No one looks forward to cleaning their home. But when the weekend rolls around, we’re all tasked with the same chores of dusting, vacuuming, scrubbing and polishing. It’s boring, time-consuming hard work. But it doesn’t have to be. Follow these five steps to make cleaning your home as easy as a walk through the park!
Shiny Stove
Love to cook, but hate to clean? You’re not the only one. The biggest hassle for daily cooks is getting the grease and splatters out of the stovetop.
Here’s a surprising solution: car wax. It’s more of a preventative measure, but will make any future spills and splatters much easier to clean. Start by first cleaning your stovetop. Then apply the wax the same way you would when shining your car. Re-apply every couple of weeks, or when you feel the dirt and grime is getting harder to clean. Easy!
De-furring The Couch
Your cat Tobey has been bad—very bad. She got onto the couch again, and now it’s covered in cat hair. And you don’t own a lint brush!
That’s OK—just grab a roll of tape and tear off a generous strip. Know what you’ve made? A cat-hair catcher! Simply apply it sticky-side down to your couch and then tear it off to remove all those pesky hairs.
Sock It To ’Em
That wasn’t a tumbleweed that just rolled by—it was a giant dust bunny!
If you’re in the mood for hard work, you could wax your table and vacuum the couch. But if you’re looking for an easy way out, open up your sock drawer and find a nice pair of wool socks. You never thought you’d wear them when you got them as a Christmas present, but they make great dusters! Just put them on your hands like gloves and go to town on the furniture. The dust bunnies will be gone before you know it!
Stainless Steel Is No Big Deal
Your kitchen sink? Well, let’s just say it’s seen better days.
Luckily for you, there’s an easy way to clean it that requires no elbow grease. First, put a stopper in the sink. Then grab some powdered laundry detergent (it has to be powder—not the liquid stuff). Sprinkle it generously around the inside of the sink and then fill the sink with hot water. Let it sit for about an hour, then empty the sink. Rinse off the detergent suds, and your sink looks as good as new!
Carpet Capers
Oh, dear. This isn’t good. You just spilled red wine on your carpet and you’re expecting your guests to arrive in half an hour!
No problem. First soak up the excess wine by gently dabbing it with absorbent paper. Then make a quick spot cleaner by combining some OxiClean with water (as directed by packaging) in a spray bottle. Douse the area generously with a couple of spritzes and leave it to soak for 10 minutes. With a scouring pad, scrub the stain until it’s gone.
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By Greg Dalgetty
Leon Goekjian says,
Excellent
Leon Goekjian says,
This is very good
Patsy Rains says,
U can clean chrome faucets with hand sanitizer or WD 40. Put a small amount on paper towels clean any chrome kitchen bath wherever. A small amount is all it takes to make them shine.
Libby says,
Seltzer water as well as peroxide will remove red wine stain from carpet.
Josephine Edwards says,
I use a wipe and shine fast detailer, car wax on the walls of my fiberglass shower enclosure. It helps the walls stay cleaner longer and gets the dirt and grime off, just like my car.
Don’t get any on the bottom of the shower, the wax/detailer will make it slippery.
Put denture cleaner in the toilet, its porcelain too.
Valerie Wisch says,
What I do to remove my cat’s fur from upholstery. I have a Maine Coon cat and we’re talking major cat hair big time!
I take a slightly damp sponge and wipe down the furniture. The fur will ball up and is easy to remove. You’ll find a slightly oily feel too. It’s also removing some of the oil that’s on the cloth too.
The furniture might be slightly damp for a while but considering that this is cheaper and more effective than the masking tape method, it’s worth not sitting on your furniture for a bit. Just remember to use a slightly damp sponge.
Jackie Moore says,
A rubber cleaning glove removes cat hair from furniture quickly. No dampness to worry about.
Lucy Park says,
Guess what, when i was think about house cleaning it’s too time consuming work but after reading this article, i would like to say I was wrong. Thanks for these cleaning tips.
Hope Adkins says,
Extremely clever cleaning tips! I want definitely to try to shine my stove with car wax. It sounds interesting. Thanks for the cleaning ideas!
Jenkins Leroyson says,
I always thought that red wine spills meant death to carpet. I always try to be so careful but it’s good to know that it can come out. You’re right, having that happen before guests come over would be the worst! I’ll be sure to keep those supplies on hand to be prepared for the worst!
Valerie Wisch says,
Another thing my mother used was to sprinkle salt on the spill right after you blot up the wine. The spill should be completely covered with salt. This draws up the red wine and wher it’s dry just vacuum it up.
Sheryl says,
Wow, the “helpful”stove cleaning tip was just that. Thanks !
Carolyn says,
Thanks for the tip on cleaning my stove and stainless kitchen sink. The only thing I have to buy is the powder laundry detergent. Can’t wait to try these helpful tips out!!!
Robyn says,
I love to use Liquid Gold wood furniture polish on chrome fixtures. I love the almond oil smell, and it makes faucets, handles, and towel racks really shiny.
Jessica Taylor says,
Thanks for the tip. I have been looking for a really good chrome cleaner. My bathroom sink really does not get clean enough. This might be a really good idea.
Marsha says,
Carpet Capers – Surely this can’t be right! After the OxiClean and water is applied and sits for 10 minutes, scrub it with a scouring pad until the stain is gone? When I hear “scouring pad” I think of a Brillo or S.O.S. pad which is basically steel wool with blue or pink colored soap already in them. What are you calling a scouring pad?
Maggie says,
Perhaps they mean those kitchen sponges where one side is a conventional sponge and the other side is rougher, hence ideal for scouring pans?
heather sexton says,
No thinking she means steel wool just not with soap you can buy them at dollar store cheap n its just plain steel wool in a ball comes in 2 pack I use them a lot
Valerie Wisch says,
I don’t want to use anything that could ruin the surface of my carpet. Take a look at my suggestion using salt instead and let me know if it works for you.
jodi dishaw says,
Right, it is best to “dab at” stains on carpet. Scrubbing will damage the nap!
Reggie Hawkins says,
When I want a mirror streak free and clean, I use glass cleaner and some old newspapers.
Jackie says,
Coffee filters work great for that as well!
christy says,
yep, coffee filters and plain white vinager
Dana says,
To keep my glass shower door clean, I wet a dryer sheet and wipe the doors with it. Rinse the doors with hot water and you can see through them again. I finish it with some Rain X spray and it keep the doors looking good for an extended time.
AL from Tiverton says,
Better than Rain-X for shower glass and tile, polish with Noxon.