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
Gloria says,
I love all this to keep my apt clean and the new home I am so close to purchase. These are good ideas. Keep sending me ideas how to keep my house looking new. These are very good hints for cleaning up. Also, cleaning is what I love to do. It keep my mind clear and I can stay busy and my workout.
Dorothy says,
I really enjoyed these tips. I will for sure try them. But would like to have some easy tips on cleaning the bathroom. That is the worst thing for me ever. I dread it more then anything. Thank you for the other tips. For sure will be trying some of them.
Lisa Williams says,
For spot cleaning your carpets…in a spray bottle mix 1 tablespoon of vinegar with 2 tablespoons of shampoo, fill the rest up with water. Shake it up real good. Spray onto the stain, work it in with a sponge or something and wait 5 minutes. Scrub until the stain is gone and rinse with water, soak up the access water with paper towel.
D Force says,
Microwave a damp kitchen sponge to kill germs. Or put it in the dishwasher. I do both.
Laura says,
Need a continuous room freshener? Take 5 small gauze pads or bandaids. Pour a little of your favorite essentail oil or room freshener on them the stick them to the top of your ceiling fan blades with tape , or fold the bandaid adhesive inder the gauze area. Be sure the fragrant side is facing up. The fan will distribute the fragrance for you. Ive been doing this for years and the room always smells great!
Linda says,
Wow what a fabulous idea! Cotton balls & fragrance oil. Couldn’t get more economical than that AND no worries about candle flames and those plug-in things starting a fire. For the price of a couple of those nasty spray deodorizers that last about 5 minutes, you’ll have a great smelling house for months. Thanks so much for sharing. I am going to try it in like 2 minutes!
Tex says,
Simple way to get liquids out of a carpet? If you spill a liquid on your carpet, and yes it will probably be red wine or coffee or tea – something that will leave a stain for sure. First thing to do immediate after you dropped the glass or cup is to GTS – Get The Salt! Since regular table salt is super absorbent, the best remedy is to cover the spilled liquid with a generous amount of salt. While the salt is absorbing the liquid go get the vacuum cleaner and some baking soda. When the salt has vacuum it up and cover the remainder of the stain with baking soda and let that work for a few minutes, gently patting the baking soda into the carpet. Then vacuum the baking soda off the carpet. By now you should have been able to remove almost all the liquid and NOW it’s time for the stain fighting with Oxi-Clean or any other stain fighter of your choice.
Murlene Nobles says,
After you clean those sinks (above), rub the auto wax, I prefer Turte Wax over the sink surface, I put 2 coats. Prevents stuff sticking. Even water just pools up in it! Just wipe clean like you do the range top!
Judy Covington says,
To defuzz a knit item, rub a pumice stone back and forth over the area. No more fuzzys.
Jeanne Dupont says,
The very best thing for cleaning sinks, bathtubs and the like is old-fashioned Dutch Cleanser, whether left to soak in water or used with a minimum of elbow grease. It’s cheap, granulated and contains that essential ingredient – BLEACH!
Nemelia Woods says,
I loved the cleaning tips, especially the information about the stove.
Carol Lohmann says,
If you don’t use dry detergent, as I don’t. you can do the same with a 1/2 cup of clorox. It also takes care of pesky germs…I actually add it to my dish water when doing dishes when family has a bug of some kind..Keeps it from spreading so much..
Mary Martin says,
To clean that black moldy grim off your shower mix a spray bottle of 1/3 bleach and 2/3 water. Spray the grout lines and basin. Wipe off any chrome immediately. Let the bleach set for 30-45 mins. Then scrub with a Mr Clean Magic Eraser. Walls, floors and grout lines will look like new.
Linda says,
I do this alot and most of the time I don’t even have to scrub. Come back later and the grout is all clean. Quick rinse and done.. no muss no fuss. Yay
Carol says,
To keep cats off of you sofa tear off a couple of sheets of “BOUNCE” fabric softener and rub them all over the sofa. Cats don’t like the smell of Bounce and the odor will repel them from jumping on your furniture or from using it as a scratching post. I have two cats and it really works. No more shredded sofa arms.
Don Champagne says,
OK, but I still don’t understand what a cleaning “hack” is (in your title). I’ve never seen “hack” used as a noun in this way, nor can I find any guidance from a dictionary.
Richard says,
It is most commonly used in the phrase “Life Hack”. It is derived from computer hacking because a “Hacker” uses unorthodox ways of accessing computer information that they shouldn’t have access to which is called a “hack”. “Life hacks” etc usually use unorthodox methods to do something you couldn’t normally do, or normally do as easy.
Pam Burningham says,
Oh my gosh, either check out the hacks or not, let’s not debate the origin of the word. Someone has too much time on their hands, and apparently have plenty of time to clean.
VIRGINIA says,
CLEANING THE GREASE OFF THE OVEN, SPRAY WITH WINDEX, LET SIT A SECOND OR TWO AND WIPE. HAVE YOU HAD PEN BREAK LEAKING INK EVERYWHERE, COUCH, CLOTHES ETC GET RUBBING ALCOHOL AND CLEAN IMMEDIATEDLY, IT COMES RIGHT OFF. WORKS GOOD WHEN IT’S ON THE CARPET.
Terri says,
Thanks, Virginia! A pen in a pocket went through the wash and the alcohol took the ink off of my washer & dryer surfaces!