Most of us prefer clean over dirty. But can things be too clean? It turns out that some of us are guilty of over cleaning. We didn’t even know that was a thing until now, but hear us out.

First of all, when you over clean, you’re wasting a lot of unnecessary energy, and you actually might be damaging whatever it is you’re cleaning. Thus, once the product or surface is clean, it’s clean, and over cleaning it can cause it to not even look clean anymore.

Here are just some of the items you should spend just a tad less time cleaning.

1. Cast iron pans

   These heavy duty pans are great for stove-to-oven meals, like steak or a frittata. But anyone who washes these with a ton of soap and water, hold it right there! Dish soap can actually damage your pan and cause it to rust. So just keep it simple with some water and a dishrag to avoid over washing.

2. Wood furniture

   Your wooden coffee table, chairs, or dresser? Stop using so much wax-based sprays, which are meant to clean wood. These can actually cause an oily substance to build up on your wood, which actually attracts even more dirt. And that means you’re going to be cleaning way more than needed. Try using a simple microfiber cloth to get rid of dust on wood furniture instead.

3. The mirror

   We know, you just want to get rid of those little fingerprints or that speck of dust, but in the same way oily furniture can mess with the cleanliness, so can a wet mirror, which will actually attract more dirt. Plus, excessive moisture or over spraying can get behind the mirror and harm the back of it. You can probably go several months at a time without needing to wash your mirror.

4. Your hair

   Shampooing every day? You don’t need to. Washing your hair too much can actually strip your hair of its natural oils. Try skipping a shampoo every other day, and soon enough you’ll see how your hair doesn’t need to be cleaned this regularly.

5. Dishes

   Do you pre-wash or soak your dish ware before putting it in the dishwasher? You’re an over-washer culprit! Your dishes actually don’t need a ton of soap to clean them, so it’s best is to just clean them once (with exceptions of course—like super sticky substances or food that was left out and got crusty, but most of the time, less is more).

6. Your car

   If you ever notice your car wax doesn’t last or you spot some small cracks all over the (called spiderwebbing), you might be over-washing your vehicle as these are signs of excessive cleaning. Also, sometimes washing a car too much can result in it actually looking duller. Wash your car one to two times a month—any more than that and you might risk these negative effects.

7. Jeans

   It might sound a little gross, but the less you wash your jeans, the better. Steaming it might actually be the better way to go about freshening up your jeans instead of throwing them in the washing machine. Or try putting your jeans in a baggie and putting them in the freezer for a little freshening up. We swear it works!

Did you know you could over-wash things? Have you ever over-washed any of these items?