Clean smarter – Do's and Don'ts for a clean home

Sara Idenfors

Do you want to clean effectively and hygienically? Here are the most important do's and don'ts to keep in mind to avoid common mistakes and ensure a clean home.

 




 Do's – Important things to do when cleaning


Avoid cross-contamination in your home

Cross-contamination means that microbes such as bacteria, viruses, fungi (such as mold and yeast), and certain parasites spread between different surfaces. This can happen through tools, kitchen utensils, unwashed hands, or from one food item to another. To protect yourself and your family from illness, it is important to reduce the risk of this spread.

Avoiding cross-contamination is easier than you might think, and by following a few simple routines, you can make a big difference.


How to avoid cross-contamination:

When you buy cleaning cloths, you will often see that they are color-coded – yellow, blue, and pink. The color codes are there to help us keep different surfaces clean without spreading bacteria between rooms. Here is what the colors mean:

  • Pink cloths – For the toilet

  • Blue cloths – For the kitchen

  • Yellow cloths – For other surfaces

To make things easier for you and achieve a more hygienic result, we offer our starter kit with soap sprays, which are also color-coordinated. The kit contains three different cleaning sprays – one for the bathroom, one for the kitchen , and one for other surfaces. This reduces the risk of spreading microbes between rooms, allowing you to clean effectively without having to worry about cross-contamination.






You can find the kit here: Soap Starter Kit



 

Don'ts – Things to avoid when cleaning


Do not cover up odors with perfumes

A strong perfume scent does not mean that something is clean. For a space to feel fresh and clean, all dirt and any unpleasant odors must be removed, not merely masked. Covering unwanted odors with strong perfumes does not mean that the surfaces are actually clean. In addition, strong perfumes can hide dirt and bad smells, causing you to miss cleaning properly.

It is particularly important to keep the kitchen clean because this is where we handle food. Using perfumed cleaning products can create a false sense of cleanliness and make it harder to detect dirt and bacteria.

All of our soaps with gray labels are completely free from added fragrance, precisely to ensure that you get a truly clean kitchen without the risk of masking unpleasant odors. If you want a complete kit for kitchen cleaning, check out our Kitchen Cleaning Kit.


Before


After


Do not spray directly onto light switches or other electrical products:


Light switches and electrical appliances need to be cleaned because we touch them frequently. However, it is important never to spray cleaning products directly onto light switches or electrical appliances connected to a power source.

To clean a light switch, spray a little all-purpose soap spray onto a clean microfiber cloth and gently wipe it. When cleaning other electrical appliances connected to the power grid, you should first switch them off and let them cool down if they are hot. If possible, unplug the power cable before cleaning them with a microfiber cloth.


Also remember never to spray directly onto screens. Screens should only be cleaned with a soft microfiber cloth, a very small amount of moisture, and, if necessary, a specialized screen-cleaning product.

Older TV screens were often made of glass and were more durable, but today's screens are more sensitive and require gentler treatment.

 

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    Questions and answers





    1. Why is it important to use different cloths for different rooms?

    It is important to avoid cross-contamination, which can spread harmful microbes from one room to another and make us sick.

     

     

    2. How can color codes on cloths and cleaning sprays help with cleaning?

    Color codes help keep different cloths and cleaning sprays separate for specific rooms: pink for the toilet, blue for the kitchen, and yellow for other surfaces, reducing the risk of cross-contamination.

     

     

    3. What is the risk of covering up bad odors with strong perfumes?

    The risk is that you may fail to clean the dirt properly, especially in the kitchen where we handle food. It may also mean that you do not notice if something is still dirty.

     

     

    4. How should light switches and other electrical products be cleaned safely?

    Spray the cleaning product onto a clean microfiber cloth and wipe the light switch. Other electrical products should be switched off, cooled down, and preferably unplugged before being carefully cleaned with a microfiber cloth.

     

     

    5. Why should you not use regular cleaning products on screens?

    Today's screens are more sensitive than old glass TV screens and should be cleaned with a soft microfiber cloth and, if necessary, a specialized screen-cleaning product to avoid damage.

     

     

    Order natural cleaning products here: Västerbottenssåpa

     

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