once or twice a year, depending on how often you use your washing machine.