8 things you should never wash with soap: advice from professional cleaners

Let’s make a reservation right away, the situation with cast iron frying pans is ambiguous. It is believed that cast iron should not be washed with soap, since the non-stick layer covering it consists of oil. However, the coating on the iron-carbon alloy is not ordinary oil, but polymerized, and it forms a durable film on the metal surface that cannot be easily damaged by soap. However, says Angela Rubin, an employee of a cleaning company, you should not soak cast iron pans with soap for a long time – this can really damage them.

It may seem that items made of stainless steel certainly do not require special cleaning, because this material is durable, durable and unpretentious. However, says repair company owner Max Matts, metal is porous and can leave soap scum that can’t be removed. So all you need is a microfiber cloth and a little water to clean your stainless steel.

A cutting board is a kitchen utensil that regularly requires not only washing, but also disinfection. However, it is not recommended to wash it with soap: as cleaning company owner Lina DaSilva explains, this will lead to cracks in the wood. How to properly clean objects without soap if they are made of wood? Lina recommends wiping them with a one-to-one mixture of nine percent white vinegar and water.

Parquet floors have a reputation for longevity, but they are very easy to damage. As Liran Koren, co-founder of the housekeeping company, explains, soap and dishwashing liquid can strip protective oils from wood, accelerating wear and tear on your floor. According to Lauren, to clean the parquet floor, it is better to use special products or a weak solution of vinegar – one or two tablespoons per bucket of water.

“If you spill coffee or soda on a leather sofa, don’t reach for the soapy water, it could cause the leather to crack as it dries,” says Lina. Instead of soap, she recommends using a cloth soaked in a special leather cleaner.

What you shouldn’t clean with soap is granite and marble floors or countertops. These materials only look smooth: they are actually porous and soap can be absorbed into the stone, leaving a stain. However, a solution of a quart of warm water and a few drops of mild soap or dishwashing liquid can be used to clean granite and marble countertops.

Surprisingly, but true: hands washed with soap will become clean, fruits, vegetables or berries will become dirty. As Jason Bolton, a food safety specialist at the University of Maine, explains, the surface of fruits and vegetables is much more permeable than our skin, so you won’t be able to completely wash away the detergent and end up eating it. “Soap does not have the right chemical composition to be a food. This can irritate the gastrointestinal tract and harm its microbiome,” says Bolton.

Also read: 10 things not to do when washing floors: the opinion of cleaning service employees

Of course, a bar of hand soap won’t harm your dishes, so don’t hesitate to use it if you’re low on dishwashing liquid. However, according to the head of the cleaning company Lily Cameron, it is still better not to do this: the soap is devoid of ingredients to remove fats, oils and bacteria, which are added to special products.

Washing your carpet with soap will eventually make it dirtier. Unlike specialty products, soap is very difficult to completely remove from the fibers and its residue will turn into a sticky dust magnet. So you won’t be able to save money: professional advice for cleaning carpets usually involves the use of special products for them.

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