5 Efficient Cleaning Hacks That Make Spring Cleaning A Breeze

Maintenance & Repair

Published on: January 11th, 2021
5 minutes read

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(Guest Writer: Nora Mitchell)

It can be a constant battle to keep your house as clean as it can be. I know I’ve been there before, finding myself taking hours and hours just to get everything looking the way as perfect as it can be.

From these experiences (and a little help from good ol’ Google) I have found 5 awesome cleaning hacks that will help you knock down those hours into minutes! I’ll explain how each one works a little bit too, so let’s start with number one.

Image © Monfocus from Pixabay

1. Use Steam Mops to Clean Your Floors

For sparkling clean floors without the need for chemical cleaners, steam mops (like those from Karcher) are the answer. Steam mops use hot steam to remove grime from floors and work without the need for traditional floor-cleaning formulas.

They will remove tough, dried-on stains along with everyday dust and dirt. Plus, because the steam reaches high temperatures, these mops can sanitize and disinfect germy areas like bathroom floors and pet spaces, with just a few slow passes.

2. Use Ketchup to Polish Silverware

Now, I know what you’re thinking, there’s no way this actually works. Well, believe it or not, the acidity in the tomatoes that are used to make ketchup really helps with getting all the leftovers off of your silverware!

This works with stainless steel or copper pots and pans too. Simply squirt a little ketchup on, scrub with a scouring pad, and rinse the residue away with warm water.

Believe me, ketchup is a whole lot cheaper than buying a bunch of cleaning supplies to keep your pots and pans clean. Plus, if you were worried about it smelling, the scent of ketchup won’t linger once you wash it off.

3. Clean Your Cast Iron Skillets With Salt

Cast iron skillets are great once you’ve cooked with them enough times that they retain their seasoning. Although if you clean them with soap all the time, they just won’t have that same kind of flavour after many uses.

If you want to keep them clean without ruining the flavour they’ve acquired, just scrub them with some ordinary salt! It will eat through all that old food residue, and still keep that seasoning taste intact for all your future cooking endeavours.

4. Drop Sliced Lemons in Your Garbage Disposal

If your kitchen sink doesn’t drain quite as well as it used to, start by scrubbing it clean with an old toothbrush and then drop sliced lemons in the garbage disposal to freshen everything up.

The acidity in the lemons will help eat away at all the buildup over time, and the best part is the lemons themselves won’t clog up your drain at all afterwards!

Remember to slice the lemons first though. Your garbage disposal will have to put in some pretty hard work to slice up whole lemons, and if that breaks, a clogged drain is going to be the least of your worries.

5. Clean Your Window Tracks With A Cotton Swab Dipped in Vinegar

We all know that your window tracks can quickly acquire lots of dirt and grime simply by opening them up and exposing them to the outside elements. To give them a good clean, just dip a cotton swab in vinegar and wipe.

Cotton swabs are great for picking up dirt and grime and the vinegar will give them the nice shine they had when they were first installed as well.

Conclusion

So this is going to finish out the top 5 cleaning hacks that will save time and keep your house in top shape.

All the materials you’ll need to get these done can all be easily found in your local supermarket, and are all fairly cheap too. So, do away with dirtying up your hands and sweating for hours on end, and clean smarter, not harder!

Author's Bio: Nora Mitchell is a stay-at-home mom, always trying to maintain a healthy balance between taking care of the home and having fun. She shares her experience and writes about household tips in Household Advice.