I write about cleaning 52 weeks of the year – these are the 5 dirty spots I can never unsee in my home (and how you can tackle them)

A massive part of my day-to-day at work is talking to professional cleaners about all the areas in a home that need cleaning and how to tackle them. I wish I could say I was lying when I say my eyes have been opened to a whole host of chores that I was previously blissfully unaware of.

As a result of these numerous insightful conversations, there are now several dirty spots I can never unsee around my home that drive me mad – even if my partner and guests are none the wiser about their existence.

I have to tackle them to call my home 'completely clean' – these are the cleaning tips I use to ensure everything is spotless whenever I have the energy.

5 dirty spots I can never unsee around my home

Whenever I am in the right mood for a thorough deep clean, these five spots are always attacked first – it leaves me feeling super satisfied every time.

Make sure to add these spots, and the dirtiest places in your home, to your cleaning routine.

1. The crevices around faucets

This is a very niche area, and my partner thinks I'm being over the top, but I cannot unsee the small crevices and gaps around my kitchen and bathroom faucets that collect hard water marks, limescale, and grease.

I'm talking about the tiny gaps where the handles meet the faucet itself, or the gap that is revealed when you pull a lever handle back to turn the tap on. If I leave cleaning my bathroom tap for a long time, this hidden dirt spot can quickly yellow with grime.

Now, when looking at how to clean a bathroom or kitchen, I will always clean a faucet head before attacking these tiny spots by cleaning with vinegar and using a microfiber cloth, such as this from Walmart.

I thoroughly spray these spots down before using the straight edge of the cloth to 'floss' the gaps, picking up all the grunge. This helps to keep the taps completely clean while ensuring they last longer, stopping limescale from blocking their range of movement.

2. In-between the oven door glass

I am a stickler for cleaning an oven (specifically cleaning an oven without chemicals). This is not a task I enjoy, but one that needs doing nonetheless.

One part that frustrates me more than the rest is the area between the glass on my oven door. Even after scrubbing the interior within an inch of its life, this dirt trap still leaves my oven looking disgusting from the outside.

Cleaning a glass oven door is a delicate task, however, as you don't want to risk scratches or use harsh chemicals that cause it to shatter when heated up. So, every other month or so, I will take the inside panel of the door off entirely before using my steam cleaner with a microfiber pad attachment to freshen it up and get rid of kitchen grease.

While this part of the oven is not exposed to food, leaving it with small food spatters or dust inside drives me crazy whenever I use it.

3. The tops of plugs and outlets

I am not a fan of dusting. In fact, I would go so far as to say that it is my least favorite cleaning task.

However, one spot professional cleaners always notice in dirty homes is the tiny area on the top of wall outlets and plugs that gather dust to no end. They are one of the most overlooked spots you're forgetting to dust, and likely among the things you're forgetting to clean in your bedroom and beyond. And, given that all of my home outlets are white, it is very noticeable. I have no choice other than to remove dust properly.

The same goes for cleaning baseboards. This is not a task I do every week by any means, but when the dust build-up gets bad enough for me to spot it and not forget about it, I will use the brush hose attachment on my best vacuum cleaner to quickly suck up dist without the need to crawl around the outskirts of my rooms on my hands and knees. We explore more ways on how to remove dust in our dedicated feature.

4. The gap around my stovetop

I clean my glass stove top every night as part of my losing shift routine and that includes the small gap where it meets the worktop.

In my home, this small area has not been caulked, meaning all sorts of crumbs, dust, and even spilled herbs and spices can make their way in and make it nearly impossible to get out again. This is a pest risk as well as a food contamination risk.

To tackle this awkward spot, I initially used the straight edge of a microfiber cloth to work into the gap and swipe downwards to dislodge the crumbs, but I now find that a repurposed straw cleaner brush, like this from Walmart, is more effective.

When cleaning a kitchen, I will squeeze the brush into the gap at the back of the stove and slide it forward so any crumbs are dislodged and fall onto the floor. I then vacuum my kitchen to pick the bits up.

5. The cut outs on chairs

It is fairly common to use a vacuum to clean upholstered dining chairs to pick up dust and debris from the seat pads. However, one spot I can't unsee when doing this is the backs and small cutouts that collect dust (and sometimes even food crumbs).

Luckily, this is a super easy fix. All I need is a microfiber cloth dampened with an all-purpose cleaning spray (I like Method's anti-bacterial spray, at Walmart) wrapped around my finger to quickly poke into these spots and dislodge the dust. Again, I will do this before vacuuming my rug to cleaning my dining room thoroughly.

These dirty spots I can't unsee are not necessarily my cleaning non-negotiables, and they are certainly not tasks I do every single week. However, they are small details that make my home feel a little more refreshed and help to appease my busy mind.