Looking for some cleaning hacks? Being an adult gives you more than enough opportunities to learn to clean up after yourself. Stop wasting time on cleaning practices that waste time. Here are some cleaning hacks to make cleaning more efficient and enjoyable! Check out cleaning hacks categorized by general, laundry, kitchen and bathroom.
1. Clean With What You Have
Don’t throw your old toothbrushes away. You can use it to clean bristles on your comb or to wash your cups. You can use it to scrub the dirt off the creases in the soles of your hiking shoes. Toothbrushes are also perfect for brushing the corners of tables, chairs and cupboards.
2. Use Magic Erasers
Magic erasers are godsent, use it to remove soap scum from your bathroom floors or scrub stains off your walls! Add some water to it before you start cleaning and it will work like magic. If you are worried that it may chemically damage your furniture, it will not because what removes the dirt is its mechanical components.
3. Create a Cleaning Plan
Are you the type to clean on impulse? Then you bounce between mopping and washing dishes then picking up the laundry to put them down next to the washing machine. This is time consuming. Before cleaning, you can create a plan to map out the sequence of cleaning to give you a better flow of things.
4. Cat Litter Cleaning Hacks
Spilled your used cooking oil on the kitchen floor? Use cat litter or sawdust as an alternative to kitchen paper. They’re great at absorbing oil and you can dispose of them after use.
5. Use Baby Wipes
Baby wipes are perfect when you need to clean something quick and easy. Spilled something on the kitchen countertop? Wipe it off! Can’t stand the dust on your cabinet? Wipe it off! Your puppy just took a huge wet dump? Wipe it off!
6. Use Old Socks
Repurpose your used socks to help with cleaning. You can slip your hand in and use them as cleaning mittens to remove dust or wipe things off your windows. Of course you wouldn’t want to use it for your dining table because that’s just nasty!
7. Use Paint Roller to Clean Ceiling
If you consider yourself fun sized or under 5’5, this trick would be perfect for you! Get a roller with a longer handle and start cleaning your ceiling without help from anyone else. The paint roller can also access the dust at the back of the fan Now you have one less need for your ladder!
8. Get Rid of Fur With Duct Tape
If only your fur babies would clean up after themselves, otherwise it is your job to do that. It can be a pain if you run out of lint roller and your pet sheds trees in autumn. For temporary measures, you can use duct tape in the place of lint rollers to do the job and no one will even notice.
9. Give The Cushions a Good Beating
We love cushions but these thick layers of comfort can collect dust deep inside. Vacuuming it can’t remove dust beyond the surface, so once in a few months take a trusty racket and beat the dust out in open air. Having a breeze will help, stay upwind when beating it while relieving your emotional stress too.
10. Remove Dust – Learn to Dust The Right Way
If you are removing dust with a feather duster, STOP. All you’re doing is disturb the dust and it will just settle somewhere else. Use a vacuum cleaner to do the job, you can change the vacuum attachments to fit the space. Or else, you can use a damp cloth or rag to wipe the dust off without sending them flying off to a prettier and younger surface.
11. Permanent Marker Cleaning Hacks
We’re all too familiar with having permanent marker ink on unwanted surfaces. The good news is if it happens to be on a whiteboard or glass, you can remove the stubborn permanent ink by adding a layer of temporary ink on top of it. On other surfaces, try wiping it off with vegetable oil and a damp cloth.
12. Hand Sanitizer for Small Surface Cleaning
It is as straightforward as it gets. Spray some sanitizer on your phone and rub it on all surfaces. We have our phones with us so often we forget that it was in fact left on surfaces outside and needs cleaning too. If your phone or remote has buttons, squeeze a drop of sanitizer on a Q-tip and go nuts.
13. Shine Wood With Lemon and Vinegar
Wood gets dull and dirty over time, to maintain them all you need is an easy routine of wiping them down with some lemon and vinegar. Try mixing the same amounts of lemon oil and white vinegar to make your wood shine.
14. Freshen Up Smelly Sneakers
Pour some baking soda into the sneakers you wore to prevent them from smelling gross. Just remember to tap them out when you are ready to put them on again.
15. Make Your Clothes Dry Faster
Drying your clothes in a shorter time always brings a smile to a person’s face. Add a dry towel to the laundry pile you put in the dryer. The towel will absorb the extra moisture and if you don’t want towel fuzz, flip your clothes inside out and they’ll come out fresh and clean.
16. Toss Your Drippy Detergent Cap With Your Laundry
Have drippy detergent on your detergent cap? Don’t bother wiping them off, just throw them into your laundry pile and wash it with the laundry. This way you don’t waste detergent and time. Just remember to remove it before putting your clothes in the dryer.
17. Sort Laundry According to Your Own Needs
The rule of thumb is colors vs whites but who is to say that there aren’t other ways you can sort your laundry too. You can categorize them into work clothes where you treat them more delicately, your workout outfits where you add a little more detergent and underwear where you wash more frequently. It really is up to you and your needs.
18. Remove Stains With Shaving Cream
Try using shaving cream to remove stains from your clothes. Shaving cream is made up of similar ingredients as soap. For a quick and easy stain removal, spray some shaving cream on the stain, smear it all over and let it sit before you remove the cream.
19. Pre-soak Your Gym Clothes in Vinegar
You know how nasty your work out clothes get. Try soaking them for about an hour in a solution of cold water and half a cup of white vinegar before you put them in the washer. This will help you lift the odor right off.
20. Buy a Soap Dispensing Brush
If you don’t have one of these at home, I don’t know how you do it. It makes washing dishes so easy. You only need to pour the washing liquid into the brush and voila! No need to reach for soap whenever you wash your plates!
21. Blender Cleaning Hack
Done with your smoothie? Rinse out the remnants of your yummy drink then fill the blender with water and a few drops of dish soap. Put it back on the blending machine and turn it on for a few seconds. Rinse it all out and you’re good to go.
22. Eliminate Marks From Stainless Steel
Remove marks and unwanted prints on stainless steel with this cool and easy trick. Get a cloth and add a few drops of baby oil then wipe it down for a clean and clear finishing.
23. Maintain The Hygiene of Your Cutting Boards
Your cutting board is so often used but so overlooked. To deep clean, you can squeeze some lemon juice and rub it all over then leave it overnight. Rinse it, dry it off and now you have a cutting board ready for use.
24. Clean Your Microwave
Look into your microwave. If you see spills and food bits, you’re not alone. Take a microwave safe bowl and fill it with water and some squeezed lemon juice. Boil it for 2 minutes and leave it in the microwave for 10 minutes. Now the steam will loosen the food stuck on the microwave walls. Once you open it up, wipe down the whole interior of the microwave and it will be as good as new!
25. Remove Grease With a Hot Cloth
To remove grease, boil water and put a cloth into or heat a damp cloth up in the microwave for 20 seconds. Mind the heat, wear a pair of gloves to protect your hands. Spray the greasy surface with an all purpose spray and proceed to wipe it with the hot cloth.
Read Also: 14 Cool Microwave Hacks to Use it On Full Potential
26. Shaving Cream Cleaning Hacks
An easy way to get rid of water stains on mirrors or glass with shaving cream. Spray some shaving cream on a piece of cloth then wipe the surface with water stain. Later use a dry paper towel to wipe the shaving cream off.
27. Use Vinegar to Clean Showerheads
Take a plastic bag and fill it with vinegar then tie it around the showerhead. Allow it to stay there for around 1 hour to soak then take it off and wipe the showerhead. The grime and water stains will be gone by the end of the wiping.
28. Grapefruit Cleaning Hacks
Sprinkle a generous amount of salt on half of a grapefruit. Then get to scrubbing like the grapefruit is a brush. It is such a waste to scrub your tubs with a grapefruit, but if you do have one lying around it wouldn’t hurt to give this a try.
29. Remove Shower Glass Streaks With A Dryer Sheet
A surprising use for dryer sheets is to use it to wipe away soap scum from your shower doors. Dampen it before use and it will soften the scum as you wipe it off.
30. Clean The Shower As You Shower
Cleaning the shower is not fun. So why spend your extra time doing it then you can clean it while you’re inside? Use a dish washing brush and hold its handle to keep your hands clean. Then you can continue with your shower and at the same time flush out all the dirt and grime in the shower.
