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20 Effective Home Cleaning Hacks for a Cleaner Home
- February 26, 2024
- GDI Home Services
Keeping your home clean and organized can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. With these 20 clever home cleaning hacks, you can easily keep your home looking sparkling clean. From simple tasks like vacuuming and dusting to the more complicated ones, like deep cleaning carpets or upholstery, these home cleaning hacks make cleaning easier. Clean faster, smarter, and more efficiently making your house spotless in no time. Let’s not waste another minute – let’s get cleaning!
1) Prioritize Your Home Cleaning Tasks
When it comes to house cleaning, it’s important to prioritize tasks based on urgency and frequency to stay on top of your cleaning routine. Create a cleaning checklist, to help you determine where to start.
2) Declutter first, clean later
Before you even think about starting to clean, take the time to declutter and organize your space. This will make the cleaning process much more efficient and effective. Start by going through each room and getting rid of any items that you no longer need or use. Donate or sell them if possible, and find a designated place for everything else. By decluttering first, you’ll have a clean and tidy space to work with, making all your other cleaning hacks even more effective.
3) use vinegar as a natural cleaning solution
Vinegar is a powerful natural cleaning solution that can work wonders around the house. Its acidic properties make it effective at cutting through grease, grime, and even stubborn stains. To make a simple all-purpose cleaner mix equal parts white vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Use this solution to clean counters, windows, and even floors. It’s an inexpensive and eco-friendly way to tackle house cleaning tasks and leave your home smelling fresh.
4) Clean your showerhead with vinegar and a plastic bag
Showerhead cleaning often gets overlooked. Over time, mineral deposits and grime can build up on the showerhead, affecting water flow and can cause clogs. To easily clean your showerhead fill a plastic bag with vinegar, place it over the showerhead, and secure it with a rubber band. Let it soak for a few hours or overnight, then remove the bag and wipe away any residue. The acidic properties of vinegar will break down the buildup, leaving your showerhead sparkling clean and ensuring a refreshing shower every time.
5) Remove dust from blinds using a sock
Cleaning dusty blinds can be a hassle. With this simple hack, you can easily remove dust from your blinds using just a sock. Slip a sock over your hand, or use kitchen tongs and place a sock over each tong and secure them with rubber bands. Then, run your sock-covered hand or tongs along each blind slat, pressing gently to trap the dust. The socks will act as a magnet, collecting all the dust and leaving your blinds clean and fresh. It’s a quick and easy solution that cleans both sides of the blinds at once and will save you time and effort in your cleaning routine.
6) Steam Your Microwave
Microwaves get dirty quickly and accumulate stubborn food stains but cleaning them is easier than you think. Fill a microwave-safe bowl with equal parts water and lemon juice and place it inside your microwave. Heat the mixture for 4 to 5 minutes until the water-lemon mixture is boiling. Carefully remove the bowl. The steam from the mixture will have loosened the dirt and grime, making it easy to wipe away with a cloth. Plus, the lemon juice will leave your microwave smelling clean and fresh. It’s a quick and natural way to keep your microwave sparkling clean and odor-free.
7) Use baking soda to unclog drains
Instead of harsh chemicals, baking soda is a natural and effective solution for unclogging drains. Pour half a cup of baking soda down the drain, followed by a cup of white vinegar. This will cause a bubbling and fizzing reaction to help break up the clog. Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes, then flush the drain with boiling water. Repeat if necessary. Often, this simple cleaning hack can save you time and money while keeping your drains flowing easily.
8) Remove pet hair from furniture with A Rubber Glove
If you have pets, you know the struggle of finding pet hair all over your home, especially on your furniture. Try this quick cleaning hack to effectively remove pet hair from your upholstery and leave your furniture looking clean. Put on a rubber glove and get it slightly damp, run your gloved hand over your upholstery. The wet glove will act like a magnet and the pet hair will cling to the glove, removing the hair and keeping your furniture looking clean and presentable.
9) Use a lint roller for hard-to-reach areas
Cleaning hard-to-reach areas around your home can be a real challenge and are often overlooked or ignored. Using a lint roller you can easily pick up dust, debris, hair, and small particles in tight, hard-to-reach areas. Just roll the lint roller over the surface to pick up loose debris. Use it on soft surfaces like lampshades, or curtains, easily reach behind furniture or under appliances, and even reach dirt on high shelves. Using a lint roller is a quick and effective solution to capture all of your homes hidden dirt.
10) Repurpose Dryer Sheets
Dryer sheets can be used for more than just reducing static in your laundry. Dryer sheets are great for capturing deodorizing and refreshing spaces around your home. Use dryer sheets to dust furniture, shelves, or even baseboards. Easily clean screens, like phones, TVs, or computer monitors, and place them in stinky shoes, drawers, and gym bags to quickly freshen them up. Try using dryer sheets in your home, office, or even in your car!
11) Refresh your dishwasher
Food, grease, and grime can build-up in your dishwasher. One of the easiest and most effective ways to refresh your dishwasher by using vinegar. Place a cup of vinegar on the top rack of your empty dishwasher and run a hot cycle to clean and deodorize. For an extra level, after the vinegar cycle is complete. Sprinkle a cup of baking soda on the bottom of the dishwasher and run another hot cycle. The baking soda will help to deodorize and freshen up your dishwasher. This simple hack will leave your dishwasher sparkling clean and ready to tackle all of your dirty dishes.
12) Freshen up your garbage disposal with lemon and ice cubes
Is there a funky smell coming from your garbage disposal? Food, bacteria, and grime can build up causing unpleasant smells, and can reduce the effectiveness of your garbage disposal. Easily clean, and freshen your garbage disposal with this simple hack. Cut a lemon into small slices and place them in an ice cube tray with a small amount of water. Once frozen, toss the ice cubes and a spoonful of salt into your garbage disposal, and run it. This will help to break down any residue and eliminate any unpleasant odors, and clean and sharpen the blades. Leave your garbage disposal smelling fresh, and ready to tackle all of your kitchen waste.
13) Vacuum Vents And Filters
Dirt, dust, and debris can fall into your HVAC vents especially if they are near doors, in bathrooms, or in high-traffic areas. Use your vacuum’s nozzle attachment to suck out and clean dusty air vents, filters, and hard-to-reach corners to reduce dust and improve the air quality in your home.
14) Shine Up your faucets
A grimy, dirty faucet can stick out like a sore thumb. Follow this hack to easily shine up your faucets leaving them looking like new. Rub half a lemon over your faucets. The acidic properties will remove water spots and break won mineral deposits. Don’t have a lemon handy? Soak a cloth in white vinegar and gently rub the faucets and leave your faucets sparkling. This not only removes dirt, spots, and grime, but it will also leave your faucets sparkling.
15) Refresh Your Mattress
You finally have the chance to lay down and rest the last thing you want to worry about is a stinky mattress. Luckily, there is an easy and inexpensive way to freshen up your mattress with a common household item, baking soda. Sprinkle a small amount of baking soda all over your mattress, leave it for 30 minutes, and then thoroughly vacuum up all the soda to remove odors and leave it smelling fresh and clean. For an even fresher mattress, add a few drops of your favorite essential oil like lavender or chamomile to the baking soda before sprinkling it on your mattress. Your mattress will not only smell amazing, but you’ll also have a relaxing night’s sleep.
16) Remove Rings On Furniture
Wooden furniture is a beautiful addition found in most homes, but if not properly cared for can be vulnerable to stains and water rings. Easily remove these marks with olive oil and vinegar. Mix equal parts olive oil and vinegar in a small bowl, then dip a clean cloth into the mixture. Gently rub the cloth onto the wooden surface, following the grain, to restore its natural shine and create a protective barrier against moisture. The olive oil moisturizes the wood, while the vinegar cuts through any grime or residue. With this clever hack, you can keep your wooden furniture looking pristine and stain free.
17) Easily Clean your oven racks
Cleaning your oven is often a time-consuming and messy task, but this simple hack makes cleaning your oven much simpler. Place three dryer sheets, in your bathtub or a large sink. Put the oven racks on top and fill the tub or sink with hot water. Add a small amount of dish soap and let the racks soak overnight. The fabric softeners in the dryer sheets combined with the cleaning agents in the dish soap will help to loosen and break down grease and grime, making it easy to wipe clean.
18) Deep Clean Your Oven
Cleaning your oven can be an overwhelming task, that is often overlooked or ignored. Easily clean your oven with two household ingredients. Make a paste by mixing baking soda and a few teaspoons of water. Use rubber gloves, and apply a thick layer of paste all over the inside of the oven (excluding the heating elements) and let sit for a minimum of 12 hours. Add white vinegar into a spray bottle and spray the vinegar all over the inside of the oven. Allowing the mixture to bubble and fizz to loosen food particles and baked on grime. After 20 minutes, vigorously wipe the inside of the oven ensuring to clean up all the grime, gunk and residue.
19) Remove carpet stains with shaving cream
Not all carpet stains require expensive cleaners. Shaving cream is an easy solution to remove simple carpet stains. Apply a small amount of shaving cream to the stain and let it sit for a few minutes. Then, using a damp cloth or sponge, gently blot the stain until it starts to lift. Once the stain is removed, use a clean dry cloth to pat the spot dry. Avoid using excessive amounts of water. The foamy texture of the shaving cream helps to break down the stain, making it easier to remove. Easily remove simple stains, make routine home cleaning easier and enjoy a fresh and clean carpet.
20) Shine Up Your Windows
Dirty, dusty and greasy windows obstruct sunlight, reduce air quality and impact the overall aesthetic of your home. Easily achieve shiny windows without streaks by following these simple tips. Mix equal parts white vinegar and water in a spray bottle, and spray all over the window. Using a microfiber cloth gently wipe the windows from top to bottom. If you have hard water stains, you may need to use a commercial glass cleaner. Using a dry microfiber cloth, or paper towel dry the window. If dirt or streaks remain, repeat the process. Clean your windows on a cloudy day or in the early morning or late evening when the sun is not shining directly on them to prevent the solution from drying on the window and streaks from forming.
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