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Even though I’m an adult, having a clean home still seems like an unachievable dream. Although I like to stay hygienic and keep my things organized, the time factor takes a toll on me.
Let’s agree, it’s incomprehensibly difficult to keep our homes tidy and we all struggle with it at some point or the other (unless you’re Monica Geller!). However, today we’re here to save you from the guilt trip and help you clean your homes efficiently and easily.
So, stick with us to know the 20 cleaning hacks, tips, and tricks for an easier life. These tricks are going to cut down the cleaning cost and save you a lot of time. Let’s get started!
20 Cleaning Hacks, Tips, And Tricks For An Easier Life
1. Clean Blinds With Tongs And Microfiber
The windows in your home allow you to have a great time by offering a view of the outside world. But do you remember the last time you cleaned their blinds? Oh, you probably don’t.
It’s your turn to give them a great time by cleaning them up. Head over to your kitchen and grab a pair of tongs, then prepare a mixture of vinegar and water used in equal proportions. Tie pieces of microfiber cloth or an old sock to the two ends of the tongs and secure them with rubber bands.
Dip these ends into the solution, and clear off all the smudge and dust that has been accumulating there for years. Effortless, right? If you can get your hands on a window blind cleaner duster, then that would be great too!
2. Remove Stains Using Baking Soda
The sofas, rugs, and other upholstery items in your home suffer a lot. They get dirty very easily and seldomly have a thorough clean-up. Moreover, every once in a while they might get stained and that just messes up the whole room.
If you’ve got a stain, we’ve got the trick! Get rid of those stubborn stains effortlessly using baking soda. It’s natural and probably available in every kitchen.
Just mix a tablespoon of washing liquid, baking soda, and warm water to form the cleaning solution. Then rub this solution vigorously on the stain to make it look brand-new. Toss it in the wash and you’re all done!
3. Shine Stainless Steel Appliances Using Cream Of Tartar
Cream of tartar is basically used for stabilization and acts as a leavening agent in baking. But did you know that you can utilize it for cleaning purposes? Stainless steel appliances and your kitchen sinks might aggregate grime deposition over time. You can smudge that off with cream of tartar. Let me tell you how to do it.
Take a cup of white vinegar and mix a quarter cup of cream of tartar in it. Rub this solution on any stainless steel surface using a brush or steel wool (carefully, you don’t want any scratches to form on the surfaces). Finally, rinse it off with warm water.
4. Clean Clothes Using Chalks
Who didn’t love chalks during their childhood? It used to be my sole reason to go to school every day, but growing up I realized that a chalk stick has many more uses. It could rescue your whites and help you launder those greasy clothes with ease.
Grab the stained clothes and remove any solid residue stuck on the stain manually. Spread the chalk all over the stain and let it rest for a few minutes, apply some washing liquid on this stain and rub it vigorously. Toss it in the washing machine and run the cycle with hot water.
5. Use Duct Tape And Vinegar To Clean Toilets
Toilet cleaning is probably the most ignored chore in human history. Ironically, we want it to shine like it’s brand new but hate to clean up the mess. But wait, let’s settle this issue with an easy and seemingly neat hack.
All you gotta do is this: empty the cistern by flushing all the water out and clean underneath the rim and siphon jets with a brush and cleaner. Then, allow the bowl to dry and seal the siphons with duct tape.
Now, fill the cistern with white vinegar (the strong one if you reside in an area which supplies hard water ), and allow it to rest overnight. Remove the tape the next morning, flush out the vinegar and refill it with the water. Don’t forget to wear your rubber gloves!
6. Deodorize Blender With Dish Soap And Lemon
The blenders in your kitchen handle a plethora of flavors and hence the possibility of odor retention is quite high. This fragrance doesn’t cause much harm per se but it mixes with everything you blend in there.
Unplug your blender and fill the jar halfway with warm water, and squirt some dish soap and toss a half-cut lemon into this solution. Plug it back in and turn on the switch, and run the blender for around 10 minutes to get rid of that any odors. Best part? You won’t have to dismantle the whole blender for this up-close treatment.
7. Clean Bathtub And Shower Using Bleach Gel
Just imagine the comfort of taking a soothing bubble bath after a long day at work. It’s all fun and games until your bathtub gets dirty and now it needs a bathing session too. Don’t fret because I’m gonna present a hassle-free hack to do it.
Use a generous amount of Clorox bleach gel to cover the gunky areas of your bathtub and showerhead. Leave it for an hour or two and let the bleaching action break down the grime deposition. Scrub off with a dampened cloth or sponge.
8. Clean Grout Using Toothbrush And Toothpaste
A clean grout can change the whole look of your bathroom, it seemingly affects the cleanliness of the surrounding area. If your bathroom tiles’ grout has become filthy, try this offbeat method to achieve the best results.
Grab an old toothbrush, toothpaste, and get ready to perform the cleaning. Apply some toothpaste on the brush and scrub it for a while all around the grout. Clean it off with a dampened cloth at last. You can also use this trick to clean the soles of your sneakers. Thank us later!
9. Grab Lemons To Clean Faucets
If your residential area has hard water supply, you must be struggling with the build-up of minerals on your faucets. Say no more to that accumulation of minerals and make your faucets shine like they are new. Yes, you can do this on your own without having to use any commercial cleaner.
Take the half of an already squeezed lemon and scrub it all over the faucet for a few moments. Then, rinse it clean with a wet scrubber. Easy peasy lemon squeezy!
10. Use Baking Soda And Bleach To Clean Grout
We have another hack to make your grout bright again. If the stains on your grout are pretty old and the previously given trick doesn’t work out for you, you can try this one.
First things first, ensure proper ventilation in your bathroom by switching on the fan and opening all the windows. Pour 1 part bleach into 2 parts of baking soda and prepare a thick paste-like solution. Scrub this solution on the grout with a stiff-bristled brush and allow it to stay for 5-10 minutes. Wash off the paste with water and that’s it!
11. Clean Garage Floors Using Coca-Cola
The floor of your garage suffers a lot—greasy oil stains, stubborn mud marks, and whatnot. The floor will stay filthy if you don’t manage to clean it as soon as possible.
Try pouring a significant amount of Coca-Cola on the stains, let it sit for some time, and scrub using a brush. Restrain yourself from using steel brushes as it can cause scratches. You can also soak your tools and equipment in Coca-Cola overnight to get rid of rust.
12. Treat Cloudy Glass Surfaces
Gleaming glasswares are amazing to use unless you notice them getting cloudy with every passing day. Well, you’ve got to do something about it, right? Here I come with this thrifty and safe method to treat cloudy or foggy glass surfaces.
Make a solution of water and distilled white vinegar in a tub or bucket, and leave your glass utensils in it overnight. You can wake up to clean and clear utensils, I can vouch for this! You can also spray this solution onto glass surfaces and wipe them down later.
13. Pair Up Vinegar And Cotton Balls To Clean Stove Knobs
Do you remember the last time you cleaned your stove knobs? You probably don’t. Stove knobs get really dirty due to stains of oil, food items, spices, etc. Some of the stoves have removable knobs while others can’t be detached.
If you own a gas stove of the latter type, this hack is for you. Take some vinegar in a cup and dip cotton balls into it, wait for a few seconds, and take them out. Place these balls all around the knob and let them sit there for a while. Wipe the knobs with a dampened cloth at the end.
14. Use Dryer Sheets To Prevent Dust
Dust is downright difficult to get rid of and its prevention might seem impossible. But you can reduce its aggregation around your place pretty easily using dryer sheets. Yes, you read that right!
This laundry staple has static absorbing qualities which makes it competent to absorb dust and spills from virtually any surface. All you gotta do is to spread them open and cover the niche you want to clean and wait for the magic to happen.
You can use it to clean up spills as well. Just lay it on the spill and hold on for 5 minutes. Wipe it off with a cloth at the end, if required.
15. Utilize Aluminum Foil To Cover-up
This super tip is going to help you a lot more than you’re thinking. Oftentimes, we accidentally spill eatables or juices on the refrigerator shelves. And seldomly do we plan on cleaning it. As a result, a foul smell starts to develop inside the refrigerator.
Before you reach the nasty stages, grab that aluminum foil and spread it all over your refrigerator’s shelves. Now if at all you spill something, it would be hassle-free to clean or you can just remove the foil and throw it in the trash. Your life’s going to be easy.
16. Use Cooking Spray To Clean Faucets And Showers
Now this one might sound absurd to you at first (just like it did to me), but it helps. The non-stick cooking spray you profusely use in your kitchen could be advantageous in your bathroom too.
It can break down the mineral deposition to a large extent and you’ll have shiny faucets and shower fixtures in no time. Just squirt a little bit of it on the affected areas, let it rest for a few minutes, and rinse it clean. I’m sure you won’t look at that spray bottle the same way again.
17. Make Crevices Clean Using Q-tips
There are inconspicuous and hard-to-reach corners all around our homes and we often overlook them while cleaning. But they deserve to get cleaned too, right? Try this trick the next time you’re up for a cleaning spree.
The Q-tips that are used to clean your ears could be of great help here. They’re capable of reaching out to all the nooks and crannies present in your home—for example, the edges of doors and windows.
Pro tip: Dip them into white vinegar before cleaning to get amazing results.
18. Accumulate Broken Glass Pieces With Bread
If you’ve ever broken glass (or simply came across a situation like that), you must be aware of the hard work it takes to clear off that crap. Plus, there is the constant threat of getting hurt by a minute broken piece.
Guess what? We’ve simplified the task for you and almost cut down the danger. First off, remove the significantly larger pieces carefully using a rubber glove. Now, grab some slices of bread and press them down on the floor. They’ll easily pick up the smallest glass shards. You might have to use more bread slices based on the amount of broken glass.
19. Get Rid Of Lipstick Stains
One of the most common stains we encounter is lipstick stains. The lipstick somehow leaves a mark on your garments.
Fret no more! Just remember to try out this hack the next time you get that stain. Spray hairspray on the stained area, rub it vigorously with a dampened cloth for a few minutes, and just toss it into the washing machine as you normally would.
20. Put Plastic Bags And Vinegar Around Shower Heads
Cleaning shower heads is a pretty uncommon activity but trust me it’s vital for their upkeep. While you enjoy your happy hours under the shower, the mineral build-up can reduce the longevity of your fixtures.
To avoid this, take a plastic bag and fill it halfway with white vinegar. Don’t overfill it. Tie this bag around the showerhead with a rubber band or a piece of string. Let it stay there overnight and take it down in the morning. Wash off the residue, if any.
Pro tip: If your fixtures are brass, gold, or nickel-plated, leave the bag on for just 30 minutes(not more!) to prevent any deformation.
Cleaning doesn’t always have to be burdensome, maybe you’ll grow to like it as much as Monica! These useful hacks would definitely make your everyday cleaning easier and more fun. Try them out and let your friends know too!