Spring cleaning is an annual tradition for many people – a time to declutter, organize, and freshen up your home after a long winter. While the task can be daunting, there are plenty of hacks and tips to make the process easier and more efficient. In this article, we'll share spring cleaning hacks to help you get your home in tip-top shape in no time.
Stop Dust On Your Electronics
Have you ever noticed how your television or computer seems to collect dust faster than anything else in your home? If you wipe the screens down with a fabric softener sheet, you can dampen static electricity build-up which will slow down the collection of dust on your electronics.
And they'll smell nice!
Lint Rollers Clean In A Pinch
Dusting and vacuuming can take a long time, but if you're in a rush to get your space clean, you can use a lint roller to catch all the extra dust and pet hair in your space in under sixty seconds.
When you're done, just rip off the old sheet and toss it!
No Windex? No Problem
You can use vinegar to clean windows: Mix equal parts white vinegar and water in a spray bottle and use it to clean your windows.
This mixture is an effective and inexpensive way to get your windows sparkling clean.
Grout-Cleaning Paste
You can use baking soda to clean grout! Mix baking soda with water to form a paste and apply it to your grout. Let it sit for a few minutes, then scrub with a brush and rinse with water.
This will help remove dirt and stains from the grout.
Refresh Your Shower Head
Clean your showerhead with vinegar! Fill a plastic bag with white vinegar and secure it over your showerhead with a rubber band. Let it sit for a few hours or overnight, then remove the bag and run the shower to rinse away any remaining vinegar.
This will help remove mineral buildup and improve water flow.
Pet Hair On Your Carpet
Use a squeegee to clean pet hair from carpet! Run a squeegee over your carpet to remove pet hair. This works particularly well on low-pile carpets and rugs.
The rubber blade of the squeegee will help lift the hair, making it easier to vacuum up.
When Life Gives You Lemons
You can use a lemon to clean your microwave! Cut a lemon in half and place it in a bowl of water. Microwave on high for a few minutes, then wipe down the interior of the microwave with a cloth.
Lemons contain citric acid, which is antibacterial and antiseptic, so it's a great natural cleaning agent.
Dishwasher Safe
If you have a dishwasher, it's not just for dishes! You can also use it to clean small items like toys, brushes, and even baseball caps, as long as they fit on the rack and can withstand the temperature.
This is a really handy way to clean all of your makeup brushes at once!
Coffee Grounds In The Garbage
Using a garbage disposal is great, and super handy – until it starts to smell! You can use coffee grounds to deodorize it when this happens.
Pour used coffee grounds down your garbage disposal and run the water to help deodorize it, while enjoying a nice cup of coffee at the same time.
Stainless Smudgeless Steel
Cleaning stainless steel appliances can be annoying – especially when you get smudges or streaks on them while you're trying to wipe away fingerprints.
A microfiber cloth is gentle on stainless steel surfaces and will leave them streak-free, so next time you need to wipe one down, grab one and wipe without worry!
Get Your Blinds Knife And Clean
If you have shuttered blinds, trying to dust and clean between them can be a huge hassle, even with a duster. You can use a common kitchen utensil to make the job way easier!
Wrap a microfiber cloth around a butter knife and run it between the slats of your blinds to remove dust and debris.
Toilet Stains Be Gone
Sometimes there are stubborn stains in the toilet bowl that you just can't get clean with a brush, but there might be another tool in your bathroom that can help you.
Wet a pumice stone and gently rub it over toilet stains to help remove them. Voila! The bowl will look good as new.
Clean Your Lamp Shades In 60 Seconds
You can use a lint roller to clean lampshades! Roll a lint roller over your lampshades to remove dust and debris – without even having to take them off the lamp!
This is a quick and easy way to clean lampshades without having to take them down and wash them.
Good As New Baking Sheets
If you've used your baking sheets for a long time, you've probably got a lot of built-up layers of baked-on grease, butter, and various other messes on the pan that's almost impossible to clean off.
You can spray your baking sheets with oven cleaner and then let them sit in the oven (to contain the fumes) so that when you remove them a half hour later, you
Brush Away Scuff Marks
Sometimes, scuff marks in your home can be pretty stubborn, but there's an easy way to tackle them using something you already have in your bathroom!
Apply toothpaste to scuff marks on your walls or floors, then gently scrub with a sponge and rinse with water. The scuffs will be long gone!
Keep Those Gutters Clean
Keeping leaves and other gunk out of your gutters can be tough, and cleaning them is never a good time, but there's a handy trick to keep your gutters flowing cleany.
Cut a pool noodle lengthwise and attach it to the edge of your gutter to help prevent debris from getting stuck.
Steam Clean Your Microwave
Scrubbing your microwave can be a grueling task, especially with caked-on and baked-on messes.
Place a bowl of water and lemon slices in your microwave and heat on high for a few minutes! The steam will help loosen grime and make it easier to wipe clean.
Dust Off Your Houseplants
Our houseplants can get dusty just like everything else in your house, but there's a simple way to keep them clean while you're doing a more common task – vacuuming!
Use the brush attachment on your vacuum cleaner to gently remove dust and debris from your houseplants as you vacuum the rest of your house.
These Boots Were Made For Standing
It's always frustrating when you open your closet to get out a pair of boots and find that they've flopped over and gotten wrinkled in storage – plus, they don't look nice flopped over on display!
You can cut a pool noodle to size and place it in your boots to help them maintain their shape and prevent them from flopping over.
Dust In Hard To Reach Places
It can be hard to clean out our vents, especially if the covers are screwed into place or hard to remove.
You can use a can of compressed air to blow dust and debris out of your heating and cooling vents without having to unscrew or remove anything at all!
Scum Be Gone
Soap scum can be extremely tough to get off of your shower or tub tiles, but there's a sneaky hack to make it a little easier, using just a dryer sheet from your hamper.
Wet a dryer sheet and use it to scrub soap scum from your shower walls and doors! The texture of the dryer sheet helps remove the scum.
Hashtag No Filter
Have you ever found yourself struggling to remove fingerprints or other smudges from your computer screens or other electronic monitors?
Use a dry coffee filter to wipe down computer screens and other electronic devices to help remove fingerprints and smudges! They're lint-free and super gentle, so they're the perfect material to wipe away print.
Keep Your Shoes Safe
Keeping your shoes clean can be tough, especially when you don't want to throw them in the laundry in case they get damaged or damage your clothes.
But you can place your shoes in a pillow case before you put them in the washing machine to help protect them during the wash cycle!
Feeling Rusty
Do you have a lot of rust built up on surfaces that you don't know how to get rid of? There's something in your pantry that can help!
Cut a potato in half, dip it in baking soda or salt, and rub it over rusty metal surfaces to help remove the rust.
Blow Dry Stains Away
Water stains on wood can be super annoying to get rid of, but it turns out you can erase them the same way you get water out of your hair!
You can use a hair dryer to get rid of the water stains. Use the highest setting over water stains on wood surfaces to help remove the stain.
Oven Cleaning Paste
You can clean out the inside of your oven with a paste made from just items you probably already have in your kitchen.
Make a paste using vinegar and baking soda and spread it over the inside of your oven. Let it sit for a few hours, then wipe away the grime with a damp cloth.
Cleaning Power Of Citrus
Grab a lemon and some baking soda if you're looking for an easy and natural way to clean your bathtub! Sprinkle the baking soda over your bathtub and then squeeze lemon juice over it.
Let it sit for a few minutes, then scrub it with a sponge and rinse it away.
Wash The Washer
If you need to clean your dishwasher but don't want to use the pods, you can just mix equal parts vinegar and baking soda, and pour it into the bottom of your dishwasher.
Run a cycle on hot, and your dishwasher will come out clean and fresh.
Damp Dusting
A neat trick is to dust with a wet cloth! The dampness helps to capture and remove dust and dirt more effectively, without allowing it to scatter into the air.
Damp dusting can be particularly useful for people with allergies or respiratory issues, as it can reduce the amount of dust and allergens in the air.
Freshen Up Your Mattress
If you've got an old mattress, it might get a little musty. New ones are expensive, but there's a cheap way to freshen up your bed!
Sprinkle baking soda over your mattress, let it sit for a few hours, then vacuum it up to help remove dust and odors. Good as new!
