Whether you’re in the mood or not, cleaning the house has to happen.
Sooner or later that dirty floor or cluttered bedroom has to get, cleaned, straightened up, and organized.
And while it’s not really fun (at all), there are some awesome cleaning hacks that’ll help you get the job done better and faster. Also, creating a more healthy alternative to toxic house cleaners is pretty helpful if you’re wanting to save more money and keep the toxins out of your home!
So down below I found some awesome home cleaning hacks. These tips and methods are great for making cleaning just a bit easier and helping you to maintain a clean home.
Scroll down to check out these home cleaning tips and see how much easier keeping your house or apartment clean can be!
1. Use This Bleach Alternative
Now if you want a more clean and healthy version of bleach, then definitely try this more natural version of this essential product.
With hydrogen peroxide, lemon juice, and baking soda, you can create a bleach that’ll help you save money and keep toxic chemicals out of your home.
GET TUTORIAL HERE2. Clean Your Shower Head With Vinegar
With just a plastic bag, rubber band, and vinegar, you can clean that dirty shower head. It’s not really a cleaning task a lot of people think about, but it has to be done!
GET TUTORIAL HERE3. A Citrus Spray for Shining Countertops
Want to make your countertops (and tables) shine? Then just save up some of your lemon and orange peels to make this citrus spray.
It’s a great way to keep things looking fresh and smelling fresh!
GET TUTORIAL HERE4. Clean Wood Cutting Boards With Lemon and Salt
With salt and half a lemon, you can clean things like a wood cutting board effectively. It’s a great way to scrape out anything that’s been stuck and kill off bacteria.
GET TUTORIAL HERE5. Use Grapefruit or Lemon to Clean Faucets
A great way to make the metal (showerhead, knobs, faucet, etc.) in your shower sparkle and smell amazing is to clean with half a grapefruit or lemon. Now that’s definitely a great money saver and keeps things toxin-free!
6. Rosemary Garbage Disposal Cleaners
Another one of PopSugar’s awesome homemade cleaner recipes! I really like this idea for a homemade garbage disposal cleaner. It’s a great way to make things smell fresh and kill the bacteria in your garbage disposal.
GET TUTORIAL HERE7. Clean Your Dishwasher With Kool-Aid
Found from DIY Joy: See Source Below
If Kool-Aid can be used as a cleaner, then I’m not sure how great it is that our kids are drinking it. 😬
But with that aside, it’s one of those super cheap and easy house cleaning hacks for getting your dishwasher clean again. Sometimes those things can get pretty gross and need a total refresh.
GET TUTORIAL HERE8. Use Wet Sponges to Clean Microwave
Put a clean wet sponge in your microwave for a minute (or more if needed). This will allow the moisture to evaporate and soften any stuck on bits of food on the side of your microwave and make it easier for cleaning.
Or just simply get one of these Steam Mama Microwave Cleaners to get the job done!
9. Turn AC Fan on Before Dusting
If you turn your AC fan on before dusting, any floating dust particles that get knocked up into the air will be sucked into the filter and leave you with much cleaner air to breath.
GET TUTORIAL HERE10. Grapefruit and Salt for Soap Scum
If you have a lot of gross soap scum build-up, a great way to get rid of it is with a grapefruit half and salt. The citric acid and the rough salt will get it up right away!
Update: The original page is no longer there.
11. Attach a Microfiber Cloth Around a Broom
If you want an easy way to dust high and hard to get places, attach a microfiber cloth to a broom with a rubber band. No need to strain yourself.
Now that’s probably one of the most useful DIY cleaning hacks.
GET TUTORIAL HERE
12. DIY Lavender Laundry Sponges
An awesome way to have your clothes come out smelling and feeling fresh every time is to try this tutorial for creating reusable lavender laundry sponges. Definitely a great way to make your laundry smell super good!
GET TUTORIAL HERE13. Wear a Rubber Glove to Remove Pet Hair
If you have pets at home, then you know how frustrating pet hair can be. But thankfully just using a damp rubber glove will help you easily gather up animal hair. Pretty simple right?
14. Scented Cleaning Vinegar
If you’re looking for a more natural product to clean your home with, then try this tutorial which will show you how to make a nicely scented cleaning vinegar. Definitely worth your time!
GET TUTORIAL HERE15. Dust Your Light Bulbs for More Light
When dusting, make sure to get the light bulbs! A lot of the time, people don’t clean them and end up having a more dimly lit room because of it.
GET TUTORIAL HERE16. Sanitize Your Sponge
You clean with your sponge almost everywhere in the kitchen, so it only makes sense that it would accumulate a lot of bacteria. So to make it clean again, just put your sponge into the wash with your clothes. It’s as simple as that!
17. A Cleaning Mixture for Burnt Residue
If you’re looking for some really good cleaning hacks for your home, then this is one you shouldn’t forget.
A hydrogen peroxide and baking soda mixture (with or without soap) is a great way to get burnt residue off a lot of things. You can use it on your baking pan like in the picture above. But you can also use it to get rid of the burnt residue on your stove top or even the stains on your kitchen counters. Seriously, this stuff is amazing!
GET TUTORIAL HERE18. Use Liquid Shower Gel Instead of Soap
Using regular soap can cause your shower to have a buildup of soap scrum, so to easily fix this problem, just use liquid shower gel instead.
It already acts as a type of detergent which means it’s not just cleaning you, it’s also helping to clean your shower too!
19. Use Coke to Eliminate Bathroom Odors
Put Coke in your toilet to eliminate the bad odors in your bathroom. I would show you guys the actual photo of the coke in the toilet but it honestly doesn’t look so nice 🤷♀️.
GET TUTORIAL HERE20. Use an Iron for Stubborn Carpet Stains
Have a really stubborn carpet stain that just won’t come up? Then take an iron and a damp cloth to steam the stain out of the carpet. Definitely one of the best cleaning tips and tricks on this list.
GET TUTORIAL HERE21. Squeegee and Water for Pet Hair
So this idea isn’t a home cleaning tip, but I still think it’s pretty important.
If you have pets (as many of us do), then an easy way to clean up their hairy mess is to use a squeegee and a spray bottle full of water. Pretty simple right?
Take a look at more cleaning tips and hacks from Buzzfeed here!
22. Rotating Toy Baskets
So I thought this one was super smart for those of you who have kids.
Rotate 2-4 toy storage baskets monthly so your kids have something “new” to play with. This keeps the mess and cleanup to a minimum. Super smart right?
GET TUTORIAL HERE23. Baking Soda for Discoloration and Odors
Couches can get odors after awhile, and if you have a light colored couch, chances are it’s not as light as it used to be.
So if you have a light colored couch that also smells, or you just have one or the other, then use baking soda to get rid of the discoloration/stains and bad odors.
GET TUTORIAL HERE24. Use a Seam Ripper To Clean Your Vacuum
If you wanna make sure your vacuum is picking up everything it can, then try getting all of that hair and string off the roller with a seam ripper so there’s nothing hindering the process
Update: Original page where image was found is no longer there.
25. Clean Your Stove With Ammonia
If your oven has hard to clean baked on grease and food, then just leave a pot of ammonia in the oven overnight. But make sure to follow the tutorial so you know that you’re doing it correctly!
GET TUTORIAL HERE26. All-Purpose Cleaner
This DIY all-purpose cleaner is an easy and great way to make sure that almost every surface in your home gets sparkling clean. All it takes is just 30 seconds and four ingredients. Pretty simple right?
GET TUTORIAL HERE27. Clean Window Blinds With a Microfiber Cloth and Tongs
If you have a lot of blinds in your home and you can tell that they’re gathering a thick layer of dust, then try out this cleaning hack! It only requires three things: rubber bands, microfiber clothes, and kitchen tongs. Such a simple cleaning hack!
Or another option is to just use this dedicated blinds cleaner. Pretty simple!
GET TUTORIAL HERE
28. Make Your Own Chemical-Free Cleaning Wipes
Now if you want easy to grab wipes for the home (or on the go), then this is a simple DIY tutorial to try. It really is a great way to make sure your surfaces are easily staying disinfected!
GET TUTORIAL HERE29. Use a Magic Eraser for Your Windowsills
Windowsills are prone to getting dark with dirt and dust, but a magic eraser is a great way to get rid of it all in seconds! They’re also handy if you have cats who leave their dirty paw prints on your windowsills after perching there on a daily basis.
GET TUTORIAL HERE30. Deep Clean Brushes for Sinks
To easily get rid of dirt and grime that builds up over time on your tiles and other hard to get crevices, use this deep cleaning brush. It’s designed with durable scrubbing bristles that’ll make sure every nook and cranny is clean.
31. Use a Flexible Microfiber Mop
This microfiber flexible mop bends on both sides and cleans corners, baseboards, and floors in one easy movement. You’ll save so much time cleaning which makes this great for when you just can’t be bothered!
Update: Original product is no longer there, but you can get the same mop here!
32. Power Tool Scrubber for Those Hard to Clean Spots
Whether you want to clean your bathroom or kitchen, this power tool scrubber can help you out a lot. Just attach the scrub brush to the drill and you’re ready to go.
It’s super handy, cordless, and rechargeable. It’s also waterproof so you don’t have to worry about water getting in and around it.
Update: Product is not available at this time.
33. Use a Temperature Regulated Sponge
This sponge gets soft in warm water for gentle cleaning and stiffens in cold water, perfect for coarse scrubbing. You won’t need different sponges for various uses, this one has got you covered!
Update: Product in image no longer exists, but you can get the exact same sponge with a different design here.
34. Brush for Cleaning Out Your Window and Door Tracks
Designed to fit into window gaps and sliding door tracks, this tool will make cleaning a whole lot easier and faster. And besides having a brush that sweeps away dirt, it also has a scraper that dislodges debris trapped in corners.
35. Long Bottle Brush Cleaner
Nothing is worse than cleaning narrow vases and container necks; there’s no room for your hand to get in! But with this long bottle brush cleaner, you can easily clean them out in no time.
It’s flexible, can fit in any bottle or vase size, and in the most oddly shaped glasses too!
36. Extendable and Bendable Microfiber Duster
Here’s a flexible cleaner that can extend up to five feet long which makes it perfect for cleaning your lighting fixtures, ceiling, and air vents. Its microfiber head is also washable so you can clean and reuse it anytime.
Update: The original product is no longer available.
37. Outside Window Cleaner
If you’re living in a second-story (or more) house or building, you’ll find this cleaner super helper. Brush, scrub, and clean the outside without having to risk your safety.
Update: The product is no longer listed on Amazon.
Grace Moser is the author and founder of Chasing Foxes, where she writes articles to help women create a life they love in big and small ways. She's been a full-time traveler since 2016 and loves sharing her experiences and exploring the world with her husband, Silas. Her lifestyle and travel advice can also be seen on sites such as Business Insider, Glamour, Newsweek, Huffpost, & Apartment Therapy.
Weird… But cool. Clean is my middle name so this is awesome for me. Not to sure about cleaning my dishwasher with koolaid or cleaning my faucet with a grapefruit. But other than that this is cool, amazing… And btw I love your fingernails in ” clean your faucet with a grapefruit”.