Cleanliness and hygiene are not the exact same thing, but they should go together. Cleaning the house tends to make things look neat, and hopefully smell good in the process. But we can’t judge by appearances alone. Health issues can be hiding in the neatest corners.
– Door handles, remote controls, computer keyboards and anything else that gets touched by the whole family tend to accumulate germs, and pass them to others! This especially applies to toilet and bathroom doors. Use alcohol/disinfectant wipes to clean these on a regular basis.
– Toothbrushes clean your teeth, but like the towel that gets you dry by soaking up the water from your body the toothbrush tends to soak up bacteria and other unpleasantries from your mouth. Wash and dry toothbrushes after each use, avoid any type of brushes with cavities that might harbour bacteria that is hard to clean out (like some types of electric toothbrush attachments); keep brushes away from toilets, and flush with the lid down to pervert particles from becoming airborne. Use a UV light if possible. Always replace a toothbrush if you have had any serious illness.
– Kitchens sinks need to be cleaned regularly. It helps if you wash your dishes there instead of the dishwasher, but you should disinfect and rinse the sink after doing the dishes.
– Bathtubs tend to accumulate whatever we wash off ourselves. Daily cleaning would be ideal, and airing out the bathroom with an exhaust fan afterward also helps.
– Hot tubs are possibly the worst source of germs; the heat tends to breed bacteria rather than kill them. Some suspected cases of food poisoning have been traced back to hot tube bacteria. Ask local pool supplies for the best way to clean your particular model.
Commercial properties that worry about appearances sometimes clean utensils with window products, which shows that something can look clean but be unsafe to use. This is not an issue with House cleaning or apartment / unit cleaning, but you might want to wash the glasses in hot water next time you visit a hotel.