What Most Cleaning Routines Miss: 6 Most Neglected Spots in Indian Homes

Most homes may look clean, but there are several spots we often forget to clean properly during everyday routines. Over time, these neglected areas can quietly collect dust, dirt, hair, and allergens without us even realising it.

The Dyson Global Dust Study 2023[1] reveals that 42% of Indians clean only when they spot visible dust on the floor. However, fine dust is invisible to the naked eye and collects in most places in the home – areas we don’t even think about cleaning. While dust is seemingly harmless, it’s a complex matrix of organic matter, that can trigger allergies and impact our well-being.

Most neglected cleaning spots

Dennis Mathews, Dyson’s Lead Research Scientist in Microbiology, reveals the places most people forget to clean.

1. Mattresses are neglected by 63% of Indians

Mattresses can be breeding grounds for house dust mites, who thrive in warm, dark and humid places like our beds. Dust mites feed on skin cells, which we shed 2-3g of per day and even more at night owing to the friction from bed linens. There can be millions of dust mites in a single mattress, and each mite produces around 20 faecal pellets a day which harbour an allergenic protein that can trigger allergic reactions.

Vacuuming both sides of your mattress with Dyson Hair Screw Tool agitates and removes embedded dust, skin flakes, and allergenic material in your mattress.

• 68% of Indians neglect cleaning curtains, walls, or blinds

Walls, curtains, and blinds can quietly collect dust, allergens, and airborne particles over time, yet they remain some of the most neglected areas during regular cleaning. Curtains and blinds often become hotspots for dust mites due to their fabric textures and daily exposure to indoor dust.

Dyson V12s Detect Slim Submarine with advanced filtration can help capture fine dust and allergens while preventing them from being released back into the air. Along with attachments like Dyson Combination Tool and extension wand, it can help clean ceilings, upper walls, curtains, and blinds more effectively, especially in hard-to-reach areas where dust tends to build up over time.

If you’re vacuuming both the ceiling and the walls, start with the ceiling followed by the walls so that you capture any airborne dust that may land on the walls or the floor below.

• Pet baskets are neglected by 39% of people globally

Just like mattresses, pet baskets can harbour dust mites, who feast on pet dander shed by animals. If possible, launder any removable covers on a 60°C or 90°C wash. Where that isn’t feasible, using Dyson Hair Screw Tool on a Dyson vacuum cleaner in handheld mode to agitate and “peel off” any unwanted pet hair, dander and allergens.

• Windowsills are neglected by 49% of people globally

Windowsills collect far more dust than most people realise. As outdoor particles settle and indoor dust circulates, these flat ledges become a landing zone for pollen, debris and fine dust yet nearly half of people overlook them in their regular cleaning routine Using Dyson Combination Tool alongside Crevice Tool can help clean both wider surfaces and hard-to-reach edges more effectively, especially in narrow window tracks where dust tends to accumulate over time. While everyday routines often focus on floors and surfaces, paying attention to neglected spaces around the home can make deep cleaning more thorough and effective.

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[1] 33,997 online interviews across a representative sample of 39 countries. Fieldwork was conducted between 11^th January and 6^th February 2023. Data has been weighted at a ‘Global’ level to be representative of different population sizes.