I am no neat freak, but I am not messy either. I am what some like to call the happy medium. I like my house to be clean and orderly, but I certainly don’t take it to the extreme. I do a good deep clean of my house once every couple of months and some of these tips are really going to come in handy.
Take a look and let me know how many of these you have heard of before. If you have tried any of these, let us know how they worked.
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1. The key to keeping a tub and shower clean is to do it often.
With this easy hack, you can clean your tub and shower every day. Get yourself a scrub brush with the handle that you can fill. Fill it with a mixture of half vinegar and half blue Dawn dish soap. Next time you are in the shower, give it a bit of a scrub.
2. The world’s best grout cleaner actually cleans your toilets, too.
Fill in the lines of your grout with toilet bowl cleaner and let it sit for about 10–15 minutes. Give it a little scrub and then clean it up. Your grout will look like new!
3. Rub wax paper over your faucets after you clean them.
This is will make them shiny and more resistant to water stains.
4. Clean grease and grime easily off of your kitchen cabinet doors.
All you need is a bit of blue Dawn and some vinegar. This stuff works like magic!
5. Use a pair of tongs and a microfibre cloth to clean your blinds.
This is genius!
6. Anyone who has a glass stove top knows what a pain they can be to clean.
With this easy cleaning tip, you can take all the scrubbing out of the equation. Simply remove all the loose debris from the stove top with a wet rag or paper towel. Next, soak some rags in hot, soapy water. While your rags are soaking, sprinkle your stove top with baking soda and then lay the wet rags over top. Leave them for about 15–30 minutes, when you come back the scum should just wipe right off!
7. Stainless steel looks great — when it’s clean.
Keep your stainless steel appliances looking like new with cream of tartar. Seriously, who figures this stuff out? Mix cream of tartar with a few drops of water — and with a little bit of scrubbing, your stainless steel will look like new.
8. I have to say it: glass shower doors are the worst.
They build up water stains so easily. Ask Anna has some really great tricks for taking care of this pesky problem. Start with a pair of pantyhose. Yup! Pantyhose. Apparently, it works to scrub off soap scum. If you have really tough soap scum and water stains, you can also try a Magic Eraser.
9. These cleaning cubes will leave your house smelling totally fresh.
These cubes are great for keeping a garbage disposal from getting stinky. To make these, all you need is an ice cube tray, some sliced citrus fruits (including the rinds), 1 cup of vinegar and a splash of Thieves cleaner . Make up these cubes and then freeze them. When your garbage disposal is a little smelly, just pop one in and then hit the button.
10. Window sills are one of the hardest things in the house to clean.
All you need is vinegar, baking soda, and an old toothbrush. Wipe clean with an old rag, and if needed, wrap it in a butter knife to reach the corners..
11. Did you know that a lot of gunk can build up in the gasket of a front loading washing machine?
Not just gunk, but even mold? Start by wiping down the rubber gasket and then use a rag that has been soaked in a 50/50 mixture of bleach and warm water. Shove it into the gasket and leave it for about 30 minutes. Make sure you have a well-ventilated area when working with bleach. After the 30 minutes, remove the towel and gently scrub the gasket.
12. I need this.
The seats in my car have seen better days. In a dish, mix equal parts white vinegar, club soda, and blue Dawn dish soap. Pour your mixture into a spray bottle and generously spray on your seats. Using a scrub brush, give your seats a good scrub and then rub with a clean towel.
13. Pour a small amount of disinfectant into the bottom of your toilet brush holder.
This will keep it smelling nice and also keep some of the germs away. Dump and replace weekly.
14. Lint can start fires, so it is a good idea to clean out you dryer vents and ducts.
This is a great tutorial that will show you how to do this.
15. You can sanitize sponges to kill bacteria.
Just be careful, though. Zapped sponges can be very hot, so it is best to leave them in the microwave for a minute or so after heating them.
16. If your dishwasher has that awful musty smell, maybe it just needs a good deep clean.
This tutorial will walk you through the steps on how to thoroughly clean your dishwasher.
17. My shower head could definitely use a good cleaning.
This is an easy way to get rid of hard water stains that build up on the shower head. Fill a bag with white vinegar. You can add a couple drops of essential oils if you don’t like the smell of vinegar. Using an elastic, tie the bag around your shower head and let it sit in this mixture overnight. In the morning, take the bag off and wipe the shower head clean. I bet you will notice a difference in water pressure, too!
18. Have you taken a look at your vents lately?
Chances are they could probably benefit from a little dusting. The easy way to do this is to take them outside and spray them down with a hose.
19. Clean out the drain in your sink.
This is something that you want to do, especially if you have a disposal. Using lemons and toothbrush, you can give your drains a fresh clean look — and they’ll smell great, too!
20. If you have a ceiling fan, it might be time to dust the blades.
These things build up dust so quickly! When you are cleaning the blades of your ceiling fan, use an old pillowcase and slide it over the blade, then pull it towards you. The pillow case will catch all the dust and make this chore less messy.
21. Pet hairs are notoriously difficult to pick up in the vacuum cleaner. But run a squeegee over the carpet first and look at what you get.
22. Just peel it off and bin it. Too easy!
23. Grease and oil on fabrics? Apply chalk to greasy spills and watch it suck up the mess.
24. Cleaning the grill is annoying. It’s a heavy-duty cleaning job that requires elbow grease and lots of sweat – or half an onion and a fork.
Turn the grill to very hot and then rub an onion over the loosened grease and grime.
25. Throw in four Alka-Seltzers and one cup of vinegar to unclog drains.
Leave for 10 minutes, then wash down with warm water.
26. For a sparkling clean and smooth iron, run it over a piece of paper sprinkled with salt.
Make sure the steam function is off!
27. It is possible to clean a coffee and spice grinder without losing a finger! Just run some uncooked brown rice through to pick up the oil and residue and unclog the blades.
28. Wrap a damp sponge around a broom, affix with rubber bands, and clean the ceiling features – all without risking life and limb.
Get down off that unstable chair or rickety ladder now!
29. This has to be the quickest and easiest way to clean silver. Line a pan with foil, fill with boiling water, and add two tablespoons of baking soda. Then dip!
Careful, the silver can get hot!
30. Who knew disposable razors were so versatile?
31. Use these denture tablets to clean your toilet’s reservoir tank.
Psst…That’s not the last time you’ll see those on this list.
32. Denture cleaner round two. Don’t question it. Just drop it into hot water in the sink for fifteen minutes for a deep clean.
33. Flathead screwdrivers and disinfectant wipes are life. Combine them to clean the crevices under the toilet reservoir.
34. Remember to wash your shower curtain and liner, too. Adding a little baking soda to the wash is a good idea if you have a lot of stains.
35. Polish up that porcelain sink with the ultimate easy-clean product: Bar Keeper’s Friend.
36. Now you’re done! Keep your cleaning supplies organized under the sink with wire baskets and hanging pails.
