Cleaning hacks are great to save time and money, but there’s more to them too. Most become popular not because they can replace another product but because they can do what other products can’t! And all with simple ingredients and techniques.
10 cleaning hacks you have to try
These cleaning hacks are as simple and straightforward as they can be. There are no complicated recipes, no obscure ingredients or hidden efforts.
Freshen up your garbage disposal
Even if you keep everything clean and in order, the garbage disposal can sometimes release bad odors and taint the air in your home.
The trick: cut a lemon into small slices and put them through the garbage disposal. This fruit is an antiseptic and will disinfect the tubes and the blades. Besides, it has a fresh aroma that helps disguise the bad ones.
Let your kitchen appliances clean themselves
Instead of scrubbing your blender or your pots and pans with water and dish soap, let them clean themselves. All you need is hot water and dish soap as ever.
The trick: for your pots and pans, fill them with a mixture of water and soap and warm them up. Let the water boil for some minutes and then all you need to do is rinse them. If any stubborn grease remains just repeat the trick for a bit longer. This method also works with slow cookers.
As for the blender, you just need to fill half of it with warm water and soap, turn it on and give it a quick rinse afterwards. Even the little crannies and nooks will be clean.
Squeegee for pet hair
Pet hair can get trapped everywhere. Even when it’s not visible to the naked eye, all you have to do is sit on your couch with black pants and you will soon find that your furry friend has been napping there.
The trick: just run a squeegee through your carpets and couches and watch in horror as the pet hairs start to come out.
Clean your blinds and shutter easily
When these are made from unremovable blades it can be tricky to clean them without hurting your hands in the process trying to squeeze them between each blade.
The trick: get your salad tongues and wrap them with microfiber cloths. Put it in between each blase and squeeze to apply pressure and clean them. You can even soak the cloths in warm water and soap for better results.
Cooking sheets as new
Cooking sheets can become stained with brownish patches of grease that won’t come out no matter what you do or how much you scrub them. But cleaning hacks exist for a reason: they find solutions where others failed.
The trick: fill 1/4 of a cup with baking soda and then add hydrogen peroxide until you get a concoction with a pasty texture. Apply the mixture to your cooking sheets using a brush or a sponge. Leave it on for about 2h and rub the paste away to find your cooking sheets looking as new under it.
Plus! This trick also works on faucets!
Pillowcases for fans
The trouble with cleaning fans is that you will be seeing dust flying everywhere as it takes a leave from the blades. And yet, a simple pillowcase can solve it all.
The trick: open the pillowcase and hang it on the blades. Use the top part to rub and clean the blade and watch as the dust gets trapped inside the pillowcase instead of flying around.
Clean the cutting board
Cutting boards tend to gather a rather unpleasant smell over time as well as some stains. If you have tried to scrub them out you know that, at some point, they seem to have become part of the cutting board. No amount of scrubbing looks enough to remove the odors and the stains.
The trick: sprinkle the cutting board with Kosher salt and use a lemon cut in half to scrub it. The lemon is an acid and has antibacterial properties which help to remove the bacteria creating the odor and to dilute the food residues.
Remove water rings from the furniture
Water rings can age furniture and make your home seem untidy and uncared for. Once they appear you may think it’s the end of it, but that’s what cleaning hacks are for.
The trick: just use a blow-dryer set to the hottest temperature over the water rings, as if you were drying them. Keep moving it around and don’t focus the air too long in the same area. The stain will slowly fade until it disappears or it becomes barely visible.
Oil stains on the floor
Oil stains are quite common in garages but that doesn’t make them any prettier or desirable. Removing them can be quite hard as the oil refuses to leave any porosity on the floor.
To finally get rid of them, you can use not one, but two cleaning hacks.
Trick #1: cover the stain with room-temperature coca-cola (the traditional kind) and let it sit overnight. Use paper towels to remove the excess and then just rinse off the remains.
Trick 2#: spread some dishwasher powder over the stain and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Use a stiff broom to scrub everything off before rinse it.
Crayons on walls
If your toddler was possessed by a creative spirit and decided to express his or her art using the walls has a canvas, take a deep breath. Spanking them won’t do any good and it won’t get it cleaned up.
The trick: use a blow dryer set to maximum heat to warm the walls and the crayon. Afterwards you just need to clean it with a soft cloth slightly moist and the melted crayon will come out right away.
Get to know other cleaning hacks
Cleaning hacks are great to save time and money. Even if some of them can look quite obvious, seeing them in action can give you a Eureka moment and lead you to discover your own personalized hacks.
Get to know other 12 cleaning hacks in the video below.
