Phil Aitken
Phil Aitken
Owner/Broker

7 Things that Aren’t Feeling the Love

With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, love is in the air and Cupid is hard at work.  Red roses, chocolate strawberries, chilled champagne, and the usual sentimental greeting card are all ready to go and your house is ready for romance.  Or is it???  

Just because your toilets sparkle and your floor glisten does not necessarily mean your house is as spick and span as you might think.  

The Aitken Home Team suggests seven things in your cozy, romance ready abode that may not be feeling the love:

Carpet – You might be surprised to learn that carpeting and rugs are their own brand of air filtration.  The tiny fibers in your floor coverings possess the ability to collect and trap dust, dirt, and a multitude of additional allergens.  Even more surprising is the fact that your $20,000, 7 x 10 authentic Oriental rug can hold roughly 200,000 bacteria per square inch.  Shoes only exacerbate this problem as even Jimmy Choos can track in E. coli.  Romance buzz kill, right?

Solution: Invest in a sturdy HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter vacuum and use that bad boy three times each week.  To really stay on top of bacteria, make sure you have your carpets and rugs cleaned every six months by a trusted, experienced professional, and don’t wear your shoes in the house.  

Kitchen Sink – Your kitchen sink is the primary harbinger of bacteria in your home and your sponge is its evil partner in crime.  One cubic centimeter on your trusty sponge can house as many bacteria as there are people populating the Earth….multiplied by seven!  

Solution: Germaphobes unite and throw those leftovers directly into the trash, compost bin, garbage disposal, light it on fire, do whatever it takes to conquer and destroy!  Be sure to clean your sink, faucet, and handles with hot, soapy water and sanitize with bleach after every meal.  Ignore those “helpful” sponge tips and DO NOT put them in the microwave or dishwasher as you are only fostering the growth of additional bacteria.  Replace the sponge every week.  

Doorknobs – A dirty doorknob can affect up to 60% of people in a work environment in less than four hours.  In other words, less than five percent of people wash their hands properly after using the restroom.  This is especially disturbing during the flu and cold season.  

Solution: Use antibacterial wipes DAILY to wipe doorknobs and don’t skip the light switches!

Coffee Maker – We are now entering the sensitive territory.  Your beloved coffee maker is also a bacterial nightmare.  The truth hurts, but regular cleaning of your beloved Black & Decker just isn’t enough as the water reservoir and piping system are often damp and dark and provide the perfect incubation system for bacteria.

Solution: Clean all removable coffee maker parts weekly with hot, soapy water and allow them to fully air dry.  Mix one part vinegar and one part water and run the mixture through your coffee maker no less than monthly.  Vinegar is a natural disinfectant and will remove buildup, likely lending years to your beloved appliance friend.  

Bath Towels – Coliform is a fecal bacteria commonly found in wet, moist bath towels and especially in hand towels.  Enough said.

Solution: Change out your bathroom and kitchen towels every other day and launder them in HOT water (with detergent, of course).  If this is too taxing, consider investing in paper towels.  

Shower Curtain – Shower liners often hang right next to the commode collecting bacterial plumes each time the toilet is flushed.  In addition, soap scum is really just the accumulation of more bacteria and black discoloration is a result of millions of mold spores and you’re going to need more than Calgon to take it away…

Solution: Bleach, bleach, bleach!  Make sure to hit the curtain, rod, and rings and invest in a new shower liner/curtain monthly.  Always keep the curtain drawn regardless of whether the shower is in use so as to prevent further bacterial infestation.  

Remote Control – The remote control has been a longtime collector of Cheeto dust, buttery popcorn residual, and all manner of nastiness.  

Solution: Use rubbing alcohol to deep clean and a disinfectant wipe weekly to clean your remote.

For more information, contact The Aitken Home Team today!

Name(Required)
Phone Preference
I agree to be contacted by Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty – Phil Aitken Home Team via call, email, and text. To opt out, you can reply ‘stop’ at any time or click the unsubscribe link in the emails. Message and data rates may apply.
Phil Aitken, Owner/Broker
Phil Aitken is the Owner/Broker with Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty - Phil Aitken Home Team and has over 13 years of Real Estate experience. Phil’s faith and desire for his family’s continued security fuel his business growth and leadership. The Phil Aitken Home Team continues to profoundly impact the people of Jacksonville via supporting several faith-based organizations. Phil gives back a portion of every real estate transaction to The Tim Tebow Foundation and Rethreaded. Find Phil's full story here.