Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Fact-Checked

Our content is fact checked by our senior editorial staff to reflect accuracy and ensure our readers get sound information and advice to make the smartest, healthiest choices.

We adhere to structured guidelines for sourcing information and linking to other resources, including scientific studies and medical journals.

If you have any concerns about the accuracy of our content, please reach out to our editors by e-mailing editors@bestlifeonline.com.

1 in 5 People Have Never Cleaned This in Their Home, Survey Says

One survey has revealed which household items get forgotten when it comes to cleaning.

A close up of a person holding a bucket filled with cleaning supplies
iStock

With the spring cleaning season coming to an end, you might think that everyone's homes are now cleared out and spotless. You might even assume that with families and friends finally able to gather again after more than a year of separation, people have been extra diligent with their 2021 cleaning. But then again, maybe not, if past habits are any indication. People in the U.S. can be very forgetful when it comes to cleaning certain parts of their homes, as seen by the American Cleaning Institute's 2019 National Cleaning Survey. According to this survey, 1 in 4 people don't believe they clean everything properly, while 1 in 3 are not convinced they clean everything in their home often enough. We're inclined to agree. Around 1 in 5 people in the U.S. say they have never cleaned their washing machine. Yes—not even once.


If you're looking at your washing machine and are unable to remember the last time you cleaned it, you might want to get on it. Courtenay Hartford, a cleaning expert and author of The Cleaning Ninja, told Martha Stewart Living you should actually be cleaning your washing machine about once a month. If not, it could not only impact how your machine functions, but also allow debris, soap residue, and minerals from your water to build up in your machine and create the perfect environment for bacterial growth.

"Cleaning your washer should be viewed as more of a preventative measure than as something that you do to fix a problem once it arises," she said. "If you start to notice that clothes come out not smelling as clean as they should, it's time to clean your machine. You might also notice buildup of various types of debris (pet fur, leaves, etc.) around the seals—that's a visual cue that you might have forgotten to run a good cleaning cycle for the last few months."

Of course, the laundry room is not the only place in the house people tend to be forgetful with when it comes to cleaning. Read on to find out the other four most common things people don't remember to wash.

RELATED: 40 Percent of People Only Wash This Clothing Item Once a Year, Survey Says.

4 | Guest bathroom toilet

hand of a man closing the lid of a toiletiStock

People who can't remember the last time they cleaned this: 16 percent

RELATED: You Should Never Clean Your Toilet With This, Experts Warn.

3 | Bed linens

Couple making their bed togetherShutterstock

People who can't remember the last time they cleaned this: 23 percent

2 | Refrigerators

young woman searching inside a refrigerator at homeiStock

People who can't remember the last time they cleaned this: 41 percent

RELATED: For more cleaning content delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.

1 | Oven

A woman wearing an apron checks inside the oven in her kitcheniStock

People who can't remember the last time they cleaned this: 47 percent

RELATED: 1 in 3 People Only Wash These Once a Year, Survey Says.