50 House Cleaning Hacks That Will Make You Better And Faster At Cleaning

But as you sit down and get ready for total relaxation, you realize something: you need to do the washing! You silently curse as you put your wine down. Then you think, “No, I deserve this. I’ll do the washing tomorrow.” before remembering that that’s what you said yesterday. Plus, you don’t have any clean undies for tomorrow… So, you put the wine in the fridge, and reluctantly head upstairs, thinking that there has to be a smarter way to clean your home…

Good news because there is! And a lot of them to be honest. And to make this guide of easy cleaning hacks totally foolproof, we’ve arranged these life hacks according to each room. Stick around and we’ll guide you through our ultimate guide to the best cleaning hacks out there! Yup, that’s right, we’ve collected each and every cleaning tip or hack to make sure that nothing keeps you from that deserved glass of wine!

We’ll be looking at each room in-depth, going through the basic tips and even concentrating on some deep cleaning hacks. But before we get to the grimy stuff, let’s have a look at some general house cleaning tips and hacks which will ensure your house is always a home! 

General House Cleaning Tips and Hacks

1. Make A Cleaning Strategy Outline Before You Start

This is a tip I always start with, regardless of the task that is being handled. By sitting down and writing a strategy, you mentally prepare yourself for the task that lays ahead. It also primes your mind to already start thinking about the challenges and pitfalls that such a task would hold. Lastly, it gives your mind a roadmap to follow while completing your tasks, make it less likely to give up.

2. Make A List Of All The Cleaning Materials That You’ll Need

There’s nothing worse than sitting down and starting a cleaning task and then realizing that you don’t have the cleaning materials necessary to finish the job. If you try using the wrong tools for a job, you’re just going to frustrate yourself and it might cause you to abandon hope and the task at hand. To quote Simba’s uncle Scar: Be prepared!

3. Make A Low-Intensity Schedule To Ensure You Keep On Top Of Things

A simple schedule can alleviate most of your cleaning woes. By spending 5 minutes on a small cleaning task each day, you can ensure that the total amount of deep cleaning that you actually need to do is almost non-existent. Plus, the human brain like being rewarded with small victories, so you’ll feel that your day was a productive one!

Best Bathroom Cleaning Tips 

The average human spends a staggering 92 days of his or her life in the bathroom! Sheesh, that’s a lot of time down the, uhm, toilet… However, polls show that when it comes to regular cleaning, the bathroom lags way behind. Most of the correspondents indicate that they just feel out of their depths when it comes to cleaning the water closet. Well, no need to fret anymore, we’re gonna show you easier ways to clean your house, starting with the dreaded lavatory!

1. Taps and fixtures

As time passes you’ll notice some build-up in and around your taps. Depending on the humidity of the air or acidity of your tap water. This could be anything from limescale to mold - either way, it needs cleaning. Washing them with equal parts vinegar and water will do the trick and have them sparkling in no-time. 

2. Maintaining a healthy toilet brush

One of the most asked about cleaning tips in the bathroom is dealing with that old toilet brush. The first thing you want to do is ensure that the toilet brush is dry after use. You can do this by putting it on the toilet bowl rim and closing the lid and seat on top of it. This will squeeze out any residual water.

To ensure your brush stays clean, pour some household cleaner in the toilet brush holder. This will also ensure that you’re never greeted with a nasty odor when removing the toilet brush. Bare in mind that you should replace your toilet brush at least as regularly as you replace your toothbrush.

3. You don’t have to lose your (shower) head

Dealing with a clogged showerhead is one of those cleaning hacks that’s so easy it almost blows one’s mind. No need to try and pick the holes clean with toothpicks - all you need to do is soak it in some vinegar.

Take a small plastic bag, fill it halfway with vinegar, then fasten it around the showerhead with some elastic bands and simply wait! Twenty minutes ought to do the trick. Yup, it’s as easy as that!

➜ RELATED: Cleaning Vinegar: Using Vinegar to Clean Your Home

4. Mirror-mirror on the wall, who’s the cleanest mirror of them all?

The same water and vinegar solution that you used on your taps will come in handy to ensure your mirrors are as clean and sparkly as possible. Simply spray it on and wipe with a clean cloth.

5. Keep The Mirrors Fogging Up

A nice and easy cleaning hack to ensure you don’t struggle with mirrors fogging up is to apply some shaving cream to the surface and give it a good old rub. As an added bonus this cleaning tip eliminates any chance of ghosts leaving you eerie messages…

6. Shower Doors

There are of course a legion of cleaning products designed especially for dealing with shower doors or screens, but if you want a natural solution, look no further than your morning cup of tea. Yup, simply dip a cloth in some black and unsweetened tea, rub the affected area, allow ten minutes to sit and wipe away! Then sit down and have some more tea, you deserve it!

7. Clean that Toilet Bowl

If you are also looking for a natural alternative to keeping a clean toilet bowl, we’ve got you covered! Al you need is some bicarbonate of soda and vinegar. Mix equal parts, pour into the toilet, give it a good scrub with the toilet brush and leave it for 15 minutes!

8. A Toilet’s Nooks and Crannies

To get in between all those difficult to reach areas, simply take a screwdriver, wrap it with a sturdy disinfecting wipe and start cleaning away! If you don’t like the thought of one use wipes clogging up our waterways, simply replace it with a sturdy microfiber cloth of a distinct color, to ensure you don't use the toilet cloth for anything else…

9. Dealing With Sink Stains

The easiest cleaning hack for dealing with unsightly stains in and around your sink is good old “Barkeeper’s Friend”. If this product is not on sale in your neck of the woods, simply google a similar cleaning product and go for that!

10. Rub-a-dub-scrubbing-the-tub

A great and natural cleaning hack for dealing with your bathtub is to halve a grapefruit, rub the exposed side with salt and simply scrub away. An added bonus is that this will leave your bathroom smelling wonderfully fresh!

11. Clean the extractor fan

For some reason, the extractor fan in the bathroom is always neglected when it comes to that cleaning session. All you really need to do is get the vacuum and suck up all the dust that has collected on the blinds. It will take you a minute and ensure your bathroom stays cleaner for longer.

12. Keep your towels fresh

One of the main culprits when it comes to dirtying a bathroom is a damp or filthy towel. Ensure your towels are always clean and never leave them in the bathroom to dry, as this will create unnecessary humidity, leading to all types of problems.

➜ Related Article: How to Clean Your Bathroom in 30 Minutes or Less

If you can't stand the filth, get out of the kitchen!

One would be tempted to think that the most germ-filled room in a house is the bathroom, but one would be wrong. That particular honor goes to the kitchen. It is therefore of utmost importance to ensure that one keeps a clean kitchen, considering that it’s the place one prepares one’s meals. These kitchen cleaning hacks will ensure that salmonella is something that happens to other people…

1. Managing the biggest culprit, the sponge

It’s of no help having access to the best cleaning hacks available on the whole worldwide web when the very thing you are using to clean with is riddled with germs. That’s right, we’re looking at you mister sponge! Sponges are a haven for bacteria, so before you start cleaning, you might want to clean the cleaning implement!

All you need to do is microwave the sponge for a couple of minutes together with a glass of water. Then, give it a good rinse or pop it in the dishwasher and it’ll be good as new!

2. Making your own grime busting cleaner

A lot of kitchen cleaning involves getting rid of grease and grime. The good news is we’ll give you a secret recipe to craft your own grime busting cleaner! All you need is some dish soap, a tablespoon of baking soda and some hydrogen peroxide. Mix these three together on any grimy surface and let it soak for a couple of minutes, nothing will be able to resist it!

➜ RELATED: Baking Soda for Cleaning - The Accessible and Effective Household Cleaner

3. Getting between the countertops

The spaces in between and under countertops are usually where the most stubborn grease and dirt get stuck. All you need to do is to rub these areas with your grime busting mixture, let it soak and then get in between those spaces with a screwdriver around which you’ve wrapped a cleaning cloth. Hasta la vista, baby!

4. It’s cool to have a clean fridge…

Regular cleaning of your fridge should go without saying. However, even the most rigorous of scrubbing can't always eliminate those unpleasant smells. To deal with these, simply put some raw potato peels on one of your shelves or a lemon that has been halved.

5. Cleaning that old pan or pot

Dealing with an old greasy pan or pot used to be tricky, well not anymore! All you need to do is put a little bit of water in the pan or pot, basically just covering its bottom. Add 1 - 3 tablespoons of vinegar, depending on the pot or pan’s size. Now put it on the stove on medium heat and bring it to a boil. Take the mixture off and gradually add some baking powder, ensuring the mixture doesn’t foam over. Let it soak for a moment, before pouring the mixture out and beginning to scrub. The grease will simply disappear!

6. Dealing with a foggy glass

Dealing with a foggy glass is as clear as, well glass, with this easy cleaning hack. Just place the foggy glass in an equal mixture of water and vinegar. Let it soak for a moment and then use a clean cloth or sponge to wipe away the spots that remain. As we said, as clear as glass.

7. Extractor fan vents

Once again, the extractor fan of a stove hub is almost always overlooked. This is a problem because these babies suck up loads of dirt and grease. To deal with them, just remove the vents, place them in a large pot and boil them. Gradually add some baking soda, making sure you don't cause the mixture to fizz over. Continue boiling them in this mixture and watch the grease simply peel away.

8. Microwaving the microwave

A microwave is a handy tool when it comes to nuking bacteria as we saw in the cleaning tip dealing with sponges. But what to do when you need to clean your microwave? Simple, just take a microwave-safe bowl, fill it with four cups of water, add the quarters of three lemons to the mixture and nuke it until it starts to boil.

You’ll notice that the steam starts to self clean the insides of the microwave. When all the dirt and grime has been dissolved, simply stop the microwave, and wipe it down with a damp clean cloth.

9. Cleaning that burned pot

When life gives you lemons, you take those lemons, chop them up and place them in that burned pot that life also handed you recently. Boil it with some water until you see the burned matter coming to the surface of the mixture. Let it cool, chuck everything out and rinse. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy…

10. Ensuring a clean cutting board

Another big culprit when it comes to bacteria in the kitchen is the very surface you prepare food on. Try to clean your cutting board weekly by scrubbing it down with some lemon and salt. Also, try and use one specific cutting board for each type of meat and another specific one just for bread and vegetables. 

➜ Related Article: How to Clean Your Kitchen in an Organized Way

Making the Living Room liveable…

After successfully dealing with both the bathroom and kitchen, it’s now time to focus your attention on the living room. These specialized cleaning tips and hacks have been tested by our dedicated team of cleaners and, we’re glad to say, they’ve made the cut! Now let them help you cut down on your cleaning time…

1. Stop blundering with you blinds

Cleaning your blinds can be so time-consuming that a lot of people simply forsake it, allowing the dust to gather into a thick layer. We’ve got a cleaning tip that will keep your blinds clean and dust-free! All you need to do is take some tongs and wrap each side with a washcloth. No, simply tie it with some elastic bands and you have a tool that is perfect for getting into and in between your blinds!

2. Scratches on vinyl flooring

Vinyl flooring is becoming more and more popular as time goes on. One drawback of this type of flooring, however, is that it can easily get scratched. Don’t worry about it, if your vinyl flooring is scratched, simply take some granular toothpaste and rub it on the scratch. The granules will polish the scratch out of existence!

3. Scuffs on wooden floors

A scuff on a wooden floor can destroy its entire appeal. But now all you need to fix it is a normal eraser for pencils. Rub the rubber along the scuff or scratch mark and you’ll see it becoming less pronounced as time goes by. Repeat this process until the scuff disappears! 

➜ RELATED: How to Clean Wooden Floors With Ease, in the Right Way

4. Think creatively when it comes to storage

One of the biggest challenges when it comes to a living room is that there’s a whole lot of living that goes on in it. That’s why it’s always a chore to keep the living room tidy. Not anymore though, because we’ve got a splendid life hack for you!

Invest in a couple of fashionable laundry baskets, ideally the type that can fit into the nooks and crannies of your living room. Now, these can act as storage for all types of clutter that would normally leave the living room a total mess!

5. Get those windows sparkling!

The same cleaning hack that keeps your mirrors sparkling can be applied to your windows. A little bit of shaving cream goes a long way when it comes to keeping your windows sparkling and clean. After all, windows are the eyes of a house, and the eyes are the windows to the soul, and who wouldn’t want a sparkling soul?

6. Keep Your Aircon Clean

If you have an air conditioning system that works with vents you might want to give it a good vacuum every now and again. The problem with these is that all types of dust and allergens get sucked up into these vents, and they get recycled back into the air again. So not only will this hack keep your living room clean, but it will also make it healthier!

7. Dealing with pet hair shouldn’t be a pet peeve

Some of us share our living room and living space with our furry friends. That should not mean that their heir shares the space with our clothes or furniture! If you do not own a good vacuum, dealing with pet hair may be a little bit tricky, but it can still be done. Use some rubber gloves or sticky tape to get rid of it!

8. Invest in a decent vacuum cleaner

Continuing on the previous point, invest in a decent vacuum cleaner. If you are unsure which one, check out these helpful blogs to guide you in choosing the best vacuum cleaners that best fits with your needs!

Keeping it clean and fresh in the bedroom…

Studies have shown that you can significantly alter your quality of life by keeping a clean and tidy bedroom. So, if you aren’t up for the task of sorting out the bathroom, kitchen, or living room, we suggest you start with your own bedroom. And with these easy to follow cleaning hacks you’ll be getting a good dose of vitamin zzzzz in no time!

1. Mom was right… Make your bed

Yup, she was. By making your bed after you get up, you give yourself a sense of achievement. This isn’t just pop-culture mumbo jumbo - it’s been proven in psychological studies! People who make their beds in the morning report higher satisfaction with what they did that day. The biggest challenge with this habit is that it is a habit, so you’ll just need to keep on doing it until it becomes second nature.

2. Put your clothes away

This cleaning tip might seem a bit obvious, but it is so easy to ignore it. Don't. By not putting your clothes away you create a type of snowball effect until it reaches such a point that you need to take a day off to sort out the little islands of clothes left throughout your room and on chairs.

By putting away your clothes immediately, whether it be in the laundry baskets or your closet to be worn again, you once again create and nurture a habit that will make your life more enjoyable as a whole.

3. Open a window every once and awhile

An open window does wonder to combat the stuffy and cluttered feeling your bedroom might give you. Plus some fresh air is good for you. Personally when I’m about to start cleaning my bedroom, opening a window is the first thing I do, just to air the room out a bit.

4. Ah, sheets!

This isn’t as much a cleaning hack or tip as it is good general practice. Change your sheets. Do it at least once a week. Trust us, the feeling of falling onto a bed that smells of fresh linen is a type of luxury you want to make part of your life!

5. Be a fan of a clean fan

If you have a ceiling fan, this cleaning tip is for you. Every now and again, while the fan is obviously of, get on a chair or a ladder and clean your fan. People tend to underestimate the amount of dust in the air and as such, they neglect their ceiling fans. If you don't have a chair or a ladder that will help you to reach the ceiling fan, try using a mop or floor cleaner.

6. Declutter your nightstand

This cleaning tip is also one that will ensure you feel more organized and focused. Having a decluttered nightstand helps you when you’re getting up in the mornings, or when you’re going to sleep at night. An organized nightstand leads to an organized mind, which ultimately leads to an organized life…

7. If you don’t need it, chuck it!

In the same vein of the previous point, stop collecting things in your bedroom that you don't need. Take a look at all the things currently occupying your inner sanctum with you… If you don’t need it, chuck it, or at least move it to a room where it would fit.

➜ Related Article: How to Clean Your Bedroom Thoroughly and Efficiently

Don’t feel washed out, follow these laundry tips!

Laundry is just one of those things that an adult has to make peace with, like taxes or going to the dentist every six months. But with these great cleaning hacks and tips, you’ll be able to keep the color in your life for a little bit longer! Plus, we’ll give you a couple of tips on how to clean the room that cleans your clothes!

1. Organize your laundry before you do your washing

Even before you actually start doing your laundry, you should make sure that everything is organized to make this job as painless as possible. This means, amongst other things, that you should have designated laundry baskets for dark, light, white, and delicates. Obviously, you should also ensure you have enough detergent and softener to complete the task.

2. Always check your washer’s and your dryer’s filter

Before chucking a full load in your washer or dryer, you might want to check if the machines respective filters are clean. If you are unsure how to do this, consult your machine’s instruction booklet. By performing this check you’ll ensure that your laundry is as clean as can be, while also lengthening your machine’s lifespan.

3. Clean your washer

It sounds counter-intuitive, but a washing machine can become quite dirty from all that cleaning. To ensure your washing machine is as clean as can be, simply let it run through an empty washing cycle with some vinegar instead of detergent. This will remove all of the soap scum.

4. Assign yourself a specific day and time when you do your laundry

Choose a day and time and designate that as your washing time and stick to it. Want to join us for a round of tennis this Wednesday? Sorry, Wednesday is my washing day... This may sound a little anal, but it will help you in the long run. Especially when having to deal with a busy schedule, it will make the difference of not stealing into your other personal time.

5. Be sure you sanitize other appliances

Make sure that the counters, surfaces, and other appliances that you’ll be using are clean before you continue. The feeling of placing a freshly laundered top on a counter to fold it, only to realize the counter is dirty, is not a feeling you would want to experience. The same goes for appliances, especially the iron and ironing board.

6. Freshen your laundry baskets

Take your laundry baskets and place them in the sun every now and again. This will allow the baskets to breathe a bit, while also combating the buildup of humidity, mold, and mildew. Personally, I simply leave mine outside in the sun after hanging up the laundry to dry.

Maintaining a spotless garage

Great, so with the bathroom, kitchen, living room, bedroom, and laundry room all taken care of it’s time to focus on the black hole of each house - the garage. It’s a curious fact that the garage has an almost gravitational pull that pulls toward it all types of item teetering between the borders of unwanted and not needed. Therefore it’s no surprise that most of the cleaning hacks dealing with this room focus of decluttering and throwing out that which is not needed. Just a heads up, this is quite the mission, so the best bet would be to do it once a year and make sure you keep your garage organized and clean for the remainder of the year.

1. Remove all the content of your garage

First things first - you are going to have to take out everything in your garage. The car? Out! You don’t want to get it scratched while removing the other items. This old broken treadmill? Out! Back I was going to fix it and get in shape? I said out! It’s easy: Take. Everything. Out. Of. The. Garage. Period.

2. Organize the removed clutter of your garage

Once you’ve removed everything from your garage, organize it into three categories: “Essential” “Might Want To Keep” and “Not-Needed.” Now sit down with that “Might Want To Keep” pile and place everything in there in either the “Essential” or “Not-Needed” pile. Once you’ve completed that, you might want to consider what to do with the Not-Needed pile, but donating it seems a fitting way to contribute to your karma.

3. Commence operation deep clean

Now the real fun starts. Operation deep clean. What we’re talking about isn’t simply getting some baking soda and dishwasher liquid, no we’re talking about high-pressure water guns and leaf blowers! First, use the leaf blower to blow all the residual dust from the garage. Once that is complete, use the high-pressure water guns to tear away the years of neglect from your garage.

4. Organize the remainder of items into logical, and easily accessible groupings

Once you’ve finished with operation deep clean, you turn your attention to the pile marked essential. Now, take a good hard look at all those items, and keeping in mind the sheer slog of what you’ve just been through, make sure that essential truly is essential.

Great, when you are done with that, group the remaining items into logical categories and place them back into your now spotless garage. Make sure that everything is within quick reach. As soon as you need to pack things away to reach something, you know your system is flawed. When everything is back in place, order some pizza and sit back and enjoy an ice-cold beer.

There you have it...

50 of the best cleaning hacks and tips in existence to help you maintain a clean and orderly home. If you’ve enjoyed this list, make sure to leave us a comment or share it with your friends! And remember to follow us as we scour the internet to bring you the best articles and information out there!