JEDDAH – 
Cleaning has come into sharp focus in recent times, which means that this Ramadan will be a balancing act between maintaining a clean home and managing long grocery lists. Research[1] confirms that people worldwide are more concerned with the cleanliness of their homes since the outbreak of the pandemic with three in every five people worldwide cleaning more frequently.
While superficial cleaning allows for a neat and tidy home, deep cleaning our living spaces should take into consideration what is not visible to the naked eye. Interestingly, one in five were surprised that viruses can be present in household dust[2] and less than 5%[3] know that dust mites and their faeces are found in household dust.
Which is why Dyson’s microbiologists have compiled an orderly but simple schedule to deep clean your home ahead of welcoming the holy month:
Sunday, 4th April – Decluttering and dusting the kitchen
During Ramadan, the kitchen inevitably becomes busier than usual with large, family meals being a focus for iftars and suhoors. Start with clearing kitchen counters and cupboards to remove unnecessary clutter.
Use a fully sealed vacuum to remove dust from inside cabinets and off hard to reach surfaces, using a mini brush-type attachment with soft bristles. Then remove food spills and sticky dirt using a clean damp cloth with warm water and detergent. Follow up by drying all surfaces.
Monday, 5th April – Prepare the fridge, freezer and oven
Make space for groceries and pre-prepared meals in your fridge and freezer. Clean all surfaces with warm water and your preferred mild detergent. Remember, you can disinfect household surfaces without harsh chemicals. Hydrogen peroxide is an example of a disinfectant that is safe to use around food products, and gentle on the environment.
Afterwards, vacuum around the back and under the fridge and freezer. Make sure to dust the cooler element on the back – a place often overlooked, using a soft brush tool. This will improve performance and avoid burning dust into the air.
Finally, clean out the oven. Cooking crowd-pleasing iftars comes with an added task of maintaining a clean oven, however, just like cooking – oven cleaning products often release harmful VOCs. Use an air purifier with HEPA filtration to minimise airborne compounds in your home as you clean, just as you would when cooking.
Tuesday, 6th April – Heavy duty cleaning in the living room
First, clean lampshades and light fittings as they often overlooked, and dust can burn on hot bulbs producing VOCs and odour.
Then vacuum couches and armchairs, which can hold large debris along with dust mites, skin flakes and other allergens such as pollen. Start with hard to reach corners using a crevice tool, then switch to a motorised brush tool to pull dust from the upholstery.
Finally, give your carpets some extra attention as dust and dirt can hide between their fibres as well as harbour microscopic life. Using a powerful vacuum is your best bet with this task but make sure to vacuum slowly, giving the airflow and brush bar more time to “agitate” the dust and dirt between the carpet fibres and remove them entirely. For thick pile rugs, a mini motorised tool can do wonders in removing buried dust.
Wednesday, 7th April – Air-conditioning vents and walls
A hiding dust spot often missed are the air-conditioning vents, often only cleaned during maintenance. With the air-conditioner being used frequently to make our homes cool and comfortable during this Ramadan, it is important to ensure that the dust collected in these vents are not distributed around the room by the air flow. Use a small brush-type attachment with stiff bristles to push stubborn dust-off surfaces, while getting in between those vents.
Another often overlooked spaces are the walls. Make sure you clean the dust on your walls too as a lot of spores settle in there. Remove dust from walls by dusting with a damp cloth or using a vacuum with advanced filtration, particularly around areas exposed to outdoor dust, such as windows. Dust on certain wall types can contribute towards the growth of mould.
[1] 10,754 respondents across 10 countries: US, Australia, Japan, China, South Korea, France, Britain, Germany, Spain and Italy. Fieldwork conducted between 23rd October and 11th November 2020. Data has been weighted at a ‘Global’ level to be representative of different population sizes.
[2] Bean, B., Moore, B. M., Sterner, B., Peterson, L. R., Gerding, D. N., & Balfour, H. H., Jr (1982). Survival of influenza viruses on environmental surfaces. The Journal of infectious diseases, 146(1), 47–51. https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/146.1.47.
[3] Source: “What do you think dust in your home is made up of? (Open end)?” Base: All respondents (10,754). 3% of respondents replied, “Dust mites and their faeces”.
