Clever Cleaning Hacks That Will Save You Time and Money
We all know how daunting (and expensive) cleaning can be. But for all of those brands out there selling various chemicals, it’s the DIY tricks that usually work best. These clever cleaning hacks are designed to save you both time and money. It’s surprising that household objects you probably already have at home, like vinegar or lemon juice, can have the same cleaning power as all of those name brands out there. Add in a little elbow grease and you’ll have a sparkling home sooner than you think. Check out this list of foolproof cleaning hacks, and don’t forget to SHARE these hacks with everyone you know!
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Oven Cleaning With Baking Soda
Baking soda has countless uses, including oven cleaning. If you have an oven coated in years of unintelligible grime, spray it down with water, then pour a thick layer of baking soda over every surface. Once you have a ¼-inch layer of paste on the bottom, let it sit for a few hours. Use a paper towel to wipe up the paste and you’ll see the grime disappear along with it. If it doesn’t work the first time, try again until the grime is gone.
Soak Your Shower Head
The shower head is one of those appliances we tend to forget to clean. But luckily, it’s pretty easy. Just fill a plastic bag full of white vinegar and tie it around the shower head with some rubber bands. Let it sit for an hour or less, wipe it down, and it’ll be as good as new.
Clean Windows
It’s hard to get a streak-free shine when it comes to cleaning windows and mirrors, but this solution will make them crystal clear. Mix together a quarter cup of white vinegar, a quarter cup of rubbing alcohol, a tablespoon of corn starch, and a drop of essential oil. Stick it in a spray bottle and watch the magic.
You’ll need white vinegar, rubbing alcohol, corn starch, essential oil, and a spray bottle.
Homemade Cleaning Wipes
Cleaning wipes can pretty much clean any surface in your house, but buying them can take a toll on your wallet. Why not make your own? Simply take a roll of paper towels, cut it in half with a bread knife, and put it in a coffee can or Tupperware container. Mix half a cup of vinegar, a quarter cup of water, a quarter cup of rubbing alcohol, a tablespoon of dish soap, and a few drops of essential oil together and pour it into the can. Let it soak for an hour or so, and you’ll have some easy DIY cleaning wipes.
You’ll need vinegar, water, rubbing alcohol, dish soap, and essential oil.
Bathroom Drain
The bathroom drain is the last place anyone wants to look, but someone has to clean it. Just remove all hair with pliers or an old wire hanger. If it still doesn’t drain properly, pour half a cup of baking soda down the drain, add vinegar until foam starts bubbling out, and let it sit for a few minutes. Rinse with hot water and you’ll have a clean drain.
You’ll need baking soda and vinegar.
Saucepan Air Fresheners
To get that cleaning-product smell out of the house, make your own air freshener. Fill a saucepan or pot with a quart of water, add lemon slices, and let it evaporate. For some unique scents, try limes, oranges, rosemary, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, or ginger root.
Or how about essential oils? You can pick some up here.
Shoe Caddy
We all know that cleaning supplies can really add up after a while. Before you know it, you’ll have dozens of bottles, cans, and other supplies. Simply buy a shoe caddy and fill it with all of your household supplies. You’ll find that they fit perfectly, and you’ll always know where you left them. Shoe caddies hang on the insides of closets, so you can keep them hidden as well.
Shower Squeegee Scraper
Pet hair can be one of the most annoying aspects of having a furry friend. Either that, or the litter box. But getting rid of pet hair from your couch or bed is easier than ever with the right tools. A shower squeegee collects everything neatly without all of the paper waste of a lint roller.
Clean Your Cutting Boards
It’s not hard to clean cutting boards while you’re washing your dishes, but what about the grime that stays where your knife left deep cuts? Simply scrub it with half a lemon, and then use a sponge to rub in some kosher salt to lift those stains.
Potatoes and Cheese Graters
No one wants to ruin their sponges by scrubbing cheese graters to get those stubborn stains out. If you have a leftover potato, grate it. The oxalic acid from the potato actually absorbs stains, and a bit of dish soap and water to finish the job will leave your cheese grater ready to go.
If you don’t already have dish soap, get some here.
Canned Air
Sometimes a duster, cleaning wipes, or even baking soda isn’t enough. If you need to clean air vents, blinds, or your keyboard, those tiny crevices can only be made new with canned air. Just make sure not to shake before you use it! Simply spray until all the dust is out.
Get Rid of Oven-Rack Stains
Oven racks are notoriously hard to clean. If you want an even cleaning, simply soak some dryer sheets in dish soap and spread them on the oven rack. Let them all soak overnight to get that really hard-to-reach residue out. Wipe clean, rinse, and they should sparkle like new.
Microwave Grime
We all forget to clean the inside of our microwave from time to time. To get food residue off every surface, fill a microwave-safe bowl with water and some lemon juice for a fresh scent. After zapping it for three minutes, wait five more minutes for the steam to lift every stain. Then take a damp sponge and wipe away the mess.
Don’t have a microwave-safe bowl? Get one here.
Vodka Dry Cleaning
If you have some dingy clothes that could use a dry-clean, but have no stains, try this homemade solution. Mix together 1 tablespoon of essential oil, ⅛ cup of unflavored vodka, and 1 ¾ cup of water, and pour into a spray bottle. Shake and spray, and you’ll have instant dry-cleaned clothes!
You can get essential oil and a spray bottle here.
The Self-Cleaning Blender
If you just made a smoothie, but don’t want to impale yourself on the blender’s sharp blades, just use the blender to wash itself. Fill it with a little bit of water and dish soap, and turn the blender back on. It’s as simple as that.
Lint Roller Magic
Lint rollers aren’t just for clothes anymore. Now that you know the squeegee trick, don’t use your lint roller for furniture, either. There are hard-to-clean surfaces like lamp shades that lint rollers are well-suited for. Don’t have lamp shades? Try a lint roller out on your window screens.
Toothbrush Cleaning
Toothbrushes are designed to clean, but they can harbor all sorts of bacteria after a while. To make sure your toothbrush is clean, soak it in one part vinegar and two parts water for 30 minutes. Then simply rinse, and all the gunk will disappear.
Coke in the Toilet
The toilet is the very last place anyone wants to clean, but it has to be done. Just pour Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl, and the acid will lift most ring stains after an hour’s soak. Do this often enough, and you’ll never get to the point where you need a serious cleaning session.
If you don’t have leftover Coke, you can get some here.
Grout Scrubbing
Grout in your bathroom tiles can make an otherwise clean bathroom look dingy. To get rid of that unsightly color, scrub it with baking soda and vinegar, using an old toothbrush. Once you get the mixture into a paste-like consistency, it’ll get rid of those stains in no time.
You’ll need ¾ cups of baking soda and ¼ cups of vinegar.
Garbage Disposal Fresheners
If you have a garbage disposal, you know it can smell funny after enough leftovers have passed through it. To get rid of that odor, try orange peels. Just stick some citrus in an ice cube tray, pour in white vinegar, and freeze until solid. Then drop a couple into the garbage disposal every so often, and the vinegar will clean up residue that scrubbing can’t.