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61 Interesting House Cleaning Tips

On average, we spend nearly 40 minutes a day cleaning our homes. And, with the exception of those who truly find dusting their baseboards and scrubbing their ovens akin to bliss, most people are likely eager to use that time for more enjoyable activities. Here is a compilation of some interesting and unique house cleaning tips that could make your life easier.

1. Use Homemade Hardwood Floor Cleaner For Sparkling Floors.

Source: oflifeandlisa.com, mycleaningsolutions.com

Take your hardwood floors from dull to “oh la la!” with this homemade hardwood floor cleaner. This eco-friendly cleaner is made with a few cups of vinegar, castile soap as well as a few other ingredients. Mix them all together and you will get these beautiful shining floors.

2. Use A Lint Roller To Clean Screen Doors.

Source: oflifeandlisa.com, handymanmagazine.co.nz

Use a lint roller to remove debris such as pet hair and cobwebs from your screen doors. Try attaching the lint roller to a pole if the screen door or window is tall or hard to reach.

3. Use A Vinegar Solution Or An Angry Mama To Clean Your Microwave (No Scrubbing Required).

Source: oflifeandlisa.com, practicallyfunctional.com

If you are looking for an easier, scrub-free way to clean your microwave then this is it. You can use a vinegar and water solution in a microwave safe bowl to steam clean your microwave or you can purchase an Angry Mama which will conveniently help steam away hardened food and other microwave junk in seconds.

4. Clean Your Bathroom Vents In Under 10 Seconds.

Source: oflifeandlisa.com, practicallyfunctional.com

Next time you’re in the bathroom take a look up at your bathroom vents. If they are filled with dirt and debris it’s time for some cleaning ASAP! Use warm soapy water to scrub the vent and a vacuum to suck away dirt inside the container.

5. Clean A Microfiber Couch The Easy Way.

Source: oflifeandlisa.com, diyjustcuz.com

Looking for ways to get rid of water and grease stains on your microfiber couch? Grab a spray bottle, some rubbing alcohol, and a hair dryer to make your couch oh so spotless. Scrub the spots until they are damp using baby wipes and voila! you have a nice clean couch to sit on.

6. Deep Clean Your Faucet Handles. 

Source: oflifeandlisa.com, www.whatsupfagans.com

Let your sink handles sparkle like brand new! Grab a screwdriver, soapy water, and some q-tips to clean all of the dirt and grime from underneath your sink knobs.

7.Clean Your Oven Glass Without Harsh Chemicals. 

Source: oflifeandlisa.com, polishedhabitat.com

Use wet and dry Magic Erasers to clean all the grease and grime from your oven glass.  Start scrubbing in small sections until the entire glass is clean. You will love the results!

8.  Here’s The Easiest Way To Clean Your Stove Burners.

Source: oflifeandlisa.com, onegoodthingbyjillee.com

Remove burnt on food and other messes from your store burners with this simple cleaning hack. Using a cup of ammonia and zip lock bags, allow the burners to soak overnight. In the morning you will have shiny, clean and like-new stove burners!

9. Clean Out Your Garbage Disposal Crud With A Toothbrush.

Source: oflifeandlisa.com

Funny smell coming from your garbage disposal? Try lifting up the splash guard of your disposer to expose all the leftover food crud and use a toothbrush to brush away the grime. Tip and photo courtesy of Family Handyman.

10.Clean Your Oven Range Hood Filter With A Degreaser.

Source: oflifeandlisa.com, familyhandyman.com

Use a water based degreaser from the auto parts store to clean your hood filter. This will save so much time versus placing the filter in a dishwasher or any other method.

11.Use Pine-Sol In The Bottom Of Your Toilet Brush Container. 

Source: oflifeandlisa.com, smartschoolhouse.com

Keep your bathroom and toilet brush smelling lemony fresh by using a few splashes of Pine-Sol in the bottom of the brush container. Not only will it help to deodorize your bathroom, it will also help as a convenient disinfecting cleaner for your toilet brush.

12.Clean Your Bathroom Walls With A Swifter Or Dust Mop.

Source: oflifeandlisa.com, lifeshouldcostless.com

Your bathroom walls can get pretty dirty after a while. Use a Swifter or dust mop along with your favorite cleaning solution to get those hard to reach places?

13.Clean Your Air Vents Using A Butter Knife And A Piece Of Cloth.

Source: oflifeandlisa.com, homesweethomebodies.net

I don’t think there is a better method around to clean your air vents! Using just a butter knife wrapped in cloth you can get in between those tiny spaces in your air vent and get rid of all of that nasty accrued dirt and dust.

14. Clean Your Glass Stovetop With 3 Ingredients. 

Source: oflifeandlisa.com, happymamatales.com

All you need is baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and Dawn dish soap to make your stovetop like new again. Layer on the mixture, add a little “elbow grease” and let it sit for 3 minutes before wiping it all clean. Amazing!

15. Prevent Future Spills On Your Glass Stovetop By Using Car Wax.

Source: oflifeandlisa.com, thekrazycouponlady.com

Use a little bit of car wax on your stovetop to prevent future spills and messes. Plus your stovetop will always look new and shiny!

16.Fill Your Washing Machine With Hot Water And Add A Quart Of Bleach.

Source: oflifeandlisa.com, onegoodthingbyjillee.com

When was the last time you actually deep cleaned your washing machine? Jillee shows you how with her amazingly simple 4 step method to cleaning hers.

First, she completes one full cycle using only bleach to clean and sanitize. Then she runs a second cycle with vinegar to help dissolve soap scum and grime. Next she uses scrubbing pads to clean around the washer’s drum.

17. The Way She Cleans This Baseboard Will Blow Your Mind.

Source: oflifeandlisa.com, thecountrychiccottage.net

Use q-tips to get in the small nooks and crannies of your baseboard.  After cleaning your baseboards, use a dryer sheet to repel future dirt and dust.

18.Use A Homemade Cleaner For Your Tub, Tile, And Grout. 

Source: oflifeandlisa.com, mycleaningsolutions.com

All you need is baking soda, peroxide and dish soap to make this budget-friendly tub, tile and grout cleaner. Your bathroom or kitchen will sparkle!

19. Clean And Polish Your Stainless Steel Sink Using Baking Soda And Cream Of Tartar. 

Source: oflifeandlisa.com, centsablemomma.com

Have unsightly stains in your sink? Use a paste of baking soda, cream of tartar and peroxide to get your sink stunningly clean.

20. Use Vinegar And Baking Soda To Clean Your Window Tracks.

Source: oflifeandlisa.com, theintentionalmom.com

Using baking soda, white vinegar and a toothbrush you can get rid of all that nasty build up of dirt and grime in your window tracks. You’ll be amazed by how clean your window tracks will be!

21. Clean Out Your Dishwasher With Bleach, Vinegar, And Baking Soda. 

Source: oflifeandlisa.com, onegoodthingbyjillee.com

In this 4 step cleaning process, you will use baking soda, bleach, and vinegar in a separate washing cycle to get your dishwasher smelling and looking like new.

22. Clean Out Your Toaster Using A Paintbrush.

Source: oflifeandlisa.com, onegoodthingbyjillee.com

Don’t forget the paintbrush when you are getting ready to clean out your toaster! Grab some dish soap, vinegar, and an old dirty toothbrush to get rid of all the food crumbs in and around your toaster.

23.Use A Flat Head Screwdriver And Disinfecting Wipe To Clean The Crevice Under Your Toilet’s Water Tank.

Source: oflifeandlisa.com, askannamoseley.com

Remove your entire toilet seat to get in and under all the crevices you miss when cleaning regularly. Use a flathead screwdriver and disinfecting wipes to really get those icky areas super clean.

24. After Cleaning Your Glass Shower Doors, Use Rain-X To Repel Future Water Scum, Stain, And Streaks. 

Source: oflifeandlisa.com, uncommondesign.com

Rain-X is not only for car windows! Use it on your glass shower doors to help repel future water scum, stains and streaks.

25. Clean Your Blinds By Using Kitchen Tongs Wrapped In Microfiber Cloth.

Source: oflifeandlisa.com, onecrazyhouse.com

Is your feather duster not doing it for you anymore? Use tongs wrapped in microfiber cloth to rid your blinds of dust and dirt.

26. Vacuum A Handful Of Downy Unstoppables To Get Rid Of Weird Smells Coming From Your Vacuum. 

Source: oflifeandlisa.com, thekrazycouponlady.com

If you have some weird smells coming from your vacuum, sucking up a handful of Downy Unstoppables should freshen it up really quickly. Also a cotton ball lightly soaked with your favorite fragrance placed inside the chamber could also get the same long lasting effect

27. Wash And Whiten Yellowed Pillows Using 4 Simple Ingredients. 

Source: oflifeandlisa.com, onegoodthingbyjillee.com

If your pillows are turning yellow, here’s what you need to do to get them bright, white and smelling fresh again: Wash your pillows with a few cups of Borax, bleach, powdered laundry, and dish detergent.

28. Clean Your Shower Head Overnight With White Vinegar. 

Source: oflifeandlisa.com, thenymelrosefamily.com

Fill a sandwich bag with white vinegar and place your shower head in the solution overnight. In the morning you should have a dirt and grime free shower head.

29. Easily Clean Your Grout With Clorox Cleaning Gel. 

Source: oflifeandlisa.com, lifeprekarious.com

Get your grout stunningly white and clean using Clorox Cleaning Gel. The gel sticks in place so it makes for a very easy to use cleaning product for your floors.

30. Use Dryer Sheets To Clean Chrome Faucets.

Source: oflifeandlisa.com, acultivatednest.com

Use dryer sheets to clean and make your chrome faucets shine like they are brand new. This trick also helps repel future water stains and grime.

31. Deep Clean Your Mattress Using Baking Soda, Peroxide, And Dish Soap.

Source: oflifeandlisa.com, housewifehowtos.com

If you have children who wet the bed or just a dirty mattress in general, you will want to sprinkle baking soda over your entire mattress, let it sit for few minutes before vacuuming to get rid of any smells. Next, you will want to use a mixture of peroxide, dish soap and salt to get rid of stains from blood, sweat and urine.

32. The microwave

Squeeze out some soap on to a wet sponge, then rub it on something to get a good amount of foam. Put the sponge into the microwave, switch it on at minimum power for 30 seconds. Open the door and wipe the microwave from inside. This way, cleaning the microwave is not only much easier, but it will also help to remove any foul smells and microbes stuck to the sponge.

33. Mattresses

Source: decorunits.com
Given enough time, all mattresses become dirty. To get them looking like they’re brand new once again, you merely need to sprinkle them with baking soda, leave it for a few hours and then vacuum it up. All traces of dirt and smells will disappear. This method also works with an old sofa.

34. Chopping boards

Source: decorunits.com
The combination of salt and lemons is a great tool for cleaning wooden chopping boards. Once you’ve covered the board in salt and wiped it down with a cut-open lemon, simply rinse it in some hot water.

35. The toaster

With the help of an old tooth brush, you can clean all the hard-to-get-at places in your toaster with ease.

36. Taps

If you wipe the surface of a tap with some wax paper, water stains won’t appear on it for a long time.

37. Irons

Source: decorunits.com
Spread some paper out on the ironing board and then sprinkle a little salt on it. Turn the heat setting on your iron up to the maximum, making sure that there is no water in it, and that the “steam” function is disabled. Pass the hot iron over the salt — this works wonders to get rid of dirt.

38. Silverware

A piece of chalk wrapped in gauze placed in the drawer or box with your silverware can help prevent the latter from losing its sheen or becoming permanently stained.

39. Clothes

It’s easy to get rid of grease stains on clothes using crumbled-up chalk. Simply rub the chalk into the stain, and in a few hours the chalk will fully absorb the grease. This method is most effective for fresh stains.

40. Venetian blinds

Venetian blinds can be very tricky and time-consuming to clean. Few people realise that you can actually use an old sock to clean the individual parts of the blinds with the minimal amount of effort.

41. Frying pans

Using salt is by far the best way to clean a cast-iron frying pan. Salt absorbs oil and helps to remove pieces of burnt food. After the salt has been left in the pan for a short amount of time, rinse it and rub it dry.

42. Carpets

Mix one part of vinegar and two parts water together in a bottle with a spray mechanism. Spray the mixture on any stains on the carpet and cover them with a wet cloth. Turn on the iron, set it to steam mode, and pass it over the cloth for 30 seconds. Goodbye stain!

43. Sinks

Source: decorunits.com

Clean the sink with soda and an old tooth brush, then put a few slices of lemon into the plug hole and rinse thoroughly with ordinary water.

44. Windows

Clean the windows in the usual way, but make sure to rub them dry with a newspaper. This method will help to remove all the stains and give a glow to the windows.

45. Foul smells

Source: decorunits.com
Put one teaspoon of vanilla extract in a bowl, then place it in the preheated oven. Your house will fill with a magical aroma and all foul smells will disappear.

46. Toilet siphons

You probably clean your toilet on a regular basis, but how often do you clean the toilet siphons? Trust me; it’s time. You’ll have to start by turning off the water to your toilet and flushing to empty out the remaining water in the bowl. Then cover all of your toilet siphons with duct tape and make sure it’s on tightly. Pour vinegar into the toilet tank and flush, which will cause the vinegar to get trapped in the siphons. Let this sit overnight and in the morning, remove the duct tape and turn the water back on.

47. Porcelain sink 

Different types of sinks require different types of cleaning. For porcelain sinks, start by sprinkling a fine layer of baking soda into the sink and scrubbing over it with a sponge. After you’ve worked in the soda, pour a little hydrogen peroxide onto the sponge and scrub more. Let it sit for about 20 minutes and then rinse everything down the drain.

Source: cooktopcove.com

48. Electric stove burners 

If you can remove your electric stove burners, then you can clean them with nothing more than dish soap and baking soda. Start by squirting a little dish soap onto a damp cloth and wipe down the burners. Make a paste of water and baking soda and gently rub it onto the burners. Let it sit for about 20 minutes before scrubbing and rinsing it off. When the burners are completely dry, you can put them back on the stove.

Source: cooktopcove.com

49. Glass cooktop

Since you can’t remove the burners from a glass cooktop, it requires a different method of cleaning, but the same ingredients. Submerge a rag into hot, soapy water and let it soak while you spread a thick layer of baking soda over the cooktop. Take out the soapy rag and squeeze out half the water before laying it over the baking soda. Leave it for 15 minutes and then use the rag to scrub over the baking soda. Finish by drying the cooktop with a clean, dry cloth.

Source: cooktopcove.com

50. Cloth couches 

With the exception of leather ones, most couches can be cleaned the same way. Start by brushing over the fabric with a stiff brush and then sprinkle on a layer of baking soda, which you’ll leave for at least 20 minutes before you vacuum over it with the brush attachment. Use your favorite brand of cleaner (or make your own) to scrub over any stains and then allow the couch to dry.

Source: cooktopcove.com

51. Brooms 

Brooms and dustpans can get really gross after a few uses, but most people just stick them back in the closet until they’re needed again. Doing this just spreads dirt and germs, though. Next time you finish sweeping, soak your broom for an hour in a bucket of warm water and dish soap. Let it air dry and then put it away. For your dustpan, spray it with disinfectant after each use.

Source: cooktopcove.com

52. Area rugs 

Most people probably have their area rugs professionally cleaned, but the cost of that can quickly add up. Next time you notice a stain or two on your rug, try this method: Lay out the rug on a flat, cement surface (like your driveway) and spray it down with a hose until it’s completely saturated. Pour a small amount on laundry detergent all over the rug, especially on any stains. Spray the hose over it again and then brush it out with a large bristle brush. Let it sit in the sun for a couple hours before using the hose again to remove all remaining detergent. Roll the rug tightly to squeeze out the rest of the water and then stand it up to dry.

Source: cooktopcove.com

53. Pillows 

While most people wash their pillowcases often enough, how many times have you washed your pillows? It’s pretty easy, so don’t hesitate to try it. Put two pillows into the washing machine and wash them on hot with an extra rinse cycle. Use your regular detergent along with 1 cup of bleach. When you dry the pillows, toss a couple clean tennis balls in with them to help re-fluff the pillows.

Source: cooktopcove.com

54. Vent covers 

Metal vent covers are incredibly easy to clean as long as you can remove them without trouble. First, wipe off the dust and cobwebs with a paper towel and then put the vent covers into your dishwasher. Run a short cycle of water only, remove the covers and immediately dry them with a towel. Finish up by reattaching the covers.

Source: cooktopcove.com

55. Use vacuum to clean Curtains and Upholstery

Source: popsugar.com, blog.vax.co.uk

Curtains and upholstery may appear clean to the naked eye, but often times trap dust mites and even bacteria. Use the vacuum to clean them frequently.

56. Cleaning your washing machine

Source: popsugar.com, myzne.com

If your clothes smell less than fresh even after washing them, it may be time to clean the washing machine. Molds can develop in the machine after multiple usage, clean this with a mix of white vinegar and baking soda through the hot cycle available.

57. Cleaning Kitchen Trash Can

Source: popsugar.com, trashthat.net

Leftover food debris and bacteria formed in the trash can cause for a lingering smell in your kitchen even after being disposed of. Hose the trash can, and spray with a disinfectant and air-freshening product.

58. Cleaning door frames

Source: realstate.usnews.com, roamnewroads.ca

Often when cleaning we forget to look up, which means all the light fixtures (and light bulbs), ceiling fans, skylights, and high-ceiling corners are the perfect locations for cobwebs, dust, and unfortunately, dead bugs. Grab a stepladder, some all-purpose cleaner, and a sponge and get to work. If your vacuum cleaner can reach up high, use a soft nozzle attachment; otherwise, think about investing in some extended-reach cleaning tools.

Make sure to give your light fixtures and skylights a final polish to make them shine. Your home will automatically seem brighter.

59. Wash your windows on a cloudy day

Source: roamnewroads.ca

The best days to wash your windows are on gloomy, overcast days. It is much harder to see the streaks when the sun is shining, and the sun also makes cleaning solution evaporate too quickly. When you’re cleaning your windows, start by washing off the dirt and then wet a squeegee and move it downwards from the top of the window. Using a squeegee is easy and makes for a more spotless clean. Dry your windowsills with a clean cloth and wipe down any blinds to finish the job.

60. Cleaning Baseboards

Source: realstate.usenew.com, snottape.com

Dust and dirt are collected throughout the day from furniture and people walking in the house. Clean baseboards by vacuuming, running a damp cloth along the surface or using household cleaning wipes.

61. Cleaning your ceiling fans

Source: realstate.usnews.com, onegoodthingbyjillee.com

During the days your ceiling fan is not running, thick layers of dust can be collected on the fan blades. The easiest way to remove the dust is by putting a pillowcase over the blades.

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