By following these smart house cleaning hacks, every nook and cranny of your home will shine in no time. You won’t believe what everyday items can do!
1. Garbage can deodorizer
Borax, or sodium borate, is a naturally occurring substance and is an ingredient in many household cleaning products. If you have a smelly garbage can, deodorize it with equal parts borax and water. For our small garbage can, we used 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of borax. Let it soak and then rinse it out. Sprinkle some borax in the bottom once it’s dry, to keep bugs away and to absorb any future odor-causing moisture.
2. Dust bunny broom cleaner
Every time you sweep, clumps of dust and hair collect at the ends of the broom’s bristles. To solve this problem, hot glue a wide-tooth comb to the top of a dustpan. Just run the bristles through the comb to remove any excess gunk dangling from the broom.
3. Use dryer sheets to clean your floors
Don’t throw away used dryer sheets. There’s another use for them. Wrap a couple of dryer sheets onto the flat head of a sweeper. The dryer sheets pick up dust and hair just as well as name-brand sweeper refills. Say goodbye to those dust bunnies!
4. DIY mason jar dish scrubber
If you are all about ease and convenience when it comes to washing the dishes, check out this DIY mason jar dish scrubber. It even has a soap-dispensing handle. First, punch a few nail holes in the jar’s lid. Trace the lid onto a sponge and cut it out. Hot glue the sponge to the inner rim of the screw-on part of the lid. Fill the jar with soap, screw on the sponge and you’re set!
5. Clean hard-to-reach spots on oddly shaped containers
If you own a hummingbird feeder or tall flower vase, you know how difficult it is to clean inside them. A toothbrush is perfect for cleaning these hard-to-reach places. So, when your old toothbrush has retired from duty in your mouth, give it a new job!
6. For more than just the news
If streaky mirrors and glass tug on your nerves, we’ll show you how to get the streak-free glass with a couple of items already lying around your home. To get started, you’ll need a window cleaner and newspaper. Spray window cleaner on your dirty glass and then scrub in a circular motion, using the newspaper. Switch to a vertical, and then a horizontal stroke until all the liquid has dissipated and you’re left with shiny, streak-free windows!
Note: for vinyl windows, we’ve found that the newsprint leaves a mark on the white frame. Avoid rubbing the window frame with newspaper and stick to the glass.
7. Citrus peels and ice cubes for a stinky disposer
If your disposer has developed an odor, it may contain bits of rotted food. Here’s how to clean them out:
With the water running at about half throttle, drop in orange or lemon peels. Run the disposer for five seconds. Citric acid from the peels softens crusty waste and attacks smelly bacteria. Give the acid about 15 minutes to do its work.
Turn on the water and the disposer and drop in a few ice cubes. Flying shards of ice work like a sandblaster inside the disposer.
Run the water until the bowl is about half full. Then pull the stopper and turn on the disposer to flush it out.
8. Paint stick to clean lint buildup
Even if you empty your dryer’s lint trap before each load, chances are there is still lint buildup around the area that could potentially cause a fire. So it’s important to deep clean the area once in a while, and this handy hint will get the job done.
Wrap a clean rag around one end of a paint stir stick. Remove the lint trap and clean out the area with the rag-covered stick. To help the lint stick to the rag, dampen it with water first. Keep in mind these hidden home dangers you should never ignore, too.
9. The drill brush
Start by threading the machine screw through the brush head so the head of the screw rests in the brush head hole. On the other side of the brush head, slide on the washer and secure it in place with a nut. Make sure to tighten it well with a wrench. However, do not over-tighten, as this may cause the plastic brush head to crack. Next, attach the scrubber head to the drill.
To clean, fill a bowl or bucket with hot water and dish soap (or the cleaning agent of your choice). Dip the power scrubber into the mixture just enough to saturate the bristles and do not submerge the drill! Now simply point and press the drill to start and let the drill brush do the work.
10. Floor Swiffer for walls
Attach a dry cloth to the Swiffer’s rectangle end and swipe it along the wall to pick up dust, cobwebs and dirt, and more. Then press an edge of the rectangle end along the window and door trim to pick up dust that tends to collect quickly in those areas.
The extension handle on the Swiffer makes reaching these high surfaces simple and safe—so you don’t have to stand on a step stool or ladder. When you’re done dusting, just toss the disposable cloth in the garbage. Just be sure to avoid these things you should never clean with a Swiffer.
11. Coffee filters for dusting
When you need to clean a computer monitor or TV screen, reach into your kitchen cupboard for a coffee filter. Thin, cloth-like paper filters are great at picking up fine dust particles, and one filter goes a long way. You can also use coffee filters for dusting knickknacks and other home accessories, while you’re at it. Add a spritz of cleaning solution and the coffee filter will catch even more dust and disinfect surfaces, too.
12. Remove hard-water buildup with a lemon
To get rid of hard-water buildup on a faucet, try this natural solution: Cut a fresh lemon in half. Then press the lemon onto the end of the faucet. Put a small plastic bag around the lemon and secure it around the faucet with a rubber band. Be sure that the rubber band is cinched tightly and that the lemon is around the end of the faucet. Leave the lemon in place for a few hours to allow the citric acid to work its magic.
After you remove the lemon, you may need to use a gentle scrubbing pad to wash off any loosened hard-water buildup. Then wipe the faucet with a damp cloth to remove any leftover lemon juice, and your faucet will be squeaky clean—and you didn’t need to use harsh chemicals! Here are 6 homemade cleaners that really work.
13. Grocery bag shoe covers
It’s a good idea to stash a couple of plastic grocery bags in your pockets or in your toolbox before heading outside to work in your yard. That way you’ll have quick shoe covers on hand.
When you have messy work shoes, you will step into plastic grocery bags and tie the handle loops around your ankles to hold them on. This keeps you from dragging in the mud.
14. Clean more than just your teeth!
One of the handy little tools that I use for cleaning is an electric toothbrush. It’s great for removing stains and grime around the house! To clean up residue and splatters in the kitchen, you use just a bit of baking soda under the spinning toothbrush head to quickly clean the metal sink and plastic dish drying rack.
15. Clean upholstery with baking soda
Use this handy hint if there’s a funky smell lurking in your couch or upholstered chair: Sprinkle a generous amount of regular baking soda onto the fabric and let it sit for at least 20 minutes. The baking soda will help to release odors and break up some light stains in the fabric. After about 20 minutes, remove the baking soda—and the funky smell—with a handheld vacuum or a hose attachment for your large vacuum.
