The Microbes Hiding in Your Home: Natural Ways to Clean the Places We Forget

I'll admit it: I'm not the best housekeeper.

With two creative children who constantly have friends over, a Renaissance man of a husband, 20 chickens, a dog who thinks he's people, researching the latest evidence-based practices for FDN, and my secondary English teaching job, cleaning beyond the basic routine tends to fall pretty low on my list.

Clean the bathrooms? Yes.

Make the beds? Usually.

Keep the floors vacuumed and the kitchen clean? Absolutely.

But deep-cleaning the appliances that are doing the cleaning?

Yeah...I completely ignore those.

My washing machine and dishwasher use gallons and gallons of water every week, yet until recently, I rarely thought about cleaning the machines themselves.

Do you know what else likes water?

Microbes. Mildew. Mold.

And suddenly, the appliances I trusted to clean things were worth taking a much closer look at.

When the Things That Clean Need Cleaning

Moisture is one of the biggest factors that allows mold to grow. The EPA puts it pretty simply: the key to mold control is moisture control.

Mold spores naturally exist in our environment, and we're never going to eliminate every mold spore from our homes. But when those spores land somewhere damp, they have an opportunity to grow. EPA recommends controlling moisture, promptly addressing water problems, and cleaning mold from hard surfaces with detergent and water before drying them completely.

Now think about the places in our homes that regularly combine water, warmth, food particles, detergent residue, dirt, and enclosed spaces.

The washing machine.

The dishwasher.

The coffee maker.

The showerhead.

The faucet.

The coffee maker. Especially the Keurigs, which are especially hard to clean.

The water bottle you carry everywhere and drink from each day.

The shower that stays damp long after everyone gets out.

And how often are we actually cleaning the things we use to clean everything else?

For me, the answer was apparently: not nearly enough.

That doesn't mean we need to become afraid of every microbe in our homes. Microorganisms are everywhere and needed. ,Creating a completely sterile home isn't possible—or necessary.

What we can do is reduce unnecessary environmental stressors by keeping wet areas clean, controlling moisture, regularly removing dust and buildup, and making it harder for unwanted microbial growth to take over.

And thankfully, we don't necessarily need a cabinet full of expensive cleaning products to do it.

My Natural Cleaning Staples

I'm a big fan of simple.

Vinegar. Baking soda. Hydrogen peroxide. Mild soap. And a really good scrub brush.

They're inexpensive, readily available, and allow me to do a lot of my routine cleaning without filling my house with heavily fragranced cleaning products. And who doesn't like watching baking soda fizz in vinegar?

The bubbling reaction can help lift and loosen buildup so I can get in there with a scrub brush. Once the fizzing stops, though, much of the acid and base have neutralized each other, so I don't treat the combination like some magical disinfectant. Sometimes I just need it to help me scrub the gross stuff off.

They're also practical in a house filled with children, a husband, chickens, and a dog who thinks he's one of the children.

And myself.

Because I hate the feeling of cleaning gloves.

That being said, natural doesn't automatically mean harmless. Cleaning products should still be kept away from children and animals, used according to their labels, and never randomly mixed together. And when you're dealing with actual mold rather than everyday cleaning, protective equipment may be appropriate—even if, like me, you would rather never put on another cleaning glove.

The Shower: Where My Routine Actually Started

The shower was one of the first places that made me think differently about all of this.

I had mold. I thought it was mildew. It wasn't. Both are gross.

So I scrubbed it off.

And this is an important distinction: spraying something onto visible mold isn't the same thing as removing it.

EPA guidance recommends physically scrubbing mold from hard surfaces with detergent and water and then drying the area completely. Even dead mold can still cause reactions in some people, which is why simply “killing” it isn't enough.

Once I scrubbed away the visible mold, I started thinking about how I could make the shower a less inviting place for it to come back.

Could I carefully squeegee every inch of my shower after every use?

Of course.

Who has time to squeegee?

So my personal maintenance routine is much more realistic.

I keep a bottle of hydrogen peroxide spray in the bathroom and spray the shower at night after the visible mold and buildup have already been removed. I also keep the bathroom door open with the fan going to improve ventilation and give everything an opportunity to dry.

The peroxide spray is my personal maintenance routine, not an EPA mold-remediation protocol. The evidence-based foundation is still removing existing mold, reducing moisture, improving ventilation, and keeping the area clean and dry.

And if I see something starting to build up again?

Out comes the scrub brush.

Ventilation Might Be More Important Than What's in the Spray Bottle

This isn't as exciting as watching vinegar and baking soda fizz, but it's important:

Get the moisture out.

The EPA recommends running bathroom exhaust fans or opening windows while showering and using ventilation around other moisture-producing activities such as cooking and dishwashing. Ideally, indoor relative humidity should remain around 30-50% when possible and below 60%.

So after someone showers, run the fan.

If your bathroom stays damp forever, figure out why.

If you see condensation regularly collecting on windows, walls, or pipes, pay attention to it.

Cleaning mold over and over without addressing moisture is like mopping the floor while the bathtub is still overflowing.

You have to address the water.

Vinegar: Cheap, Simple, and Actually Useful

White vinegar is one of my favorite cleaning staples because it costs next to nothing.

One area where it can be particularly useful is mineral buildup on showerheads and faucet aerators. Have you ever noticed that pink or reddish buildup around a faucet, shower, or drain? One organism associated with that infamous "pink mold" appearance is Serratia marcescens. Despite the nickname, Serratia isn't a mold at all—it's an opportunistic bacterium.

No thank you, not in this house!

The CDC recommends cleaning showerheads and faucet aerators when buildup is visible because buildup can provide an environment where waterborne germs grow. It specifically notes that showerheads may need to be removed and soaked in a solution such as white vinegar to remove buildup.

That's exactly the kind of cleaning task I would never remember on my own.

Which is why it belongs on a schedule.

Just remember that vinegar is acidic. It isn't appropriate for every surface or every appliance, so check the manufacturer's instructions first.

Baking Soda: Sometimes You Just Need to Scrub It

Baking soda is another favorite because it's cheap and gives me some gentle scrubbing power on compatible surfaces.

Sometimes a spray bottle isn't going to do the job.

You need friction.

That's where a good scrub brush becomes one of the best cleaning products you can buy.

Grout lines.

Tracks.

Little spaces around faucets.

Bottle lids.

Corners.

All those ridiculous little places where grime apparently decides to build a permanent residence.

Scrub it.

Your Washing Machine Washes Things. Who Washes the Washing Machine?

This was one of my biggest blind spots.

Dirty clothes go in.

Detergent goes in.

I push a button.

Clean clothes come out.

I never gave much thought to the fact that the machine itself regularly deals with water, dirt, body oils, detergent, fabric residue, and moisture.

So now the washing machine gets a spot on the schedule too.

Once a month, run your machine's recommended cleaning cycle and clean the areas your manufacturer tells you to maintain. Pay attention to the drum, detergent dispenser, and—especially with front-loading machines—the rubber gasket where moisture and residue can collect.

When practical, allow the machine to dry instead of immediately sealing all that moisture inside. I have a top-loader, so I leave the lid open unless it's currently washing.

The goal isn't to sterilize the washing machine.

It's to stop creating an environment where unwanted growth has everything it needs.

Don't Forget the Dishwasher

Same concept.

Food + water + warmth + an enclosed space.

The dishwasher filter needs to be cleaned.

Seals and accessible crevices need attention.

Food debris needs to come out.

And the machine's recommended cleaning cycle needs to happen occasionally.

Check your particular manufacturer's instructions before pouring vinegar or any DIY cleaner into an appliance. “Natural” doesn't automatically mean compatible with every material inside an expensive machine.

While we're in the kitchen, don't forget the coffee maker again.

Coffee makers combine water, warmth, and hard-to-reach internal components—which means they're another appliance I don't want to forget about. Follow your manufacturer's cleaning and descaling instructions, wash removable components regularly, and don't let standing water hang out in the reservoir indefinitely.

And Then There Are the Things We Drink From

Reusable water bottles are another one.

The bottle itself may look perfectly clean while the lid has approximately 47 tiny crevices, a silicone gasket, a straw, and some microscopic corner that apparently requires an engineering degree to reach.

Take it apart. Every day.

Scrub it. Every day.

Let it dry. Every day.

The same principle applies to coffee makers, refrigerator water systems, ice machines, and water filters. CDC recommends maintaining and replacing household water filters according to manufacturer instructions because microbes can grow in improperly maintained filters.

Don't Forget the Dust

Water isn't the only thing I tend to ignore.

Dust.

Not the dust sitting directly in front of me. I'll clean that.... maybe. It depends on how many children are with me at the time.

I'm talking about the dust on top of the curtains, behind the furniture, on the ceiling fan, along the baseboards, and apparently everywhere else in my house that requires me to look up, down, or move something.

Dust is a mixture of particles that settles onto surfaces and textiles throughout our homes.

So regular dusting is another simple part of reducing unnecessary environmental stressors in my home.

That doesn't mean I'm washing my drapes every month.

I have children, a husband, 20 chickens, a dog, two jobs, and limits.

But I can vacuum the drapes monthly, get the ceiling fans and baseboards on a regular rotation, and schedule a deeper drape cleaning every few months according to the care instructions.

The point isn't to clean everything all the time. It's to stop forgetting about it forever.

Your HVAC System Deserves Attention Too

Your HVAC system moves air throughout your entire house, so regular maintenance matters.

EPA guidance recommends routine inspection and maintenance of HVAC systems and specifically calls attention to condensate or drip pans and drain lines because standing water can become a reservoir for mold and bacteria.

This is one area where I'm perfectly happy to outsource.

Put professional HVAC maintenance on the calendar.

Check your filter regularly and replace it according to your system and filter manufacturer's recommendations.

But don't assume you need to pay someone to clean all your air ducts every year.

EPA says duct cleaning should be considered in specific circumstances, such as substantial visible mold growth inside hard-surface ducts or HVAC components, vermin infestation, or excessive debris being released into the home. And if moisture caused the problem, that source has to be corrected or the mold can return.

Stop Relying on Your Brain to Remember All of This

Here's the problem.

I'm never going to randomly wake up on a Tuesday and think:

You know what sounds fun today? Cleaning the faucet aerators.

It's not happening. Well, maybe it will after a great night of sleep, nothing on the schedule, and family members who have plans for the whole day. And, if you're like me, you'll have all of this and then remember once you've finished a great book.

And when I look at a list containing the washing machine, dishwasher, showerheads, faucets, HVAC filter, drapes, ceiling fans, coffee maker, water bottles, baseboards, and everything else, my immediate reaction is:

Absolutely not.

So don't do it all at once.

Put it on a schedule.

One week, clean the washing machine.

The next week, tackle the dishwasher.

The next, clean showerheads and faucets.

The last week of the month, tackle drapes, ceiling fans, baseboards, and the dust that's been quietly judging you from the top of the cabinets.

Then repeat.

That's why I created the Rootera Healthy Home Cleaning Schedule to go with this article.

We Don't Need Sterile Homes

This is probably the most important part.

We're not trying to eliminate microbes.
We can't, and we don't need to. Remember, microorganisms are a normal part of our bodies and our environment, and our interactions with certain microbes play an important role in immune development and regulation.

But that doesn't mean we need unwanted microbial growth taking over the damp areas of our homes. We're trying to create a home environment that doesn't unnecessarily encourage that growth. I have growing children and chickens. I don't need to add to that list!

The EPA's guidance comes back to the same basic principles over and over: control moisture, fix leaks, clean what is dirty, remove mold that has grown, dry wet areas, and ventilate moisture-producing spaces.

That means we don't necessarily need stronger chemicals.

Sometimes we need better ventilation.

Sometimes we need to clean the washing-machine gasket.

Sometimes we need to descale our coffee makers.

Sometimes we need to remember that the dishwasher has a filter.

Sometimes we need a $5 scrub brush and the Costco-sized baking soda carton.

And sometimes we just need to leave the bathroom fan running a little longer.

For me, this is another piece of looking at health from an upstream perspective.

We spend so much time thinking about food, supplements, exercise, sleep, and what's happening inside our bodies that it's easy to forget about the environment we're living in every single day.

Our homes don't have to be perfect.

Mine certainly isn't.

But reducing unnecessary environmental stressors doesn't require perfection.

It requires paying attention to the places we usually forget.

One important note: just because I use these products doesn't mean I mix all of them together.

Happy cleaning!

Sources

The cleaning and mold-prevention guidance in this article is based primarily on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recommendations for mold and moisture control and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's guidance for preventing waterborne germs in household water systems.

EPA: A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home

CDC: Preventing Waterborne Germs at Home