What's Under Those Sinks?
Kitchen and bathroom cabinets and drawers collect stuff, slowly, inexorably, maybe unhealthily.
In my experience it is worst under sinks. Those are the lowest cabinets, the hardest to get into because of the pipes, and the most likely place for dangerous chemicals to accumulate. Dangerous chemicals like drain cleaners, and strong cleaning products like bleach and ammonia.
I don’t have to tell you not to mix bleach and ammonia. If you did that you got chlorine gas and you figured it out for yourself!
A plumber friend of mine told me not to use caustic stuff like Drano to clean drains because, if the drain does not clear and you have to call a plumber, the caustic goo is still in the pipe and puts the plumber at risk when he uses power on the pipe, or opens it. He showed me scars on his forearms to prove it.
In addition to dangerous stuff you may find old and useless stuff. Antique ant traps. Bars of soap you didn’t like enough to use, but didn’t bother to throw away. Rags. Hard old sponges. Extra sink strainers.
So much stuff that, if there were a slow leak under there, you wouldn’t be able to notice it. And excess moisture leads to mold, mildew and rot – and attract bugs.
And that is just the under sink cabinets!
Open drawers and find bottles of old prescriptions that are not only expired, but dangerous. Don’t flush these away! Wait for a dangerous cleanup drive in your town and bring that stuff to be disposed of safely.
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Also in those drawers you may find extra combs, all those toothbrushes the dentist always gives you, charging cables for shavers and stuff you don’t have any more.
In upper cabinets you may find old raggedy towels you can’t put out for use anymore but that you kept for use as rags. Someday. Ha! Maybe sets of towels that don’t match the new paint. Animal shelters would love to get all that.
I could go on and on. And you should.
Practice this inspection on your own cabinets and drawers then you can confidently recommend help to your housecleaning clients.
Happy cleaning!