Household Cleaning Tips & Shortcuts

Have a place for everything and when you use it, put in back in it's place no matter what.

What if you have too many things and not enough places?

I recently bought a gtec rechargeable floor cleaner and find that it has cut down the time i was spending vacuuming the house. It's awesome.

I have a problem removing congealed egg from my spatula.

Get rid of everything in your apartment unless you absolutely need it and keep a small select things for decoration etc. Less is more AND easier in an apartment or home.

Also a tidy and neat and sparce place to come home to each night is calming and relaxing.

Agreed, de-clutter first that probably helps the most - in terms in keeping the house clean, giving you a psychological lift, making your home seem calm and relaxing. After that these are my best tips:

1. Do a load of wash everyday - even if it's only a small load. It keeps the laundry from backing up and becoming overwhelming.

2 If you can't get started on your own, ask a trusted friend to come over and give you advice. What needs to go? What could be moved or re-arranged to make life easier? What do others notice first about your house that needs to be changed?

3. Even if you can't afford a house cleaner on a regular basis, you can hire a cleaner to come just once or only as you need him/her.

4. My cleaning person comes on Thursday. You can bet that on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, I'm getting the house in shape, not so much cleaning it as getting it in shape so she can focus on the important things. I catch up the laundry and put things away so she can vacuum and dust. When I come home from work on Thursday afternoon, it's a wonderful feeling.

My house isn't perfect but this kind of stuff keeps it manageable.

Marie Kondo wrote a book about this.

Move out.

First, you have to de-clutter which is painful, but feels real good once you're done. That doesn't mean giving away stuff that you value and treasure. Then you have to keep up with it, like a person who exercises regularly, instead of waiting until they gain a lot of weight.

Don't bring more stuff in that you don't need AND after every mess take a few minutes to clean it up. You have to keep on top of it and get into a routine, otherwise you'll end up overwhelmed and nothing will get done -- it will just get worse.

If it's really bad you could hire a one-time professional cleaning service for a few hrs or a half-day, whatever ..... and then once they are done you won't need them to return and you could, from then on, just keep up with it and maintain the new look. That's what I did yrs ago and since then my place always looks neat and clean.

But I hired a service (who first gave me an estimate) and they spent a few hrs cleaning and helping me de-clutter (I was there with the two of them the whole time) and once they left (never to return) I vowed to keep up with it, as it cost me an entire month's worth of my entertainment spending money... but was well worth it.

Put away things as soon as you've finished with them. It takes discipline to not just leave out shit. Clean up your kitchen after every meal. Put dirty clothes in a hamper. Just clean up as you go. It's not difficult. Wipe down your shower after each use. Put away bathroom items once you've finished with them. As for dusting and vacuuming, set aside one evening a week. It'll take an hour to clean an apartment if you don't let dust and junk accumulate To paraphrase Meg Griffin, you're cleaning an apartment, not an infinite space.

How about also posting specific cleaning supplies that makes your cleaning easier?

Paging Sue Ann Nivens!

As others have suggested, spending a day throwing things out and getting the whole house in order, with or without help, is the best way to start.

If you can't bear that, commit to working on one area for ten minutes each day. It doesn't matter what you do; it can be ten minutes spent sweeping/vacuuming several rooms or ten minutes in one corner of the kitchen, just do something every day.

And the rule in my house when I was a child is still a good one: Never leave a room empty-handed. Take something with you and put it back in its place.

I keep some canned air, the kind that photographers and computer repair people use. I use it to knock the dust of everything before I clean the floors. Saves time from removing everything off the shelves.

Recently learned about a mixture of blue Dawn and white vinegar for bathroom tile. Works amazing. Really cuts through bathroom scum without scrubbing. Spray on and leave on then rinse off. There is a lot of calcium building up in my building and this mixture helps keep everything clean and from build up.

Yeah, I agree vinegar is great. Many good suggestions here. And, thanks....I'll have to try the combo of vinegar & blue Dawn detergent. We have hard water here, and the mineral (mostly iron and calcium) deposits and build-up is awful.

I use the cheap, white, distilled (sold in gallon jugs) of vinegar and buy a few gallon jugs every week. Vinegar kills 99% of bacteria and germs and is non-toxic, which is especially important if you have small children or pets or a family member has allergies or is asthmatic. Plus, it saves a ton of $$$ on all those pricey cleaning products you don't really need. I shudder when I think of all the money I spent (or rather wasted) over the yrs on cleaning supplies when I could have just used plain cheap, white vinegar and paper towels.

If the smell of vinegar bothers you just mix it with a little water. I use it for kitchen counter-tops, wiping inside and outside of fridge, windows, floors, all the tiles in my home. It's the best non-toxic disinfectant/cleaner out there. Sometimes I pour a half-cup of vinegar in a wad of paper towels and start wiping glass and basically everything, except wood. You could easily go through an entire roll of paper towels and half the gallon doing this, but it's still a lot better than wasting money on toxic household cleaners and padding rich people's bank accounts.

Does the vinegar smell evaporate and go away, or does your house have a lingering smell of vinegar all the time?

I would hate if every time I came home, I smelled vinegar.

[quote]I would hate if every time I came home, I smelled vinegar.

It could be worse.

No, the smell of the vinegar dissipates over a very short period of time. While you are actually using it, it smells strong and can be offensive to some, but then you can always mix it with equal parts of water to minimize the temporary smell. Household cleaners are what really smell awful and are also not safe to inhale, which is exactly what we are doing when we clean with toxic cleaners....even if the label says 'Organic.'

However, vinegar doesn't leave the fresh lemony scent that other cleaners leave, but then it is safe/non-toxic and very effective.

Bacteria is what causes disgusting odors and vinegar kills 99% of all bacteria and viruses, so everything smells very fresh and clean, just minus the fruity scent that some people like. The smell of vinegar is gone within a very short time of using it, unless you've (unnecessarily) saturated the floors or an area with it... not at all advised.

Declutter. My boyfriend and I have just started the 32-day challenge. On day 1, throw away 1 item, day 2 throw away 2, and so on. Make sure everything has a place (get rid of furniture that doesn't serve a proper purpose, don't put up with compromise solutions). Keep to a kind of rota - put aside the same hours every week for cleaning, e.g. Saturday morning.

A tip for kitchen sinks - pour down some bicarb. of soda followed by vinegar and quickly put the plug in. If you drink ground coffee, rinse the grounds down the sink, it helps to keep it clear.

Pro tip - if you use vinegar for cleaning, don't use bleach. Mixing the two makes mustard gas, and that's a terrible way to go.

Quentin Crisp is the lifestyle guru here: as he said, yes, for a few years, the filth, dust, and grime will seem oppressive, but eventually you become accustomed to the "patina" that will gracefully encrust your pied a terre. And then you will be at peace with it all.

[quote]Mixing the two makes mustard gas

R19 flunked Chemistry.

OK, chlorine gas then. Still toxic, either way...

Never clean a bathtub with ammonia and bleach.

At some point each year, J-vvish ladies must clean their houses very very very well and the ERs fill with those who do not know that rule about not mixing vinegar (or CLR or ammonia) with bleach.

Vinegar + Chlorine Bleach (or Ammonia) is HIGHLY TOXIC. It's a fact.

It's VERY dangerous. Don't believe anyone who tells you differently.

I just tried the equal parts vinegar and blue Dawn. I heated the vinegar for 60 secs in the microwave (as the mommy blogs insisted), poured it in the spray bottle and added blue Dawn. I'm not quite sure it's the miracle tonic it's supposed to be but the tub was easier to clean with one of those Mr. Clean sponges and cleaner than just using the Mr. C sponge buy itself. A-/B+ range for a rating.

What does de-cluttering your home have to do with keeping it clean?

Lysol mold and mildew blaster - spray and mold is gone

R27=Hoarder

Any tips on cleaning the toilet?

I poured a toilet bowl cleaner around the bowl and let it sit. When I went to swish it with the toilet brush the bowl was moderately stained from the bluish cleaner.

Help!

R27 It's just easier to clean when there's not as much stuff in the way or blocking access to things. And of course fewer things that can gather dust, get greasy, get dirty, etc.

We know you're a fucking hoarder, OP! How many cat corpses you got in that shitpile of an apartment?

R29 = poor

I love clutter!

Not ashamed.

R20 , you are correct. The great Frances King said never to trust anyone whose house was too clean. That old money is always a little musty.

I knew i had to declutter but was having trouble doing it, so I watched a 'Hoarders' marathon then did it straight after.

It worked like a charm!

To keep my house tidy, I break it into areas. I clean the bathroom and kitchen every day, then do a theme a day e.g a dusting day, a vacuuming day, a mopping day etc. I also try and put everything away at the end of the day before I go to bed. Once you get into the rhythm of it, you only end up spending about 40 mins a day (that's for my 2 bedroom, 2 lounge house).

OP needs to move to an area with more undocumented aliens.

Some great advice here, OP. I live alone and my place is small so I rarely entertain, I usually go out. Two times a year, I do serious cleaning. That means I brush away cobwebs, wash the woodwork, window sills, wipe away fingerprints and smudges, etc. Serious thorough vacuuming, dusting, washing windows, glass tops etc. De-cluttering is essential. That's step one. Look at each room and figure out how to streamline and simplify.

Go into cupboards, closets, and dresser drawers. Throw out canned goods that expired two years ago. Get rid of the toiletries you've had for years and never or rarely used. Empty out the refrigerator and wash it down, removing the drawers to get all the grime out. If it's against the wall, move it to clean in back and under with a vacuum. Set up a big bag to throw away, shred personal papers, another bag to give away, and the rest you'll keep. This is the Big Cleaning I do once a year. The first time is always the hardest. But if you keep up with it it gets easier. My second cleaning of the year is much easier. Once you 've re arranged your closets, cupboards, given away clothes, "stuff," and furniture, you can finish cleaning. Vacuum, dust, wash clothes, fold laundry and put things away.

Now. Here's the trick. Make sure you clean your kitchen every day. No dirty dishes & pots in the sink. Don't leave food out. Second, pick up after yourself, don't leave clothes, mail, and "stuff" scattered around. Third, clean the bathroom once a week, and wipe it down with Clorox wipes every day. It's so easy. You toss some liquid cleaner in the toilet bowl, you wipe down the toilet seat and the sink and counter top with the Wipes, and it takes about five minutes. Finally, your bedroom. Make your bed. It makes the whole room look orderly. Pick up your clothes. That's it. Make sure the kitchen, bathroom and your bedroom are picked up and neat. Same with the living room or which ever room where you spend most of your down time.

OP! Start 12 0'clock and clean your room clockwards and in two shakes of a lambs tail, your room will be clean!

r26 I just started using the blue Dawn and vinegar last week and it worked excellent in my shower. Like r15 there is a lot of calcium and iron deposit that comes out in the water and it makes the shower difficult the clean. This mixture got rid of it with no scrubbing. I had to spray it on liberally, let it sit for 15 min or so then rinse it.

Any tips for keeping closets and drawers from smelling musty? I don't care for potpourri.

Ditch the paper towels and cut up your old towels and tshirts and use them as cleaning rags. You can wash and reuse them. Saves tons of money over time. I keep my clean ones in a hanging "rag bag" by my washing machine. I use them and wash them when dirty.

Invest in a floor steam mop (I use a Bissell). I use this on my kitchen floors, even on my wood floors (as long as you have good cross ventilation so they dry well). This saves on having to buy cleaning products for your floor. Just use steam. It's all you need and it sanitizes. I haven't bought a bottle of cleaning chemicals in years.

Unfuck Your Habitat | You're better than your mess

If your pots and pans have crusty cooked on food, add water to the pan and some liquid dishwasher detergent (dish washer detergent, not dish washing soap), let sit at least an hour. It will be very easy to clean. If it's really hard core cooked on food (burnt), add just a little water to the pan, the liquid dishwasher detergent, then place a paper towel(s) on top of the water, dishwasher detergent mix, such that the paper towel(s) are touching the bottom of the pan (where the burnt food is). Wait at least an hour. It will clean up easily.

The key is you must use liquid DISHWASHER detergent, NOT dish washing liquid.

Clean windows/glass tables by spraying a water/white vinegar mixture and wipe clean with newspaper. Leaves no streaks.

If you have Tiffany style lamps, clean the lampshade by spraying on a furniture polish (like Pledge for example) and wipe with a rag, gives it a glow (got this one from a Tiffany style lamp creator/dealer).

You can use your dishwasher to clean other items besides dishes....if you have plastic inserts in your drawers to hold your knives, forks, for example, periodically empty and load them into the dishwasher for cleaning. Also, you can remove the burner knobs from your stove, place them in the dishwasher. The removable round glass tray from your microwave, even some drawers in your refrigerator, place them in your dishwasher for cleaning. Think creative.

This. Never. Happened.

Marry a husband with OCD. It worked for me.

R47...huh?

Anybody use Barkeepers Helper ?

Someone recommended that in a thread once. I bought some but can't remember what they used it for.

R50 Barkeepers friend is great for sinks and anything that you need a mild abrasive. Be careful though because it will scratch stainless steel.

Barkeepers works great on porcelain sinks, getting out stains and leaving the sink shiny. I've also heard it works on glass top electric stoves, but I've never tried it there.

There's also a liquid version of Barkeeper's Friend that's less abrasive than the powder form.

Is there any way to clean a good beige leather sofa that has not been cleaned since it was bought in 2008?

It is really getting grungy looking.

There are leather cleaners, or you can use saddle soap. There's also a lot of stuff that's used to clean leather upholstery in cars, but maybe your sofa is made of a different type of leather.

To clean your microwave, just use a pyrex glass measuring cup (or any microwave safe open glass or container) with one cup of water and bring water to a boil. Add about 1-2 minutes cook time to keep the water boiling. When it's done, take out the water and wipe the inside of the microwave with sponge or paper towel. Continual steam from the water for a period of time loosens anything that's baked on, breaks down grease and no scrubbing needed.

R41, wipe out the drawers with vinegar and water. If possible air them out in the sun. Line them with scented drawer paper ((can usually find at TJ Maxx or Home Goods). An unwrapped bar of Ivory soap and/or a box of baking soda (the kind for the fridge that open on the side) will absorb musty smells.

For bloodstains on car upholstery, check out Edna's Occidental Laundry.

[quote]To clean your microwave, just use a pyrex glass measuring cup (or any microwave safe open glass or container) with one cup of water and bring water to a boil. Add about 1-2 minutes cook time to keep the water boiling. When it's done, take out the water and wipe the inside of the microwave with sponge or paper towel. Continual steam from the water for a period of time loosens anything that's baked on, breaks down grease and no scrubbing needed.

Add the juice from a couple lemons to the water.

Made my own car windshield-washer fluid, and it works great. Is this how Pasteur got started?

You can make your own eyeglass cleaner as well. 2 to 3 parts rubbing alcohol mixed with 10 parts distilled water.

FLEET ENEMA

My gas stove burner grates get gunky. To clean them place each grate in a gallon sized ziplock bag and pour in some ammonia. Let sit overnight. Empty the bags and wipe. The gunk comes right off.

My apartment came with a rectangle of shag-adjacent carpet glued to the hardwood floor just inside the front door. It is, of *course*, beige and is glued down so well it's not worth the hassle to peel it up and restore the hardwood to something resembling its original state. (The owners aren't going to do it either.)

I covered 90% of the beige carpet remnant with an oriental rug when I moved in, but the bit that isn't hidden by the rug (about 15"x34") has become pretty dingy over the years.

Any ideas on how to clean that scrap? I tried an over-the-counter spray-then-vacuum carpet cleaner that was just meh. I rented a carpet cleaner from my local Safeway, and while that produced slightly better results it was harder to maneuver than a lawn mower and left my place smelling like wet hound dog. I'm hoping for some magical combination of vinegar, baking soda and panty hose that I can blot on, enjoy an adult bev while I wait for it to dry and then vacuum up.

Use newspaper to clean your windows and mirrors. Absolutely no streaks.

For removing toilet stains: clean your toilet as you normally would. Before you go to bed, pop a couple of denture cleaning tablets into the bowl. Close the lid. In the morning your toilet will look much better.

bump

I can't afford a cleaning service, but I have forked out for a laundry service. I love it! It costs about $10 more than hauling my laundry out to the apartment complex laundry machines, and is much more convenient.

I'm trying to swing moving out of my apartment and into a Tiny House. Less stuff to worry about, less to clean.

A product called The Works (for the bathroom). It's cheap and miraculous. Literally spray it on and wipe it off. Gets out everything. Soap scum, hard water, rust etc. All will be sparkling in minutes. Make sure you open a window and use a fan, the fumes are bad.

Cheap laundry service and perfectly folded bundles of clothes is one of the things I miss most about living in NYC.

Reading this thread exhausted me. I used to keep my apartment very neat and would spend about 2 hours on a Friday night or Saturday morning doing the heavy duty things like mopping floors, vacuuming, dusting.

I now have a house that is probably too big for me and I realized I was accumulating too much stuff, and hanging on to things I did not need. I am working on getting rid of a lot and will call a salvage company to get rid of a gigantic old TV and an armoire which I tried to give away. I got rid of two-thirds of my clothes and all my old sneakers, no idea why I was hanging on to more than a pair and a spare.

I have a cleaning lady who started coming every two weeks, then I made it every week, now she comes 3 days a week for a few hours a day and has taken on a housekeeper role (no I do not make her call me Mr. and I don't make her wear a uniform). She keeps the place immaculate, does all of my laundry, shops and cooks for me, cleans the cat boxes and fireplace, waters plants. The other day when it was so warm out I came home to a nice breeze, she had washed and put in some of the window screens so I could enjoy the fresh air when I got home. She also helps me get ready for parties and out-of town guests. Worth every penny. If I needed to economize I would find many other things to cut out of my budget before I would give this up.

OP, if you don't take the time to pick up after yourself or clean your place, then no matter what you learn from reading the above posts will not make the cleaning chore go away or become easier. You still have to do the work.

As much as I love my dogs, I never feel like my house is clean with them around. Aside from the hair everywhere, they're senior dogs and have accidents more often. Sometimes they flat out refuse to go outside if the weather is bad. I try to clean and disinfect everything, but I feel like a house with dogs always has a slight pet odor no matter how clean the owners are.

I dedicate 15 minutes a day, for 4 week days and 1/2 hour for each weekend day. I don't count cooking, doing dishes, or laundry. I usually try to tackle one area but sometimes it is just general picking up. I actually keep a timer app on my ipad to keep track. Right now, I am behind by about 2 1/2 hours for this year. This helps me keep on top of things so that shit doesn't accumulate in my small flat.

I love stuff. "A life without obsession is no life at all." - John Waters

I bet some of you have those impersonal homes that make me nuts, nothing on the walls, not a photo in a frame. No history. Like a staged house for sale.

Give me a little clutter, especially if the stuff is cool, any day.

There is no use in trying to clean blood from a crime scene. Luminol will pick it up, even after you use bleach or detergents.

R70 how much does that cost for a parttime housekeeper? Does she have other clients on the other days? What does she cook? Would love to have this.

r76, I pay her $250 a week, and I think she's there 3 or 4 hours a day. I'm at work all day so I have no way of knowing but know that she gets her work done. When she was just cleaning once a week she didn't really have time to do all the extra things like clean the hanging light in the dining room or clean the kitchen cabinet knobs. She's actually built a nice business and employs a few other women, so I think sometimes they come help her clean. She has a credit card for groceries and always leaves the receipt but I trust her completely. I'll leave her a list of a few things I'd like but I will eat whatever she makes me. She does a lot of stir fry that I can heat up in the microwave. She makes incredible soups. Last Friday she did a poached salmon that was wrapped in foil with instructions to heat up in the oven and it was delicious. In nicer weather she may leave a steak marinating for me to put on the grill when I get home. It's like having an invisible mother taking care of me. Worth every penny.

It was hard for me to rationalize even hiring a cleaner in the first place, figuring I live alone and should be able to clean up after myself. But it was taking a lot of my free time and I felt like there was always something to do and I was never going to finish. I would exhaust myself on weekends. I still do my own yardwork but last spring hired a crew to do a spring clean up. That was expensive - $1200, but it would have taken me 4 weekends to get it all done. I live pretty frugally, have no debt except another few years on a mortgage, don't have kids, don't take exotic vacations, don't go in for the latest gadgets or cars, and am on track with my retirement plan so why not spend the money to make my life more pleasant.

Leave your shoes outside. You won't have to do the floors so much if you aren't dragging dirt in.

Buy a robot vacuum. I used to vacuum three days a week but I’ve cut it down to once a week. I have the robot vacuum programmed to run six days a week at 7 am. I love coming home to clean floors.

Does the robot vacuum go in and out of each room or can it only do one room at a time? Does it go under furniture?

R80 As long as you leave the doors to the rooms open it should eventually do them all. But you could easily just start it in the bedroom on another day if it misses or runs out of power.

"Why bother cleaning? You just have to do it again in 6 months."

To prevent an inconvenient, telling 'bathtub ring' (you dirty bitches!), spray the tub's water line with Pledge furniture polish. The oil-enhanced sprayed bathtub's waterline automatically repels dirt and soap scum.

P.S. Do not let the spray hit the tub's 'floor'; otherwise, you'll be back here asking DL for Tips & Shortcuts for a hip replacement.

I use the microfiber floor mop to also wash the tub and tile above the tub. I alternate weeks - 1 week with vinegar or anti-calc of some kind to cut the scum and water spots. The next week with bleach to sanitize and keep things white. Never together.

I have found microfibre cloth cleans most things around the apartment with warm water and a squirt of cheap liquid soap.

I clean all my computer stuff and phones 1x a week, again - use microfibre and just a tiny bit of soap or a dash of bleach. an I but the swifters dusters when they are in sale in big boxes. I wipe the prints and paintings, then the ceiling corners white, then the walls, as I live in a city and there is a a lot of dust.

I have tons of clutter so keep it ALL behind glass in cabinets or hidden in armoires and closets.

If I am not using a room for a week or longer, I throw drop cloths over everything.

I identified podcasts that I like listening to, and audio books, and tv shows that I dont need to watch, just mostly listen to, in addition to music. That way I can enjoy doing the cooking and cleaning and washing - maybe with joint or cocktails.

I make dates for sex and then say, I'll clean and do whatever chores for a few hours, then relax and shower and groom, and go have sex as the reward and nice end to the day.

Now that we are grown-ass men, we are convinced the only reason we survived our childhood with our Type-A mother is because of this shit ("No Bathtub Ring"):

R77, you sound very sensible. But lighten up on the rent-boy expenditures.

Kick yourself out of the house. Seriously, not being at home is the best way to keep it clean. Oh, and stop eating at home. You're stockpiling too much damned food. Stop it.

R72, Clean pet messes with Nature's Miracle, available at pet stores and at Amazon. It can be used on carpet and almost any other surface except fine fabrics. I have several pets, and I keep it in closets in almost every room.

Truth is some of the gadgets that we have now can speed cleaning up exponentially.

Number one is have a dishwasher and a robot vacuum cleaner (if you have a lawn a robot mower also)

Of the more recent stuff, the Karcher window washer is great and saves loads of time, as is the Karcher FC5 floor washer.

The Gtech cordless vacuums are also huge time savers for a deep clean.

Take advantage of technology OP.

This thread is great! My Oscar Madison lifestyle is the bane of my existence.

Can I find a rentboy who will also cook and clean?

For spring cleaning I pull out the leaf blower, come inside and BLOW everything, it gets dust out from behind the stove, washer, dryer and frig. It is great on dusty lamp shades and seat cushions which I take outside to blow off and drapes. I use it to blow out the dust in the lint trap chute on the dryer. It is also great for getting dust out of your laptop and keyboard. It gets those dust bunnies from all the hidden places.

I dry my expertly painted nails (fingers and toes) with a handheld hairdryer. Cool setting, Sil vous plait.

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