30 Deep Cleaning Hacks for the Home

Shannon Quinn - April 19, 2019
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30 Deep Cleaning Hacks for the Home

Just in time for you to do some spring cleaning! Here are 30 tips to really getting your house cleaner than it ever has before. In this post, we will go over some intense cleaning hacks that you may have never known how to do before.

30. Cleaning Your Shower Head

How do you clean a shower head? Credit: Shutterstock

Cleaning your shower head might seem difficult, because it’s so high off the ground, and there are so many nooks and crannies. But it’s actually much easier than you think. Take a plastic bag, and fill it with vinegar. Then, wrap the bag around the shower head, and use a rubber band to hold it there. After a while, you can remove the bag and wipe it down, leaving your shower head sparkling clean.

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29. How to Remove Mold 

Mold in your home can be a disaster. Credit: Shutterstock

Mold in your home can be hazardous to your health, and should be removed right away. In order to get rid of the mold, use spray bleach, and a sponge to scrub it off. Wear a mask, if necessary. Also make sure that you are properly ventilating the area you’re using the bleach.

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28. Use a Makeup Brush to Clean Your Laptop

You can clean your laptop keyboard with a makeup brush. Credit: Shutterstock

If you eat near your laptop, it may be really difficult to get tiny crumbs or dirt out of the little edges around the keyboard. You could buy a can of condensed air to get the grime out, we have a solution you can use that won’t require a trip to the store! Grab one of your makeup brushes, and use it to dust off your keyboard. Just make sure you aren’t smearing any leftover makeup on your keyboard!

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27. Clean Lamp Shades with a Lint Roller

Cleaning your lamp shades may be a difficult task. Credit: Shutterstock

Not sure how to clean your lamp shades? Normally, you would have to take them outside on a warm day and let the sun dry them to dust them off. But a clever hack to getting dust off of your shade is to buy a lint roller. This can also be done while it’s still on the lamp. A much quicker solution when you’re trying to clean your place up for company.

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26. Chalk on Grease Stains

Chalk can help clean grease and oil stains. Credit: Shutterstock

If you get grease or oil on your clothing, or just about anywhere else where it will stain, you want to get a powder on it quickly, which will absorb the oil. You can use baking soda, or, if you happen to have chalk nearby, you can use that, as well. Say goodbye to grease!

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25. Remove Limescale

If your water is hard, limescale will accumulate. Credit: Shutterstock

Sometimes, tea kettles and clothing steamers will begin to form a strange crystalized gunk called “limescale”. This happens when your water is a bit too hard. Even if you thought your item was dry, this can sneak up on you. But don’t worry, because you can just put some vinegar in the affected area, and let it soak for a while. Then, it comes right out.

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24. Get Rid of Bad Vacuum Smells

If you have pets, chances are that your vacuum stinks. Credit: Shutterstock

Vacuum cleaners sometimes begin to smell bad every time you use them. This can happen if you sucked up something that smelled gross, which unfortunately happens a lot, when you have pets. You can combat this by sucking up some crystalized fabric softener, baking soda, or even cinnamon. Once the vacuum has sucked up the good-smelling powder, it will neutralize the bad odor.

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23. Shine Your Hardwood Floors

Maintain your hardwood floors. Credit: Shutterstock

There are a lot of products on the market that will help you clean your hardwood floors, but you can also make something at home. Mix one gallon of warm water with a few teaspoons of white vinegar. Some people like to add essential oils to help with the smell. You should be able to clean your floor and leave it sparkling clean.

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22. Lint Rollers on Window Screens

Window screens need to be cleaned at least once a year. Credit: Shutterstock

Window screens help to keep bugs and other critters out of our homes in the spring and winter months. Unfortunately, though, they also gather tons of dust and dirt. If you try cleaning them with water and soap, it tends to clump up and take forever to get clean. An amazing hack is to get a lint roller first, and slide it down the front and back of the widow screen. You may want to take these screens outside, though, because they truly can get messy.

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21. Remember to Clean Your Air Vents

Don’t forget to remove and clean your air vents. Credit: Shutterstock

So many people forget to clean their air vents for years on end, but they are obviously important to keep clean, since they are filtering the air we breathe. But you should be able to unscrew them from the wall. An easy way to get all of your vents clean in one shot is to just put them all in the dishwasher before putting them back into place.

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20. Magic Eraser on your Shower or Tub

Did you forget to clean your tub? Credit: Shutterstock

There are loads of tub cleaning products out there, but you may come across an exceptionally stubborn stain. If this happens to you, break out that Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. That thing truly does take out almost any stain imaginable. If all else fails, you can create a mixture of water and bleach to wipe down a white tub.

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19. Kid’s Wall Artwork

Sometimes, kids will use your walls as their own canvas. Credit: Shutterstock

Every parent loves to cherish their children’s artwork, but it’s a whole other story if they begin to use their crayons on the wall. You should be able to take a magic eraser and remove nearly anything your kid has put on the wall. Just keep in mind that if you scrub too hard, you might accidentally take off some of the paint on the wall. If your child used something permanent, like a Sharpie, you may eventually have to re-paint the room.

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18. Cleaning Your Sneakers

Don’t throw away your old shoes. Clean them instead. Credit: Shutterstock

Before you throw your worn sneakers away, consider washing them instead. Depending on what your sneakers are made out of, there are a few different products you may need. Magic erasers work really well on the rubber soles. You may be able to take clothing detergent and use a brush (like a toothbrush) to hand-clean and dry the canvas parts of a shoe. For leather, you can find leather wipes at your local Walmart, or order Leather Rescue from Amazon. For some people, all of this might sound like a lot of work, but if your sneakers cost $50 to 100, it should save you a ton of money to simply clean and take care of what you already own.

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17. Clean Your Microwave the Natural Way

There is an easy hack to cleaning your microwave. Credit: Shutterstock

Some people do not want to use unnatural chemicals in their microwave. After all, you need to eat the food that is zapped in there. A great alternative and natural way to clean is to place lemon peels into a bowl of water, and turn on the microwave. After about a minute, the lemony mist will be all over the microwave interior. Then, you can wipe it down, leaving it shiny and like new.

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16. How to Fix a Clogged Drain

Clogged drains can be a serious issue in the kitchen. Credit: Shutterstock

Kitchen drains can become clogged with food and all sorts of nasty things. In order to clean out your drain, take a tablespoon of baking soda, and a tablespoon of salt, and put it in your drain. Next, pour warm vinegar down the drain, and then follow that up with boiling water. The mixture will bubble and fizz, and it will break apart whatever was clogging your drain in the first place. Of course, if the problem still persists, you may need help from a plumber.

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15. How to Clean Your Blender

It’s important to clean your blender. Credit: Shutterstock

If you are the type of person who makes smoothies and veggie juice on a regular basis, you already know how difficult it can be to clean a blender, especially when you have to reach in and try to get the blades clean. One cleaning hack is to rinse out the blender, and then add some dish soap and water. Seal the blender as if you would make a smoothie, and turn it on. The blade will move the soapy water around quickly and efficiently. After you rinse it out with water, it should be good to go.

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14. Clean Metals With Toothpaste

A cleaning hack is to use toothpaste to clean your jewelry. Credit: Shutterstock

There are plenty of jewelry cleaning products out there, but if you want to save money, there is a hack for that. Just got some toothpaste, and gently rub it over the jewelry. Use a microfiber cloth to clean away the paste, and it should reveal the clean, shiny metal underneath.

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13. Clean Your Iron with Baking Soda and Vinegar

Cleaning your iron might seem like a really difficult task. Credit: Shutterstock

Your clothes iron may be one of the last things you think to clean. Or, if you’re like some people, you assume that once it gets grimy, it may be time to buy a new one. You should actually make a paste out of baking soda and vinegar. Spread it over the iron (When it’s off and unplugged, of course!) and then wipe it away to reveal a shiny iron that looks good as new.

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12. Repair Leather Chairs With Olive Oil

Sometimes, olive oil can help to repair old leather chairs. Credit: Shutterstock

Most of the time, an old leather chair isn’t necessarily damaged. It just might need to be conditioned. Try using olive oil, and spread it over the chair with a cloth. Keep in mind that once you put oil on one spot, you really have it put it all over. Otherwise, it will look uneven. In some cases, colored leather may look damaged because the dye has chipped off over the years. You can actually find Fiebing’s leather dye on Amazon in any color for under $5 per bottle, but remember that it will also need a sealant to hold in the color.

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11. Remove Paint From Clothes With a Razor

Can’t get the paint off? Use a razor. Credit: Shutterstock

If you have recently painted your house or apartment, chances are that you might have accidentally splattered a few drops of paint on your clothes. Before you wash the clothing, go in with a razor, and gently scrape until the dried paint comes off. You can try using fabric softener when you wash your clothing, which will make the fibers stretch and loosen, and it will break up the rest of the remaining paint.

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10. Clean Your Brooms

People forget that their brooms need to be cleaned, too. Credit: Shutterstock

After a while, your broom will become gross and congested with dirt and hair – not very conducive to cleaning. You can fill up a bucket with warm water, and dish soap. Let the broom soak in the bucket, and it should clean off the plastic brissles.

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9. Glass Stove Tops

Glass stove tops get dirty very quickly. Credit: Shutterstock

A lot of electric stoves now have a glass cook top. It is possible to use windex to clean off the stove top, but you might run into some issues removing especially bad gunk. If you want to go for something more natural, you can also create a paste with baking soda and water.

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8. Greasy Oven

A greasy, messy oven. Credit: Shutterstock

Make a paste out of baking soda and water, and spread it over the oven. Let it sit for about 10 minutes, and then spray vinegar over everything. This will begin to fizz and foam up, which will loosen all of the grease and grime. Then, you can wipe it away, and it should look clean.

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7. Drip Dry Your Toilet Brush

You can let your toilet brush drip-dry. Credit: Shutterstock

Whenever people clean their toilet, they almost always immediately remove it and put it back in the container. However, this can be an issue, because you might accidently drip some of that dirty toilet water onto the floor! Instead of removing it right away, let the handle of the brush sit on the rim of the toilet, and put the seat down to hold it in place. After about an hour, all of the water should have drip-dried into the toilet bowl, and you can safely remove it.

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6. Cleaning Your Pillows

Remember to clean your pillows. Credit: Shutterstock

We sleep on our pillows every night, so they accumulate tons of dead skin cells and germs. It’s important to clean your pillow cases, but also the pillows themselves. If you have a small washing machine and dryer, you may have to do one pillow at a time. If you want the pillows to still be fluffy when they dry, don’t forget to put in a brand new tennis ball, or buy a pack of dryer balls on Amazon.

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5. How to Clean a Porcelain Sink

Remember to clean your porcelain sinks. Credit: Shutterstock

There are several different methods to cleaning a porcelain sink. You can use regular dish soap first, and then take baking soda and water to go over the entire sink again. Let the baking soda sit for several hours before you scrub it down again. If the sink has become especially dirty, you can also use vinegar to clean any yellow rings that might have formed around the drain.

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4. Area Rugs

Cleaning large area rugs can be tricky. Credit: Shutterstock

Cleaning an area rug can be a tricky, dangerous job. But you can do it! In order to get it done, you need to set up an outdoor work area on a warm, sunny day. This would be perfect in your driveway, back patio, or porch. Lay the rug flat outside, and vacuum all of the dust and dirt off of it. Next, buy a good carpet shampoo, and begin scrubbing it into the rug with a brush. Once the rug is full of soap, you need to get a hose and rinse it off on full blast. Then, hang it to dry in the sun.

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3. Cleaning Dog Hair with a Rubber Glove

Prep your deep clean with rubber gloves. Credit: Shutterstock

If you own a dog or a long-haired cat, you already know what it’s like to live with animal hair shedding over everything. Yes, you can use a lint roller, but many people don’t realized that rubber gloves work really well, too. The static of the rubber helps the fur cling to the glove, so it should be easy to clean your furniture just by using your gloved hands.

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2. Burnt Food on a Frying Pan

It’s all too easy to accidentaly burn food to your frying pan. Credit: Shutterstock

If you accidentally burn food in the frying pan, it can be extremely difficult to get out. Sprinkle some baking soda and water into the bottom of the frying pan, and let it sit for an hour, Then, try to wipe it again, and the burnt food just may have loosened up to the point where you can scrub it clean.

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1. Clean Your Baseboards

Don’t forget to clean your baseboards. Credit: Shutterstock

Since baseboards are below our feet, a lot of people forget to clean them. Remember that they accumulate tons of dust. You can take a simple microfiber cloth, and it should pick up any dust that may be sitting around.

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