Are You Cleaning These 10 Things the Wrong Way? Most Indian Homes Are!
10 Everyday Items You’re Cleaning Wrong (And How to Fix Them!)
You clean your home every day, thinking you’re keeping everything spotless. But what if some of your cleaning habits are actually making things worse? 😲
From damaging cookware without realizing it to wasting effort on techniques that don’t even work, these common mistakes are something almost everyone makes—but nobody talks about!
The worst part? These tiny errors cost you time, money, and even hygiene without you knowing. But don’t worry! With just a few simple fixes, you can clean smarter, not harder—saving effort while getting better results.
Here are 10 surprising cleaning mistakes you didn’t know you were making—and how to fix them the right way! 👇
1. Washing Copper and Brass Utensils with Dish Soap
🛑 What People Are Doing Wrong: Most people scrub their brass and copper utensils with regular dish soap, thinking it’s the best way to clean them.
🔴 Why It’s Bad & How It Affects You: The harsh chemicals in dish soap strip away the natural shine, causing the utensils to lose their luster and tarnish faster. Over time, a black layer builds up, making them look old and dirty. Worse, soap residues can react with food, which isn’t safe.
💡 Fun Fact: FSSAI guidelines suggest avoiding synthetic cleaners on metal utensils used for cooking, as chemical residues can leach into food during heating.
🟢 How Fixing It Helps: Instead of dish soap, clean them with lemon and salt or tamarind paste. This naturally restores their shine, keeps them looking new, and preserves their antibacterial properties—keeping your kitchenware both beautiful and safe to use!
2. Leaving Iron Kadhai {Indian wok} and Tawas in Water
🛑 What People Are Doing Wrong: Many people soak their iron cookware in water after cooking, believing it helps loosen tough stains.
🔴 Why It’s Bad & How It Affects You: Soaking iron utensils causes rust to form, making the surface rough and weak over time. Rust particles can mix into your food, affecting both taste and safety. A rusted kadhai {Indian wok }also loses its natural non-stick ability, meaning you have to use more oil, leading to unhealthier cooking.
🟢 How Fixing It Helps: Wash your iron cookware immediately after use, dry it thoroughly, and apply a thin layer of oil before storing. This prevents rust, keeps your utensils durable, and reduces your oil consumption—helping both your health and your wallet!
3. Using Too Much Disinfectant floor cleaner {Phenyl} for Floor Cleaning
🛑 What People Are Doing Wrong: Many people believe that "more phenyl = cleaner floors" and pour extra into their mop water.
🔴 Why It’s Bad & How It Affects You: Instead of making your floor cleaner, excess phenyl leaves a sticky residue that attracts dust faster, making your home dirtier in no time. It also makes the floor slippery, increasing the risk of falls—especially for kids and elderly family members. Strong phenyl fumes can even trigger headaches or breathing issues.
💡 Fun Fact: High concentrations of phenyl can cause skin irritation and respiratory issues—especially in kids and pets—as per data from the Indian Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine.
🟢 How Fixing It Helps: Using the right amount ensures a clean, fresh-smelling floor without excess residue. For a safer alternative, try diluted vinegar—it cleans just as well, without harmful effects.
4. Ignoring the Bottom of Pressure Cookers & iron griddle {Tawas}
🛑 What People Are Doing Wrong: Most people only clean the inside of their cookware, forgetting the black soot buildup underneath.
🔴 Why It’s Bad & How It Affects You: A blackened bottom reduces heat efficiency, meaning food takes longer to cook—wasting gas and money. Over time, this soot can also release harmful fumes, affecting the air quality in your kitchen.
🟢 How Fixing It Helps: Scrubbing the bottom weekly with baking soda and lemon removes soot, improves cooking efficiency, and keeps your kitchen air cleaner.
5. Scrubbing Non-Stick Cookware with Dish Soap
🛑 What People Are Doing Wrong: People use harsh dish soap and abrasive scrubbers on their non-stick pans, thinking they’re cleaning them properly.
🔴 Why It’s Bad & How It Affects You: Rough scrubbing wears down the non-stick coating, making food stick more over time. Worse, a damaged coating can release toxic chemicals into your food, which is harmful to your health.
💡 Fun Fact: Studies show that heating damaged non-stick cookware can release harmful fumes like PTFE and PFOA, which may be toxic when inhaled over time.
🟢 How Fixing It Helps: Use a mild soap with a soft sponge, or just wipe it with a damp cloth and salt for gentle cleaning. This preserves the non-stick layer, extends the life of your cookware, and keeps your food safe.
6. Using Water to Clean Oil Spills in the Kitchen
🛑 What People Are Doing Wrong: People instinctively pour water on greasy spills, assuming it will clean them up.
🔴 Why It’s Bad & How It Affects You: Instead of absorbing the oil, water spreads it, making kitchen floors dangerously slippery. This increases the risk of falls and injuries.
🟢 How Fixing It Helps: Sprinkle flour or baking soda over the spill first—it absorbs the grease instantly. Then, just wipe it away for a safe, mess-free kitchen.
7. Storing Onions and Potatoes Together
🛑 What People Are Doing Wrong: Many people keep onions and potatoes in the same basket or bag in their kitchen or pantry.
🔴 Why It’s Bad & How It Affects You: Onions release gases that cause potatoes to sprout faster and rot. This also ruins the flavor of both and leads to unnecessary food waste — especially in humid Indian kitchens.
🟢 How Fixing It Helps: Store onions and potatoes in separate, well-ventilated areas, away from sunlight. Doing this helps both stay fresher for longer, prevents sprouting, and reduces wastage — which saves money and effort.
8. Not Cleaning Wooden Chopping Boards Properly
🛑 What People Are Doing Wrong: People clean wooden chopping boards the same way as plastic ones—just a quick soap-and-water rinse.
🔴 Why It’s Bad & How It Affects You: Unlike plastic, wood absorbs moisture, trapping bacteria inside. Over time, this leads to foul odors and contamination, which can affect the taste and safety of your food.
🟢 How Fixing It Helps: Scrub the board with salt and lemon to kill bacteria naturally. Drying it upright in sunlight prevents mold and keeps it hygienic.
9. Using Newspaper to Clean Glass and Mirrors
🛑 What People Are Doing Wrong: Wiping windows and mirrors using old newspaper.
🔴 Why It’s Bad & How It Affects You: Modern newspaper ink smudges on glass, leaving streaks and even micro-scratches on shiny surfaces.
🟢 How Fixing It Helps: Use a microfiber cloth or old cotton T-shirt instead. It gives a streak-free finish without scratching.
10. Not Cleaning the Inside of Your Kettle or Water Boiler
🛑 What People Are Doing Wrong: Only cleaning the outside of electric kettles and ignoring the inside.
🔴 Why It’s Bad & How It Affects You: Limescale buildup from hard water affects the kettle’s efficiency, alters taste, and can damage heating elements.
💡 Fun Fact: Over 80% of Indian households receive hard water, according to a study by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)—which means most people are unknowingly letting limescale build up in their kettles and geysers!
🟢 How Fixing It Helps: Descale monthly using a vinegar-water mix or lemon juice. It improves heating speed, extends appliance life, and keeps your water tasting fresh.
Final Thoughts: Clean Smarter, Live Better
We often stick to cleaning habits we’ve learned over time, not realizing that some of them might be doing more harm than good. But now that you know these surprising everyday mistakes, you can clean smarter, not harder!
By making small yet impactful changes, you’ll:
✅ Save time by using the right techniques
✅ Improve hygiene and keep your home truly clean
✅ Protect your cookware, appliances, and health for the long run
Next time you reach for a scrubber or detergent, pause and think—am I cleaning the right way? A little awareness today can lead to a healthier, cleaner, and more efficient home tomorrow!
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