Cleaning light switches and electrical outlet covers in your home is not as simple as wiping over them with a damp cloth. This is not something you should do as water and electricity do not mix. It’s also not a good way of cleaning thoroughly. Because of the dangers involved, many people wonder whether it’s absolutely necessary to clean light switches and electrical outlet covers at all.
The fact is that light switches get dirty very quickly. Even if the people in your home wash their hands on a regular basis, fingers still pick up debris easily. This is then transferred to the light switch when it’s pressed, to turn lights on and off.
When this happens, light switches can become germ-ridden and they look unsightly. This is why it’s necessary to clean light switches and electrical outlet covers from time to time. We are going to give you some advice about how to do this safely.
How to Clean light switches and electrical outlets
- First, make sure that the electricity is switched off in your home. You should always do this before you start doing any work that involves the electricity supply.
- Use a circuit tester to make sure that there is no electricity flowing. Do not be tempted to skip this step as you do not want to encounter any electricity when you start to remove the outlet covers.
- As soon as you know that there is no electricity present, you can remove the covers from the outlets. The simplest way to do this is by using a screwdriver that has a flat head.
- Remove all the covers in the same way. It’s easier to clean them all in one go if you can. Make sure that your keep all the screws safe, for when you come to replace the covers and switches.
- Clean all the covers with soap and warm water. Once you have done this you need to make sure that they dry thoroughly.
- You also need to make sure that all the outlets and switches are cleaned. You can do this using a spray cleaner and damp paper towels. You should never spray the cleaner onto an outlet or switch. Always spray it onto a paper towel and use that for cleaning.
- As with the covers, you need to make sure that the outlets and switches are completely dry after washing.
- Once the drying is complete, you can replace the covers and switch the electricity supply back on.
You can see that it’s not hard to clean light switches and electrical outlets; it just requires some effort. If you come across any covers that are cracked or stained, you should think about replacing them. If you encounter any problems while you are completing the cleaning process, such as a burning smell, call an electrician. While cleaning may be simple, electricity is still dangerous, so you should not take any risks.