10 Cleaning Hacks Every Person On Earth Needs To Know

Cleaning is the number one thing we absolutely loathe doing. The time we spend cleaning could be spent doing things we actually enjoy, like eating, sleeping, or binge-watching all nine seasons of The Office. But there comes a point when you have to face your personal demons. So in an effort to make the chore a little less horrible, we present you with 10 cleaning hacks you should definitely know.

The first hack we can kick off with is that you don’t necessarily have to stock up on a boatload of cleaning tools and products to get the job done.

The below hack list includes several cleaning tips that actually use products you most likely have in your pantry. Baking soda, vinegar, salt, and lemon are all great alternatives to chemical cleaners and bleach. Taking a more organic approach to cleaning might make the task at hand more enjoyable.

Obviously, keeping a clean household has many benefits.

You can think more clearly, you’re more inclined to invite people into your space, and you’re less likely to get sick from eating that pizza that’s been sitting on your counter since last weekend. So, do yourself a solid and get your rubber gloves on. Let’s tackle that mess.

1. Vinegar can hack through hard water stains.

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Leave a paper towel soaked with vinegar on your shower head, faucet, drain plug, etc. overnight.

In the morning, come back and lightly buff the hard water stains away. Hard water stains? More like easy water stains! We’ll leave now…

2. Rubbing alcohol can bring your microfiber couch back to life.

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Stained and dingy microfiber couches and love seats can really bring your home decor down a few pegs. Brighten them up with rubbing alcohol matched with a scrubby sponge or a fine bristle brush. Plus, this hack will make your furniture soft again, too.

3. Potatoes can clean rust off a cast iron skillet.

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Cast iron skillets are amazing cooking tools but man, are they a pain to keep clean.

If you’ve let your pan sit around for too long and rust has started to form, use a raw potato cut in half, salt, and vegetable oil to scrub the pan back to glory.

4. Wash your glass light fixtures in the dishwasher.

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If you just looked up at your fancy glass light fixture and saw dust, spiderwebs, and god knows what on it, there’s a really easy fix to get your fixture squeaky clean. Remove the glass shade/dome from the fixture and run it through your dishwasher — easy peasy.

5. Cutting boards can be cleaned with lemon and Kosher salt.

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Cut a lemon in half and sprinkle salt on the surface of your wooden cutting board.

Scrub the salt into the surface with the lemon half and rinse clean. This is a great way to clean without chemicals, but if you’ve used the cutting board for raw meat, we suggest running it through the dishwasher, or use soap and hot water, to keep bacteria at bay.

6. Nail polish remover can clean up your not-so-white shoes.

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You took your brand new white sneakers out on a rainy day and poof — they’re now several shades of brown.

Luckily, nail polish remover can get rid of dirt, scuffs, and general messiness off rubber shoes. You’ll have a new-looking pair of kicks in no time.

7. Paint rollers can be used to clean textured ceilings or walls.

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Many apartments and homes have textured “popcorn” ceilings, which you may have noticed are very tricky to clean. By using a damp fluffy paint roller, you can quickly remove cobwebs and dust from those little crevices like a pro.

8. Whip up a supply of homemade “toilet cleaning bombs.”

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Jessica from the Mom 4 Real blog has crafted a recipe for 3-ingredient homemade toilet cleaning bombs.

All you need is baking soda, citric acid, and dish liquid (plus an ice cube tray to form the tablets). Toss a bomb into your toilet, let it fizzle, and watch the cleaning action work its magic.

9. Actually, baking soda will be your new best friend.

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You can also combine baking soda with coconut oil to create a gunk and grime remover to tackle the buildup on cabinets, appliances, and pretty much any surface with ~something~ on it.

10. And you can even use it to clean your dishwasher.

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Have you noticed any funky odors coming from the inside of your dishwasher?

How in the heck are you supposed to clean an appliance that is meant for cleaning? Baking soda, obviously! Sprinkle baking soda at the bottom of your dishwasher and let it sit there overnight. Then, run your dishwasher on its hottest setting to remove grossness and smelliness.

Breathe in a gulp of fresh, clean air and marvel at your work. As much as we hate the physical act of cleaning, the rewards are pretty sweet.