3 Genius Ways Professionals Clean Behind Appliances—Without Moving Them At All
Unscrewing the kickplate gives you access to clean behind appliances without having to move them.
A vacuum crevice tool or tube brush helps reach and clear dust from tight, tricky spaces.
Wrapping a damp microfiber cloth around a stick is a simple, effective way to trap dust in hard-to-reach spots.It's one thing to clean something out in the open, like your floors or countertops—while it may not be fun, it's relatively simple. Trying to clean behind heavy, cumbersome appliances is a different story. 'Though it's certainly a challenge, it needs to be done sooner or later because the vents can get clogged with hair, dust, and grease,' explains Alex Varela, general manager of Texas-based house cleaning service Dallas Maids.
If you're hesitant to move your appliances, you're not alone—professional cleaners feel the same way. 'I'm not about to mess with electrical cords, gas lines, or scratch up the floor just to catch a dust bunny,' says Rhonda Wilson, lead quality cleaner at FreshSpace Cleaning in Louisville, Kentucky. 'If I can do 80-90% of the job safely and efficiently without moving it, that's a win in my book.'
There are a few tools you can use, but before you do anything else, the first step is to unscrew the kickplate at the bottom of each appliance. This is going to give you the access you need without actually moving anything. After you can use one of three things, depending on what you have on hand and what has to get done:
If you have to clean between coils or inside drains, a tube brush is Varela's recommendation. 'This works by getting between small spaces and pushing all the dirt out when you pull the brush out,' he says. They do this with polyester bristles that are flexible enough to fit into small spaces and tight corners that would otherwise be unreachable. When you're done, you can run it through the dishwasher so you can hygienically use it later on baby bottles, drains, travel mugs, and nearly anything else.
Hidden dust can be stubborn, but it has nothing on a vacuum's crevice attachment. Long and narrow, they're specifically designed to fit in those pesky hard-to-reach areas. 'The good thing about vacuum cleaners is that they're electric, so they do all the work for you, which is helpful when you're already trying to reach behind appliances,' Varela explains.
The crevice attachment's usefulness isn't limited to just appliances. You can also snap it onto clean up your car's upholstery, the sneaky space between a cabinet and the wall, and window tracks.
Though Wilson prefers her vacuum's crevice attachment, she considers attaching a microfiber cloth onto a stick (a mop handle, yardstick, or rod are all fair game) to be a solid hack. If you're still building up your cleaning arsenal or just want to keep your supplies simple, it comes in handy.
She recommends that you 'lightly dampen it with an all-purpose cleaning spray to make sure you get all the dust.' The slight moisture basically acts like a magnet, keeping the dust stuck to the cloth with every pass. Plus, it gets the area a little extra cleaner than it would be otherwise.
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