Cleaning like a boss is a dream for most of us, especially if you have a family. If I had a penny for every housewife that has told me how hard it is to keep her house clean and tidy, I would be sitting on a beach with my laptop and surfboard at this point in time.
What if I told you that keeping your house clean doesn’t have to be a complicated daunting task? What if you could get it done quickly and with little effort on your part?
Here are 35 cleaning tips and tricks of all time that will help you rid your home – whether it’s your kitchen, bathroom, or living room – of dirt and grime for good.
Cleaning Tips and Tricks
Coffee Filters for Cleaning Glass
Coffee filters are great for cleaning glass. They are soft and gentle enough to clean without scratching. They also remove the lint from the glass, which is great for cleaning mirrors and other glass surfaces. Baby Wipes for Cleaning Chalkboards Baby wipes are great for cleaning chalkboards.
You can use them to clean off the dust from the chalkboard or even wipe down the entire surface of it if you want to get rid of all of the dust before you use it again.
Hairspray to Clear Dry-Erase Boards Hair spray can help clear off dry-erase boards if you’ve written on them with a marker that won’t come off easily.
Spray some hairspray on a paper towel, then wipe down your dry-erase board with it to make all of your writing disappear.
Vodka to Clean Off Old Camping Gear
If you want to get rid of those pesky black streaks on your camping gear, use vodka instead of bleach! Give the item a quick soak in some vodka and then wash it like normal in warm water with detergent.
The alcohol will break down those annoying stains so they disappear.
Dishwasher Tablet for Cleaning Oven
The next time you have a grease spill in your oven, save yourself some money by using the dishwasher tablet. Heat up the oven to 400 degrees and add one to two tablets.
Leave them in the oven until they have dissolved, then wipe the grease away with a sponge.
Vinegar to Unclog Faucet Heads
If your kitchen sink is slow to drain, try pouring white vinegar down it. Vinegar has an acidity that will break down any build-up that may be causing clogs and slow drains.
Fill up a bucket with about 1/4 cup of vinegar and pour it down the drain, followed by hot water.
If this doesn’t work, try boiling some water in a pot on the stovetop and pouring this over a towel covering the drain before pouring vinegar down it again.
Cotton Ball in Your Trash Can
Place a cotton ball at the bottom of your trash can to help absorb odors. The cotton ball will absorb any lingering smells and make your kitchen smell fresh.
Vinegar in Your Microwave
Sprinkle vinegar on a damp sponge, wipe down the inside of your microwave, cover it with plastic wrap, and microwave for one minute.
This will remove any lingering smells from food splatters or steam from hot coffee that would otherwise linger after cleaning the microwave.
Use Flour to Polish a Stainless Steel Sink
Most of us don’t know that flour is a great household cleaner. It can be used to polish stainless steel sinks and even remove rust stains.
Dishwasher to Dry Hand-Washed Dishes
If you are hand washing dishes but don’t have time to dry them, put them in the dishwasher instead. The heat from the drying cycle will dry your dishes quickly, saving time and energy.
Bowl of Vinegar to Clean Your Dishwasher
Vinegar is one of the most versatile cleaning ingredients around, it can do everything from unclogging drains to cleaning windows and removing odors from trash cans! For best results, add about half a cup of vinegar when starting the cycle on your dishwasher.
Baking Soda and Lemon Juice for Sink Odors
Baking soda and lemon juice together make an excellent odor remover for smelly drains.
Just sprinkle baking soda down your drain followed by fresh lemon juice and let sit overnight before rinsing out in the morning with boiling water.
Vinegar and Lemon Ice Cubes for Cleaning Disposal
Cleaning the disposal is something that most people don’t like to do. The smell can be so strong that it might make you nauseous.
Instead of using harsh chemicals, try these vinegar and lemon ice cubes at your disposal to get rid of the odor.
Learn: How to Keep Your House Clean: 15 Simple Habits
Potato to Clean Rusty Cast Iron
If you have cast iron cookware and are trying to clean it, then this trick will help you get it sparkling again! Just slice a potato into thin slices and rub them all over the rusty spots on your cast iron cookware.
Let them sit for about 20 minutes, then scrub with a nylon brush under running water until the rust comes off completely.
Clean Microwave with Lemons
It’s time to clean out your microwave! If you have a lemon, cut it in half, sprinkle some salt on it and place it in the microwave for about 5 minutes.
The heat will release a fresh scent and help remove any smells from previous meals.
Tennis Balls to Launder Comforters
Launder your comforters by placing them in a large garbage bag, tying off the top, and rolling it around on the ground.
The friction will help fluff up the down feathers inside making them look new again.
Cornstarch for Cleaning Windows
Sprinkle cornstarch on your windows to create a non-stick barrier that helps keep spots and smears away when you wipe them down with water or vinegar solution after. This trick also works great on mirrors.
WD-40 for Sticker Residue
Use WD-40 to get stickers off of just about anything. Spray some on, let it sit for a few minutes to loosen up the sticker then peel off.
This tip works especially well with sticker residue left behind after moving boxes around or taking something out of its packaging. It’s also great at removing price tags.
Read about: 15 Genius Bathroom Cleaning Hacks You Should Know
Toilet Paper Rolls to Clean Out Clogged Drains
If you have a clogged drain, just stick a few toilet paper rolls down into it and let them sit overnight.
The bulk of the paper will help break up any clogs, while the cardboard tube helps funnel it all out of your pipes.
Shaving Cream for Greasy Kitchen Appliances
If you have an appliance that has grease splatters all over it, simply put some shaving cream on a rag and wipe it off. It will soak up the grease and give your appliance a nice clean look again.
Rubber Gloves to Handle Greasy Spills
When dealing with greasy spills on your carpets or flooring, try using rubber gloves instead of paper towels.
The rubberized material helps pick up any excess oil from the spill without leaving behind lint or residue like regular paper towels would do.
Pick Up Broken Glass with a Bread
Remove Hard Water Stains from Sinks, Shower, and Tubs. When hard water stains build up in your bathroom fixtures, it can be difficult to get them clean.
Using a mixture of equal parts vinegar and warm water, apply it directly to the stained area and let sit for 10 minutes.
Then scrub with a toothbrush to remove residue. If you have white shower doors or tubs that have become discolored over time, use this same method to restore their original shine.
Use Borax to Clean (Almost) Anything
Borax may be an inexpensive household cleaner, but it also has many other uses around the house. It can help remove stains from carpets and upholstery, clean windowsills, disinfect kitchen countertops, and even deodorize smelly pet beds.
Try using borax instead of bleach when cleaning laundry stains or removing odors from refrigerators or cardboard boxes.
Remove Hard Water Stains
The best way to remove hard water stains from your kitchen sink or bathroom faucet is by using a mixture of equal parts baking soda and hydrogen peroxide.
Apply the paste on the surface and let it sit for about ten minutes before scrubbing with a toothbrush or sponge. You can also use this mixture for removing rust marks from your porcelain tub.
Mayonnaise to Clean Porcelain Tubs
Porcelain tubs are beautiful, but they can be difficult to clean. Mayonnaise is a great alternative to harsh chemicals.
Just rub a layer of mayonnaise on the porcelain and let it sit for five minutes. Then scrub it off using a dry cloth or sponge.
Steam Clean your Glass Stovetop
Glass stovetops are harder than you think to clean, especially if they have an oily residue.
Grab an old towel, put it over your glass stovetop, and then run it under hot water until it’s damp but not soaking wet (you don’t want any moisture dripping onto your electric coils or hot burner).
Next, turn on your stove and place the towel over one of the burners with low heat for about five minutes before turning off the heat source completely. This will steam clean your glass top in just five minutes.
Use a microwave to sanitize your sponges
This is especially useful if you have kids who use the same sponge for everything, or if you live in a dorm or shared apartment where germs are easily spread.
Gather up all of your dirty sponges and put them in a microwave-safe bowl.
Heat the bowl on high for three minutes and then let it sit for five minutes. The heat will kill any bacteria on the sponge, and the moisture will cause it to expand so that it’s easier to clean off any dried-on gunk.
Vegetable Oil for Cleaning Wood Floors
If you have wood floors that need cleaning, don’t resort to harsh chemicals, instead, just add vegetable oil.
Pour some into a spray bottle and then spray it onto your floors before wiping them clean with a cloth or mop (you can also mix vegetable oil into a bucket of warm water).
The oil will loosen up any dirt and grime without harming the wood finish, so your floors will be sparkling clean without being damaged at all.
Steam Away Tough Carpet Stains
If you have stains or odors on your carpet, try this DIY carpet cleaning hack:
Fill a large pot with 1 gallon of water, add 1/2 cup baking soda, 1/2 cup vinegar, and 4 drops of liquid dish soap. Bring to a boil over high heat, the mixture will foam up.
Turn off the heat and allow to cool for 15 minutes, then pour over the stain and let sit for 30 minutes. Vacuum as usual after it’s dry.
Baking Soda to Brighten Laundry
Baking soda is a great way to brighten your whites, but it can also be used to reduce odors in your laundry. It’s a natural deodorizer and works just as well as the store-bought ones.
Toothpaste for Dirty Sneakers
If you have kids who love to play outside, then you know about the mud and dirt on their shoes.
You can clean them with toothpaste! Just rub some toothpaste over dirty spots and let it sit for 15 minutes or so before rinsing off with water.
Vinegar for Smelly Hands
Do you want fresh hands without having to use your favorite scent? Mix equal parts vinegar and water together in a spray bottle, shake well, and spritz on your hands whenever they are dirty or smelly.
The vinegar smell will disappear after a few seconds leaving your hands smelling fresh.
Bottom Line
Whether you’re cleaning your bathroom or picking out a new shade of wallpaper, you probably want everything to look its best. Fortunately, with these cleaning hacks, everyone can make their space look and feel its absolute cleanest.
More About Cleaning
How to Keep Your House Clean: 15 Simple Habits
Top 18 Reasons Why Your House Still Looks Dirty
15 Genius Bathroom Cleaning Hacks You Should Know
1 comment