The last thing you want to come home to after a relaxing trip is maggots crawling around your kitchen or mould growing in your fridge.
Unfortunately for one Aussie mum, a four-day holiday ended in disaster after returning home to find maggots in the water and crevices of her coffee machine, as reported in the MailOnline.
It turns out she had left a tiny puddle of water in the drip tray, which led to her horrific discovery.
Maggot infestation can cause serious health problems such as salmonella, E. coli, Myiasis as well as intestine and mouth issues.
Delightful.
But it isn’t just maggots in the coffee machine that you need to worry about before going on holiday.
There is a fair amount of preparation needed to ensure your home is sparkling clean and fresh when you return from a trip away.
Here are some things you should do before you go on holiday to avoid disaster:
First of all, empty out the water from your coffee machine. Rinse and dry the drip tray, flush the system out with fresh water and clean all removable parts with dish-soap. Wipe down the exterior with a micro-fibre cloth to remove any visible stains.
Clean out your fridge and empty it of perishables. Freeze, eat or throw away any food that is due to go off and expire while you are away. You really don’t want to be greeted by a sour, rotten smell when you walk in the door.
Recently, another women, Charlotte, took to Facebook to talk about the foul smell in her kitchen that was coming from the fridge drip tray.
A lot of us tend to miss this area when cleaning as it is usually found behind the fridge and involves a lot of effort to access it.
But cleaning it is essential, according to Charlotte, as it collects condensation from the defrost drain, leading to a build-up of water and dirt that will eventually lead to mould.
You should also mop the kitchen floor and clean behind the fridge, as it’s likely there will be some old food crumbs down there.
Take the bins out. This should be pretty obvious, but most people have multiple bins around their homes, so ensure you empty them all, including the ones in the bathroom and bedrooms. Coming home to stinky trash filled with bin juice is absolutely vile and a surefire way to bring you straight back to reality.
Empty your fruit bowl. Don’t leave rotting food on the side in the open that could attract maggots and flies.
Make your home welcoming by deep cleaning it:
Clean the shower. Unblock your shower drain to remove any masses of hair. This will help prevent any mould and dirt from building up around the plug or at the bottom of your shower. It will also prevent any water build-up while you are using the shower.
Pull up the shower mat and clean off any dirt. Before you go away, put it in the washing machine and leave it to dry.
Change your bedsheets. Put out fresh bedding and put old sheets in the wash. When making up your bed before you leave, pull back your bedsheets to allow the mattress to air.
Replace the kitchen sponge. It is likely that you last changed it a while ago, so put out a nice new washing-up sponge that you can use once you are back.
Clean dirty cutlery and utensils. Don’t give yourself unnecessary work when you get home feeling jet lagged.
Dry and empty the washing machine. There is nothing worse than discovering you left a load of washing in the machine that has now become coated in a damp smell. Make sure you dry out the machine and leave the door open to avoid mould growing inside.
There are also safety measures you should take:
Ensure all your doors and windows are locked.
Unplug *almost* all your appliances (keep the fridge and freezer on) to save money and avoid any potential electrical fires.
We know the pre-holiday deep clean is no fun, but you will be thankful for your hard work when you get home to a sparkling fresh home.
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