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
Cassandra says,
Thank you for today’s article on cleaning your home and the reminder to get more information on utilizing my smartphone.
Linda says,
After using the stove I just give it a squirt of Windex and wipe off. Stays shiny, no streaking problem and removes all grease. My stove sparkles!
eunice says,
use a scouring pad on a carpet??!!
should you say a plastic scouring pad, not the kind like steel wool?
Virginia says,
I love GEICO!!!
Virginia says,
Thanks so much for the tips. They are worth trying.
Joe Frazier says,
Use Deepwoods Off to remove magic Marker from any surface. Spay the area and wipe Off.
Lois says,
Thanks for the cleaning tips. Sounds much easier for me. Will try the on my next cleaning day.
Sandy f says,
The best way to get animal hair of the furniture (although yours works too) , is to put on a pair of those yellow gloves for doin’ dishes and starting from the top work your way down in short wipes. Voila!! Hair in a ball and ready to go to the garbage!!
Denise Halvorson says,
Do you have a cleaning solution for a plastic sink? Yes. Bathroom sink is Plastic. Circa 1970-ish.
Is pretty stained… and have not found something to make it look good yet.
Thanks!
Carol O says,
Hi, Have you ever tried Bar Keepers Friend? This might work for you. Good luck!
Janet says,
CAUTION: Some car waxes are flammable so be sure there are no pilot lights, hot heating elements, or other flames nearby when you apply car wax to your stove. You can check the car wax container to find out if it’s flammable.
CleanIsImportant says,
LOL, I was not expecting my insurance company is giving me cleaning advice. Nice.
I’ll add to this, as I think lots of people will benefit. There are great related remedies and tips at HRT (Home Remedies and Tips). Of course lots of natural home remedies mentioned there to control ants, and cockroaches, etc, but as mentioned at HRT one of the best things is to simply keep the place clean and crumb free and sticky free. No attractants for the most part means no pests or very little pests. Unfortunately, when the neighbor does not share the concept of clean house or land, you get insect visitors from their place, and thank goodness for HRT, because solutions existed for that too.
Marilyn says,
A latex disposable glove works great for pet hair removal. Put one on and rub across the chair.
Linda says,
Yep I do the same thing. Works like a charm.
Diane Rosch says,
To get cat fur off upholstery, wipe it off with a piece of the non-slip shelf liner (the cheaper flimsier version of the openwork rubberized stuff works best). It will pull the fur out of the fabric into loose wads that are easily vacuumed up. I find it easier to deal with than tape and also less wasteful since one sheet of liner can be used indefinitely.
Murlene Nobles says,
That stuff works great when trying to open jars too!
B. Shea says,
When painting take the brushes or rollers wrap them in foil and put in freezer. When you
need to use them again just rinse in warm water and they are ready to use. They will last
forever in the freezer.
Virginia says,
Thanks ,sounds good!!
Leslie says,
That’s awesome! Great to know!
Paige Smith says,
Wow, these are some really great cleaning tips. The stove has been the hardest part for me to clean. The food is always caked on the edges. No matter how much I scrub I never seem to get rid of the food. I have never thought of adding car wax to the top to keep it slick.
Frankie Lugo says,
Magic eraser works great too.
Dorothy says,
Oh yes. I love my magic erasers.
Gloria says,
What kind of wax, and will it be safe and not set a fire to my stove because of the wax
Sandy f says,
I know it’s silly, but I am a housecleaner by trade, and I spray oven cleaner on the top , especially glass tops ,and let it sit for a little bit while I clean the bath, then when I get to the kitchen, I just wipe it down. No scrubbing.
Virginia says,
It is really a concern for me so I will definitely try this tips.
Thanks to all.
Have a easier cleaning weekend!