A Single Baby Wipe Will Make One Overlooked Home Feature Shine

Take a moment to think about the items you use most in your home. You might imagine that it's the sofa or your work-from-home desk, or perhaps the kitchen sink or microwave, but every time you walk through a room, you probably flip on the light switch! Light switch plates are some of the most frequently touched and dirtiest objects in our homes, and yet they're often neglected from routine cleanings. If you look closely at the light switches in your home, you'll probably notice some faint grayish coloring around the switch and on the switch plate. Over time, finger oils build up on light switches, creating a surface that dust, dirt, and germs can easily adhere to, especially if you live in a household with multiple little hands. Luckily, all you need to rub away grime and brighten your switch plates is an ordinary baby wipe!

Whether you have children of your own or not, chances are, you've got a few baby wipes just waiting around for a rainy day. Learn more about why you should be cleaning your light switch plates, how to polish them up with baby wipes, and more ways to use these versatile little cleaners.

Before diving into the "how," is it safe to clean electrical switch plates with wet wipes? While you may believe it's unlikely that cleaning the switch plates could present any danger, it's always a good idea to temporarily shut off the circuit breaker in your home when working near electricity. After turning off the circuit breaking, flip the light switches a few times to ensure that they are completely disconnected. Turning off the switch breaker makes it safe to remove the switch plates and ensures that you can clean all the edges of the plate. Don't shove the wipe inside the switch socket or let an excessive amount of liquid drip inside, as this could present an electrical and fire hazard.

To clean your light switches, remove a single baby wipe from its package and gently rub it against the light switch and switch plate. Rubbing in small circles with your fingers should lift and remove the grime within a few seconds. Follow up with a dry paper towel, or let it air dry and move on to the next switch in your house. When you're done, always reseal the baby wipe package to keep them from drying out. To keep your home from smelling too much like a nursery, stick to unscented or choose fresh scents like cucumber.

Baby wipes are awesome for removing finger smudges because they contain surfactants, which bind with body oils and lift them from surfaces where they can be trapped in the fiber sheeting. They also have skin-benefitting agents that give smooth surfaces a beautiful shine. While baby wipes are perfect for removing visible grime, they won't actually do much to disinfect the surface. To kill germs, wipes have to contain at least 60% alcohol, according to Global News. However, most baby wipes contain very little alcohol or are entirely alcohol-free. This allows them to be gentle on babies' skin but won't kill very many germs on your light switches.

Still, baby wipes can improve the appearance of your switches and other high-touch surfaces like doorknobs, keyboards, and stair railings. If you have a little Picasso or Pig-Pen running amok in your house, this baby wipe trick also works for cleaning the walls surrounding the switch plate! Use a baby wipe directly on the wall to gently wipe away handprints and footprints, scuff marks, crayon, marker, and more.