The Most Common Cleaning Mistakes You’re Making, Experts Reveal!

Cleaning disasters happen to the best of us, from wine-stained carpets to water stains and dirty windows.

This inspired the home insurance team at money.co.uk to find the top 10 most searched for cleaning disasters according to Google, and their remedies.

To do this, money.co.uk scoured the internet to create a list of the most common cleaning mishaps. Each one was then put into SEMRush to see how many searches each disaster receives every month to rank them into the top 10.

 The Results

	Cleaning Disaster	Average Global Monthly Searches
1	Clogged drains	17,300
2	Pet hair	15,200
3	Limescale removal	14,400
4	Grout	12,400
5	Dirty toilet	10,800
6	Carpet stain	6,200
7	Chipped paint	5,800
8	Water stain	3,900
9	Dirty windows	2,600
10	Chipped tiles	1,300

The home insurance experts at money.co.uk can reveal the most popular cleaning disaster, with 17,300 average monthly global searches, is the chore of clogged drains.

The home insurance team suggests pouring hot water down the clogged drain and following it up with baking soda and vinegar, letting it sit for 30 minutes and then adding more hot water to clear the clog.

Second spot goes to removing pet hair, with average monthly searches of 15,200. Using rubber gloves to remove the hair is a recommended approach because when rubber is brushed against your clothes, it generates static and will claim those unwanted hairs you can’t usually get rid of.

Placing third with 14,400 average monthly searches is limescale removal. A simple solution to this chore is a combination of soda and vinegar and letting it sit for 10 minutes.

In fourth place is removing grout, with 12,400 average monthly searches. Tackling grimy grout can be a chore but equipped with an old toothbrush and some whitening toothpaste you’ll be good to go.

Placing fifth is cleaning a dirty toilet, with 10,800 average monthly searches. Cleaning experts recommend using essential oils and/or baking soda and vinegar as a DIY toilet cleaner.

In sixth is stains in the carpet, with 6,200 monthly global searches on average. This cleaning disaster can be fixed by blotting with clear vodka, or even white wine.

In seventh, with 5,800 average monthly searches, is chipped paint. The home insurance experts at money.co.uk can reveal that using a putty knife, spread a layer of spackling on the damaged areas and apply thin layers until the damaged spots are flush with the painted ones.

In eighth is water stains with 3,900 monthly searches, which can be solved simply with shaving cream. It is recommended to apply shaving cream and let it sit for 15 minutes before wiping off with a clean cloth.

With 2,600 average monthly searches, dirty windows place ninth. The money.co.uk home insurance experts recommend using a vinegar solution as it will cut through the grime and grease in super quick time.

Rounding off the top 10 is the cleaning disaster of fixing chipped tiles with 1,300 average monthly searches. The simplest way to tackle this issue is to use regular toothpaste, simply squeeze out a small amount of toothpaste and evenly apply it to the cracks then. You will have to find a toothpaste that matches the colour of your tile for the best finish.

Personal finance expert at money.co.uk, Salman Haqqi said:

“It may not be a legal requirement to insure your home, but it can help cover huge costs in the event of a fire, theft, flood damage or specifically, any horrific cleaning disasters you may run into.

“Most home insurance policies come with optional extras you can add to your policy, one that we recommend adding is ‘accidental damage’ insurance, as this covers damage you cause unintentionally, for example smashing a window or spilling paint on a carpet.”