Yahoo Lifestyle "It's The Best Thing I Decided To Do": People Reveal The "Game-Changing" Home Cleaning Tips They 100% Recommend
As a homeowner or renter, sometimes maintaining a tidy home can be challenging, especially when you're in the thick of all your other responsibilities. Because of that, I asked BuzzFeed Community members to share the cleaning hacks and routines that help save them time, energy, or money. Here are some of the best tips:
1."I do a big clean every Thursday. Relaxing on the weekend in a clean home is a game-changer. I also have one specific podcast that I love but only listen to when cleaning. It actually makes cleaning something I look forward to."
2."I once worked for a family friend who had a cleaning business. I was often called in for fire jobs, where smoke had severely dirtied a house but not structurally destroyed it. The one thing I remember is how my friend cleaned windows: a bucket of warm water, some ammonia, and a bit of dish soap. Wash the window with one of those microfiber scrubs and then squeegee off the liquid. It worked amazingly well."
3."I use banana peels to touch up my interior doors after they've been scraped. Rub the inside of the peel on the scrape until it changes to the color of the wood. It even works on furniture scrapes."
—Anonymous
4."I make the extra effort to organize the fridge and pantry into bins and containers! Some people might see it as a waste, but doing it motivates me to stay organized. Plus, organizing the pantry and fridge is a fun task now! Sorting everything makes the kitchen look less cluttered, and I label everything so that my family and friends don't have trouble finding anything. Before, whenever I got home from work and had to cook, I was stressed out from seeing everything strewn everywhere. Now that everything has a home, I feel loads better. It's the best thing I've decided to do!"
—Leo, 37
5."Never leaving or entering a room empty-handed has been the most helpful practice and has made the most difference in my house. I always take something down, like a mug or a bit of rubbish. It makes such a difference."
6."On family cleaning days, I make a list of tasks, place it on the kitchen counter, and turn on loud, upbeat music. Every person puts their initials on the first task they want to do, and then we start cleaning! The trick is that we only reserve one task at a time. After finishing the first task, we sign up for another. If you don't want to be stuck with the guest room toilet, you have to keep moving!"
—Kathy, 59
7."Every time I have a dirty, damp towel, I use it to clean something. Usually, it's the kitchen floor. But, since it's damp and dirty, I can also quickly use it on walls or baseboards, bathroom mirror lights, fan blades, or whatever else."
8."I put a few drops of essential oil — usually a peppermint or citrus scent — at the bottom of the bathroom trash bins (before the plastic bag)!"
—Anonymous
9."I have a list of life rules I made in my 40s, and the fourth one is: 'Half-ass is better than no-ass.' The best example is how I take two or three minutes to organize my dirty dishes on my first pass through the kitchen on any given day. Then, on my next pass, it only takes a minute or two to load the top rack. Then on my next pass, it takes only another couple of minutes to load the bottom rack. Sometimes, the first step generates some momentum, and I'll finish the job all at once, but it's a lot easier to start the job if I only feel committed to a few minutes at most."
10."My father-in-law swears on using dish soap and peroxide for EVERY. SINGLE. STAIN. While I can definitely say it works well, I leave some stains to proper stain-removing spray. But peroxide works wonders on blood. Another helpful tip for removing blood or other protein-based stains: never ever ever use warm or hot water on them first. ALWAYS clean with cool water."
11."I bought an entry-level, basic robot vacuum on sale and have it sweep our hardwood floors daily. It keeps the floors pretty clean in between moppings. One of the best purchases ever."
—Stephanie, 47, Missouri
12."The best cleaning tip I've found is keeping a dish scrubber filled with vinegar and soap in your shower to scrub down the walls while you shower quickly. Also, the concept of 'Do it for Tomorrow You.' If you have the wherewithal to do something in the moment — even if you don't want to — don't leave it until the next day."
13."Rather than trying to do a major house cleaning one day a week, I have a schedule where I do one or two cleaning tasks every day. For example, I'll dust and vacuum one day and then do the bathrooms on another. Aside from laundry, I don't spend more than an hour cleaning each day. It keeps the house tidy without feeling like a big burden or making me physically exhausted."
14."If you're scared of potentially toxic bathroom tub cleansers, get a scrub sponge and pour dish detergent and a good amount of baking soda! Scrub gently, then rinse. It leaves everything sparkling clean!"
15."I put music and a timer on, and I clean up one area at a time and see how much cleaning and decluttering I can get done before the time is up. I usually put 30 minutes or so on the timer. If I'm still motivated, I keep going, but if not, I'll just be satisfied with what I did."
16.Lastly: "Half of 'Ugh, I need to clean this' is actually cleaning it, and the other half is getting whatever tool you need to clean. Sometimes, you already have half of the task done and don't recognize it! Replacing your kitchen sponge and tossing the mangled one in the trash? Great, but first, go around the house and wipe down light switch plates, grime around doorknobs and edges, tops of heat registers, and more. Little things like that really make a difference if you can 'train' yourself to do them regularly!"
If you're a homeowner or renter, what are your favorite cleaning hacks, tips, tricks, or secrets that efficiently save you time, energy, or money? Let me know in the comments, or you can anonymously submit using this form!
Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
