Hello Friends,
37 Cleaning Basics You Should Probably
Know By Now The products in this
post were updated in April 2018.
Posted on April 3, 2017, at
7:50 a.m.
Maitland
Quitmeyer
We hope you love the products we recommend! Just so
you know, BuzzFeed may collect a share of sales from the links on this page.
1. To start, clean every area from top to bottom so
you don't have to re-clean what you've already done.
For example, dust trimming, light fixtures, and
furniture before vacuuming or sweeping to cut down on work.
This extendable (over 5 feet!) duster will get
the job done in no time flat. It can rotate and bend at multiple angles, and it
even has a microfiber head you can toss in the wash and reuse. Get it from
Amazon for $18.99.
2. Learn exactly what products and potions remove the
worst stains, so when your happy hour turns sad (i.e., when you spill red wine
all over your favorite blouse), you know exactly what to do.
3. ~Keep~ your
baseboards dust-free by rubbing a dryer sheet along them.
It'll repel dust for a surprisingly long time!
4. Wipe away food and
grease that's stuck on your microwave with ease — just heat up 1/2 cup of water
and some lemon juice for three minutes.
It'll come right off! No elbow grease required. Check
out the video here.
Or just use a steamy little lady to power off
stuck-on food to wipe off with ease. Get it from Amazon for $7.99.
5. Get the weird gunk out of window and shower tracks
(or any weird little crannies) with a handy little brush with
a twisty handle to really get into hard-to-reach areas.
Get it from Amazon for $5.98.
Promising review: "Love how this
works on shower door tracks. It's flexible enough and the bristles long enough
to get into the corners to remove soap buildup or mold." —Eloise
6. Remove every single pet hair from your couch,
carpet, and more by running this squeegee (promisingly
called the "Pet Hair Magnet") over everything you own.
Promising review: "I am normally the
worst kind of buyer. I always buy stuff but I never leave a review; this time I
had to. Long story short, I bought a work car from an auction and apparently
the people who owned the car let their pet live in it. There was so much hair
in the car I thought the carpet was black and white. I tried every trick I
could find and countless hours trying to get it out. I got this product 30
minutes ago and I can honestly say about 75% of the hair is gone. The only
reason I stopped is because it's getting dark and I could no longer see what I
was doing. Buy this thing!" —Jeffery
Singleton
7. Don't ~just~ wash your pillowcases,
but also regularly wash your pillows themselves (at least 2x a year!).
If they've turned yellow from SwEaT (it happens to
all of us, guys), just use a magical combo of laundry detergent, dishwasher
detergent, and bleach or bleach alternative.
8. Keep your pillows,
duvet, towels, and clothes fluffy by popping a prickly lil'
cactus in the dryer with them.
He'll poke and prod them into incredible softness.
Plus you'll save lots of money by skipping the dryer sheets!
Get a set of two from Amazon for $9.95.
Promising review: "I was amazed how
well these little guys worked in the dryer. I live in an apartment and am
forced to use pay-per-use laundry, the dryer in the building always seemed to
now fully dry the clothes. After a little research I ordered these two and all
of my clothes come out warm, dry, and no damp spots, with or without dryer
sheets...never any static cling either! These are a must-have." —Adrian Russo
9. Clean your ~cleaning machines~, too! Just run your
washing machine on a hot setting with 1 or 2 cups of vinegar and wipe it out.
You can use this
technique on your dishwasher too!
10. Hang brooms and mops on a wall
organizer instead of leaning them on the floor to keep broom
bristles intact and dust-free, and mops mildew-free.
Promising review: "This thing is a
small miracle. We purchased this when we moved in to our first home as we
wanted to keep all the mops and brooms stored in one space without just
throwing them in a corner. The installation process was easy. This may seem
like one of those 'silly' products that you don't really need, when in fact it is
great for keeping an area organized and for keeping those cleaning supplies up
off the floor." —Sam Sachs
11. Touch up messes or everyday dust with a super-lightweight
vacuum that converts to a hand vac!
Promising review: "I don't move
anywhere without this vacuum. I've used it for three-plus years and can
definitely say it works as well or better than bigger, more powerful household
vacuums — as long as you regularly empty the dirt cup and give the filter inside
a good rinsing. I lived in with two massive Siberian huskies who were blowing
their coats, meaning piles, and piles, and piles of fur littered EVERYWHERE.
This allowed me to clean up their daily shedding in a pinch, and even vacuum it
from the dogs directly. The narrow attachment is great for cleaning up dirt and
dust along the baseboards of a room, on windowsills, and corners." —Jane Z
12. Keep your vacuum efficient as heck by cleaning the
bristles with a seam ripper.
Get a highly rated seam ripper from Amazon for $4.11.
13. Remove every single crumb lodged in your keyboard by
blasting it with canned air designed
for electronics.
::eats a full sandwich leaning over laptop playing
Netflix:: "Why are there so many dang crumbs in there?"
Get it from Amazon for $6.95.
Promising review: "Product comes
exactly as described, used it to clean out my computer hardware and it worked
great. No liquid came out. As with any can of compressed air, do not shake the
can and follow all instructions on the can and this will work wonders. It also
comes with the red straw attachment to reach more difficult spaces! The price
is incredibly good compared to big box stores. This can was less than half the
cost of a similar product at an office supply store. If you are looking for a
can of compressed air for dusting purposes, I would highly suggest this
product." —Tim
14. De-gunk and disinfect your earbuds with a
toothbrush and some rubbing alcohol.
Bet you didn't think about how gross your earbuds are
until this very moment, did you.
Check out the steps here.
15. While you're at it, clean your phone. You can make
your own disinfecting spray with water and 70% isopropyl alcohol.
Bet you didn't think about how gross your earbuds are
until this very moment, did you.
Check out the steps here.
15. While you're at it, clean your phone. You can make
your own disinfecting spray with water and 70% isopropyl alcohol.
17. Get pollen,
cobwebs, and other detritus off your window screens by passing a lint roller over it quickly.
Lint rollers are really just magical neatening tools
in general — try them on your lampshades too!
Take a peek at all the details here.
Get a five-pack of top-rated lint rollers from
Amazon for $10.04.
18. Remove the product buildup from your curling iron
and other hair tools with a combo of baking soda, rubbing alcohol, an old
toothbrush, and some sudsy water.
19. Drop a toilet disk into the bowl to clean
without scrubbing — but if it's already too late, use a special pumice stick that removes stains without
damaging the porcelain.
Get an 18-count package of disks from Amazon for $17.88 and
get the pumice stick from Amazon for $9.13.
Promising review: "I did not wake up
this morning thinking I was going to write a review on toilet bowl cleaner. But
the Pumie is JUST THAT AWESOME! The area I live in has super-hard water. I have
spent weeks and used probably $50 worth of various cleaners in an attempt to
remove my toilet bowl ring with pretty much no results. Less than 10 minutes
with the Pumie and my toilet looks as sparkling clean as the day I installed
it! I have uploaded pictures which speak for themselves. Don't hesitate, just
buy yourself a Pumie! You won't be disappointed!" —Suzy
20. Dust your blinds, air-conditioner vent, and more
hard-to-reach areas with a three-part microfiber
wand that gets 'er done quickly.
Get a pack of two from Amazon for $7.99.
Promising review: "I love my wooden
blinds but HATE cleaning them. We spent a ton on custom ones so it's a
necessity. Tried the internet hack of putting paper towel on kitchen tongs
which seems like a good idea - no dice. Decided to try a real microfiber
cleaner after that little experiment. This thing works like a dream - no
cleaning agents needed, even! And it comes with a set of replacement heads for
when you burn out the initial set eventually. Well worth the low price and will
save you loads of time and aggravation. Get them now!" —Gabriel Baron
You can also DIY your own with a set of tongs
and a microfiber cloth (as pictured on the right) — check out the tutorial here.
21. But actually, microfiber
cloths are your best friends when it comes to streak-free cleaning
— use them on your car, stainless steel, countertops, and wayyy more.
Get a pack of 24 towels from Amazon for $14.97.
Promising review: "We just bought a
new solid wood kitchen table and I read that you shouldn't use paper towel on
it, so I bought these. It is my first time using microfiber cleaning cloths,
and I love them! They are a good size and very soft. I use one for about two
days and then throw it down to be washed and pull out another one. Although I
bought it for the kitchen table, I will be using these cloths to clean the rest
of the house, too. I would definitely recommend these." —Amanda
22. Refresh your mattress with a combo of baking soda
and essential lavender oil; just sprinkle, sit, and then vacuum it up.
The vacuum will suck out dirt, too — plus the
lavender will help drift right off to sleep.
Learn more here.
23. Shine up your stainless steel with a can of Pledge.
Stainless steel cleaners can be expensive — try this
instead!
Get a three-pack of Pledge from Amazon for $16.99.
Promising review: "I love this
variety of Pledge for cleaning and polishing my stainless steel kitchen
appliances. It does a great job. No streaks and fingerprint resistant. Removes
baked-on food if left to stand a bit. (Do not spray near burners of course.) If
you are using another product, give this Pledge a try!" —An Educated
Consumer
24. Wax off those water spots and fingerprints and wax
on a layer of protection by rubbing some ~wax paper~
on your faucets.
Get 75 square feet of wax paper from Amazon for $4.49.
Check out all the deets here.
25. Let your dish sponges drain in a basket that
attaches right to your sink, keeping them cleaner and bacteria-free for longer.
Get it from Amazon for $6.99.
Available in seven colors.
26. And then when they get funky, just pop your sponge
in the microwave for two minutes to disinfect.
27. Harness your
laziness and descale your showerhead while you watch Netflix. Just fill a
baggie with vinegar and lemon essential oil and let it sit!
28. Keep your shower
clean and mildew-free between deep cleanings by spraying a 🙌
no-scrub, no-rinse 🙌 cleaner on after every shower.
Promising review: Just spray and leave. My
husband and I mist the shower after every use, even on the glass shower doors.
No more scrubbing. This product helps keep the hard water stains, bacteria, and
mold away naturally. I love it!" —Amazon
Customer
29. Or keep a dish brush filled
with a vinegar–and–dish soap solution in the shower with you for a no-brainer
cleaning while the conditioner sits in your hair.
30. Scrub the
foundation, powder, and oil off your makeup brushes for once.
It'll make your makeup application so much easier!
Get the set of two scrubbing mats from Amazon
for $10.
Available in six colors.
Promising review: "This product has
suction cups along the bottom of it — this is very helpful when it comes to
cleaning brushes. Prior to the purchase of these mats, I very rarely cleaned my
brushes because when I tried just using a paper towel it didn't seem to have
much benefit but this mat provides labeled areas for different types of brushes
(e.g., face, eye, etc.). The product feels very high quality and folds up
nicely for storage." —Maddi Majeski
Plus, get a brush cleanser from Amazon for $5.39 and
a drying rack for your brushes from Amazon for $8.99.
31. Get your water bottle crazy clean with these little scrubbing
beans — just toss one in and shake it up!
They fit through narrow mouth openings, so even the
hardest-to-clean containers will become easy.
Get a set of two for $7.94.
Promising review: "No more buying
expensive plastic water bottles! I put a tablespoon or so of vinegar with maybe
a quarter cup water into the empty bottle, secure the lid, shake vigorously,
and voilà — clean bottles ready for refill from my water distiller. I like my
funny little green pea pods so much that I have given some to others." —N. Blyseth
32. Make your grout look like brand new with a clinging gelthat'll
really stick with you.
33. For extra
scrubbing power, try a toothbrush-like brushwith an ergonomic grip
and stiff bristles that do the heavy lifting for you.
Promising review: "These brushes are
still in amazing shape considering how often I use them for cleaning grout
lines, around the toilet bowls, along the edges of my tile floors, in the
crevices of my sink strainer, and faucet filter. When I use them for really
nasty jobs I just pop them in the dishwasher afterwards, but they really are
still in amazing condition. If they weren't still in such great shape I'd buy
another set — but I don't need to!" —Jasmine
34. Whip up a gentle and non-acidic spray for your
granite using just dish soap, water, and alcohol.
35. Multitask with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser — it'll do
everything from getting pen marks off walls to even degreasing your oven glass!
Promising
review: "Mr.
Clean Magic Erasers are amazing! I was really surprised how well the eraser
cleans. The erasers literally erase dirt, marks on walls and soap scum. There’s
not much that they can’t erase. I love how universal this eraser is, you can
use it on almost everything. The erasers actually put some fun into cleaning.
There is no smell to them which is a plus! The eraser is a good size which it
makes it possible to cut in half. I could get a lot of use out of one eraser. I
cut them in half and use what I need and then if I need more I use the other
half. I do like the fact that you can re-wet the eraser and use again. It
doesn’t take too much strength or effort to get marks off the walls or to clean
most surfaces. It doesn’t leave hands dry nor does it leave any type of residue
on them. It’s very easy to use!" —Caligal4life
36. Unclog your drain
by alternating vinegar, baking soda, and boiling water to blast out whatever's
blocking up your pipes.
37. But really just
buy a TubShroom, guys.
You'll never have to use that drain-clearing tip
again.
Get it from Amazon
for $12.95.
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