Do you know the last time you deep cleaned?
Not gonna lie, the last time I mostly deep cleaned my house was probably like 9 months before I had to due to moving.
Like, I deep cleaned a some in those intervening 9 months but . . . not as much as I should have. And you could tell.
So, I guess let me premise this article with the fact that 80% of Americans plan to deep clean every year . . . but a lot of them probably don’t follow through.
(Maybe they need a little help getting motivated!).
So, if you struggle to deep clean, you’ve got company!
And, frankly, I think a lot of us are still learning how to really clean and maintain our house well.
That’s why a list of signs to watch for is helpful. It teaches us what should trigger a deep clean in our homes.
So, let’s get started! I hope you learn something new and useful.
Dust and dirt on the baseboards
This one is a big sign for me. I try to dust and vacuum my baseboards, but if I miss them for a while, you can feel it.
Something just feels off when you walk into a room that needs this. You just know it needs cleaning.
Marks on the walls
This is another thing that makes a room feel “dirty,” even if everything else is polished to a sheen.
Smudges and streaks on the walls create visual clutter and variation, interrupting the smooth and tidy look of a clean room.
And I get that this is hard with kids—oh MY is it hard! Especially if they go through a food throwing phase.
*Shudder.* I’ve been there.
But let the marks just be a sign to you that it’s time to clean or paint the walls. (Start with cleaning them if the painting part sounds like way too much).
Grime around the base of the toilet
This one, thankfully, is a “time-to-deep-clean” sign that I have avoided by wiping down my toilet regularly (I learned that from FlyLady).
But if you struggle with getting to the base of the toilet, let this be a reminder to you that it’s time to kneel down there and scrub!
Constant allergies
According to Eastern Oklahoma Ear Nose and Throat Inc., about a third of the population can reduce their allergies just by deep-cleaning their home.
It’s that simple.
So, if you or your household have constant allergy issues, try a deep clean!
Odd smells when you use the oven
*Raises hand.*
I’ve been there on this one. Stuff leaks when you’re using your oven and you just don’t get it cleaned up. Pretty soon, you’ve just gotten used to a strange burnt odor each time you turn it on.
Whoops.
Instead of accepting it, we need to let that smell be a reminder to clean!
While cleaning my oven recently I found this cleaning kit recommended by professional cleaners on Reddit. I don’t love chemicals, but ovens are awful to clean, and I am totally trying it next time.
And I’ll probably follow it up by putting in an oven liner to make clean-up easier next time.
Streaked windows
This is a tricky one, especially if you have people in your household who put their hands on the glass all the time. (*Ahem* . . . small children. And possibly teens.)
However, if you look around and realize that your view outside is impeded by handprints, dirt, or streaks . . . that’s your reminder that it’s time to deep clean your windows.
Your household’s had GI illness recently
Studies show that frequent disinfecting helps to prevent GI illness from spreading. (Though, interestingly enough, it is not helpful for preventing the spread of respiratory illness).
But if someone’s had the stomach bug and you don’t want it to pass to the next person, it means it’s a good time for a deep clean (or at least a good disinfecting of surfaces).
Dusty blinds and ceiling fans
This is something I wrestle with. Fans and blinds—especially kitchen blinds, it seems—tend to collect dust and grime over time.
They’ll tell you that it’s time to clean.
I imagine that if blinds could talk, they’d have annoying, high-pitched and wheezy voices.
“Cleaaaan meeeeeeeeeeeeee!”
“Thank you fans and blinds . . .you’re right. I need to deep clean.” *Sigh.*
Grease on the range hood
This is one spot that I also tend to miss, but that I actually like cleaning. It’s just satisfying somehow.
(Again, I’m not a big chemical fan, but sometimes you just gotta do what you’ve gotta do . . . here’s my go-to cleaner for this.)
Dust that multiplies like bunnies
Dust is constantly being created in our homes (microfibers, hair, pollen, microorganisms, skin cells etc. = more dust), and if we’re not on top of it, our houses will just get dustier and dustier, and that dust will re-circulate onto surfaces.
So, if you notice that your house is super dusty, it’s probably time for a good deep clean!
You need to get the dust off the other surfaces that it’s coming from so that it doesn’t keep getting on the one you just cleaned.
I love this article’s insight into how dust is created and how to reduce it.
Additionally, excessive dust can *occasionally* be a sign that you need to have your HVAC ducts cleaned. This article is a great resource if you want to learn more about that.
Grout discoloration
If you’ve seen those before and after videos for cleaning grout, you know what I mean.
When we live in a house and use a tile shower or walk on tile floors, the grout gets dirty over time—that’s just how it is.
And if you notice (or suspect) that it’s a somewhat different color than it was originally, that’s your cue to get on it.
Dirty window tracks
This is one of those things that’s easy to forget but (thankfully) pretty easy to clean.
If you notice your window tracks are dirty when you air out your house, go ahead and grab a vaccum and some cleaner and get in there.
I like to use old toothbrushes to help with the nooks and crannies. (I talk some more about that in my article about everyday items that clean better than you think.)
Musty odors
According to WebMD, musty odors can sometimes be caused by mold spores in your carpet or bacteria in your sheets.
And I personally think musty smells can soak into miscellaneous gunk and grime as well.
So, if your house smells off, deep cleaning may help. Though, a persistent “off” smell even after deep cleaning can be a sign of an underlying mold or pest issue and needs investigation.
The fridge has a flavor
This is one that I know too well. I try to clean out my fridge weekly after I grocery shop, but sometimes life gets to me and I don’t do it for a few weeks.
That’s usually when I start to notice that my fridge develops strange smells—and those smells can flavor my food. It’s disgusting.
Time to clean!
Sticky floors after cleaning
If your floors just aren’t getting clean, it usually means there’s a build-up of grease and goo that needs to be taken care of.
It stinks, but the best way to handle this is to get down on your hands and knees.
You can do it! Scrub away!
Pest Issues
Pests do not always equal uncleanliness. Sometimes they come from your neighbors (I’ve seen this happen, and it’s frustrating.)
But, missed crumbs in the corner and old bits of food in crevices can be inviting to tiny neighbors like roaches, ants, or even mice.
So, if you’ve had an issue with pests crop up recently, it might be worth deep cleaning to see if that helps with the problem.
Grimy handles and knobs
I found this sign of uncleanliness on reddit, and I have to agree.
If I start noticing that the handles in my kitchen or doorknobs in my home have reside, it’s a sign to my brain that it’s time to deep clean!
Films on light fixtures
Grease and dust tend to settle on surfaces over time, and we sort-of forget about them—until we look up and realize the light film (like snow!) on all the fixtures.
When you notice that, it’s yet another signal that it’s time to clean more deeply.
Dirty light switches
This sign is similar to dirty door handles. Light switches get used a lot, and when we have sweat or dirt on our hands, it transfers to the switches.
So, when that grime starts to get noticeable, it’s yet another reminder to get your cleaning supplies out.
You don’t remember the last time you washed your bedding
I’ve gotten pretty good at washing my bedding regularly as a mom, but I remember being super busy at college as an 18-year-old and realizing I hadn’t washed my bedding in a *very* long time.
Like, an unknown, extremely lengthy, months and months and months amount of time. Gross!
And if you didn’t know, dust mites like to live in sheets, so it’s important to wash them regularly to keep the population down!
Appliances with fingerprints and grime
I’m guilty of this one. My instant pot and air fryer combo is pretty embarrassing at this point.
So, next time I look at it and have a minute, I’ll try and remind myself that the grime is a gift—a reminder to my squirrel brain that I need to deep clean my kitchen.
Sour drains
Notice a stinky odor coming from your sink?
If it’s not dirty dishes (I’ve had that happen too), it’s quite possibly your kitchen drain reminding you to clean it.
If you’re not sure how to clean a drain, check out this article I wrote about everyday cleaning items, because it has some great, natural ideas. (I’ve used them myself!)
Dingy or dusty curtains
Everything can collect dust, and unfortunately that’s true of curtains as well.
So, if yours are starting to look rather grayish, it’s a sign that they need to be cleaned. And maybe a once over on the rest of your home to reduce dust wouldn’t hurt either.
It’s been more than 3 – 6 months since the last deep clean
According to Southern Living, cleaning experts say that deep cleaning should recurr about every 3 months (though some tasks can wait as long as 6).
This quarterly schedule ensures things don’t get out of hand (More frequent cleaning is actually easier cleaning—I learned that from FlyLady).
So, if it’s been more than 3 months since you last deep cleaned, it’s probably time for you to get on it again.
Ready, Set, Reset
You’ve learned the signs to deep clean. But, don’t be too hard on yourself.
We all have different phases of life when cleaning is more or less difficult. Plenty of us are still learning how to do it all.
So, make sure not to give up. Take it all one step at a time.
And if your house is just a straight-up disaster (or troll cave), check out my article about How to Clean Your House in a Day When It’s A Disgusting Mess.
Good luck! I believe in you!
