Five places in your home you're forgetting to clean

With warmer weather and longer days right around the corner, for many, this means one thing: spring cleaning.

Whether you already have your essential cleaning supplies and a playlist queued up or don't know where to begin, accomplishing a major deep clean that leaves your house sparkling can feel rewarding.

But before you dive into your to-do list, you need to get your cleaning tools in order. It's best to opt for tools that are versatile and multi-purpose to lighten your load as you might be overlooking a few areas or items in your home that are long overdue for cleaning.

Tops of ceiling fans, shower heads and doors

Out of sight, out of mind. Often, you don't clean what you don't see, but getting rid of hidden dust can make a big difference in minimizing the allergens around your home.

First things first, work from the tallest to lowest surfaces. With an extendable duster, wipe down the tops of light fixtures, doors, cabinets and picture frames, ceiling fan blades and even the top of your shower head in the bathroom, all of which are prone to collecting dust you're likely not seeing daily. Vacuum once you're done to pick up any of the dust that may have ended up on the floor.

Baseboards

You walk past your baseboards every day, but most people don't give them a second glance. But when not cleaned regularly, baseboards are prime real estate for dirt and grime build-up.

Inside your fridge, cabinets and pantry

Most people are guilty of holding onto produce past its prime or forgetting about expired flour lurking in the back of the pantry. While it's hard to ignore grease splatters on your stove or pasta sauce spills across your counter, cleaning the inside of your fridge, cabinets and pantry may not be a part of your everyday routine, but doing so every three or four months can remove lingering grease, grime and crumbs and cut down on potential odors.

As part of your next refrigerator refresh, start by tossing all expired products or produce. You can use disinfecting wipes to pick up any crumbs, wipe away sticky or dried-on spills and kill 99.9% of viruses and bacteria while you're at it. After you're done, rinse or wipe down any food contact surfaces, like your produce shelves, with warm water and allow to air dry.

Next, remove everything from your pantry and cabinets, working in sections if needed. Toss out any expired items along the way, and once empty, vacuum up any lingering crumbs. Following that, you can wipe surfaces down with a disinfecting wipe to clean, disinfect and deodorize at the same time. Now you're ready to restock the shelves.

Under appliances

Appliances such as your stove, refrigerator, washer and dryer can harbor hidden dirt, dust and even crumbs. Once or twice a year, it's worth moving what you can, like your fridge which is typically on wheels, or using the crevice attachment of a vacuum to clean beneath and around the base of the appliance. You can also wipe the areas down to remove crumbs, stubborn food smudges, grease and grime.

Cleaning tools

That's right - your cleaning tools need a little TLC too. Your cleaning supplies deserve the same attention as the rest of your home to avoid simply spreading around the dirt and grime.

On top of emptying your vacuum regularly, make sure to remove dust, hair or threads clinging to the beater bar or brush. You can disinfect toilet brushes, mop heads and smaller tools like brushes and sponges in a hot water and bleach solution regularly to help you get a more thorough clean and ensure that your tools are ready for your next big deep clean.

Knowing how to uplevel your cleaning routine can help you maintain a cleaner space and a happier living.