27 Nifty House Cleaning Hacks From Professional Cleaners

 27 Nifty House Cleaning Hacks From Professional Cleaners

Keeping a clean house often feels like a losing battle. There are so many surfaces in a home and all of them attract different types of messes. And though it may feel like a mountain, it doesn’t have to be insurmountable. You can forget fancy cleaning products and use items you already have on hand. Hopefully, the nifty house cleaning hacks from professional cleaners listed below will help you conquer the challenge and make your life a lot easier. 

1). Run your floor and ceiling vents through your dishwasher

A buildup of dust in your floor or ceiling vents is not good for your health as dust gets propelled into the room and harbors allergens. Removing accumulated dirt and grime from floor or ceiling vents may seem like a deep cleaning nightmare but there is a much easier shortcut.

Just run them through the dishwasher. Make sure your vents can be washed with water – most are made of metal. Place the vents in the dishwasher without stacking them on top of each other. Don’t use dishwasher soap as it’s too harsh and wash on a water-only cycle. Remove and dry with a dishtowel immediately (Don’t put wood or plastic vents in the dishwasher).  

2). Clean your microwave with steam and lemon essential oil

Clean your microwave without scrubbing. Add 15 drops of lemon essential oil into one and a half cups water to a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on high for five to 10 minutes, allowing the steam to condense on inside walls/ceilings of your machine. Once complete, simply wipe away the softened food with a sponge or microfiber cloth. 

3). Clean your dishwasher with vinegar and baking soda

Like other appliances that get frequent use, you want your dishwasher to perform well and last as long as possible, and a monthly cleaning will help ensure this. Fill a glass or plastic container with one cup of distilled white vinegar and place the open container on the top rack of the dishwasher. Run a regular wash cycle. You can skip the drying cycle to save energy costs.

When the first cycle is finished, sprinkle one cup of baking soda on the inside floor of the dishwasher. Run a short, hot water rinse cycle (skip the drying cycle) and then open the dishwasher door to allow the interior to air dry. The vinegar will strip away any grease build-up and the baking soda will remove lingering odors. Never mix the vinegar and baking soda in the same cleaning cycle as they will start to foam and make a big mess.

4). Clean your ceiling fans with a pillowcase 

Keeping your ceiling fan clean and dust-free not only ensures a long life for your fan but also makes the air in your home cleaner and safer for your family. Dust is one of the main culprits of a wobbly ceiling fan. Use an old pillowcase to wipe down the blades of your ceiling fan. The pillowcase will capture any excess dust so it doesn’t land on surfaces below. Simply side the pillowcase over a fan blade, then press gently against the blade, and pull the pillowcase back. Repeat until all blades are clean. Shake the old pillowcase outside before washing it in warm water.

5). Soak your stove burners in household ammonia

Most stove burners take the bulk of the greasy, gunky mess during cooking, so do them a favor and give them a deep cleaning. No scrubbing involved. To clear the crud, combine your stove burners and 1/4 cup ammonia in a plastic bag and let sit overnight. They should come clean with a light sponge the next day.

6). Iron out pesky carpet stains

Don’t spend an hour scrubbing out a set-in carpet stain. Iron it out instead. Spray a solution of one part vinegar and three parts water on the stain, then lay a clean cotton cloth on top. Turn your iron to its highest steam setting and run it over the stain for about 10 seconds. The stain will get transferred to the cloth and off your carpet.

7). Soak your showerhead in a bag of vinegar 

Looking for a hands-free hack for deep-cleaning your shower head? Mineral build-up and grime on your showerhead can cause low water pressure and wonky water streams. Deep cleaning shower heads is easy without removing them. Simply attach a bag of vinegar to the showerhead using a rubber band. Make sure all the holes are submerged in the vinegar and soak overnight. Your showerhead will be clean of mineral deposits and gunk.  

8). Keep a soap-dispensing dish brush in the shower  

If you thought soap dispensing dish brushes were only for the kitchen sink then you might want to reconsider. If you keep a brush in your bathroom, you can use it to give the tile and tub in your shower a quick clean down before you wash off, or while waiting for your hair conditioner to sink in. 

9). Boil your range filter 

There’s no need to scrub grease and grime off your range filters. Use a large pot and some baking soda instead. Fill a pot large enough for your filter with water and bring it to a boil. Slowly pour in about a half cup of baking soda to prevent the water from bubbling over. Place the filter into the water for around 15 minutes as the grease floats to the top.

Take the filter out using tongs and rinse it off in the sink with hot water. If it wasn’t fully submerged, place the other end of the filter into the water and let it soak for 15 minutes. Wipe the filter dry with a microfiber cloth and place it back into the hood. 

10). Freshen up your mattress with baking soda

Freshening up your mattress and get rid of odors and dust mites that may be interfering with a good night’s sleep. Using a kitchen strainer, sprinkle baking soda over the entire surface of your mattress and let sit for at least an hour. The longer you leave it, the more it absorbs moisture and odor-causing particles. Then use your vacuum’s upholstery attachment to suck up the odor-absorbing soda.

11). Keep a jar of rice and essential oils in the bathroom to reduce odors 

Rice has a lot of uses outside the kitchen. It’s also an all-natural odor absorber. Mix 10-20 drops of your favorite essential oils ( rosemary, peppermint, or lavender oil) with 1 to 2 cups of uncooked rice to create a leave-it-anywhere deodorizer. Shake the mixture up inside a mason jar, then cover it with a breathable fabric (secured with a rubber band) to soak up odors in your bathrooms, closets, or living areas.

12). Get rid of crayon marks on your wall with Goo Gone

Typically used to clean off sticker residue, Goo Gone will remove the crayon marks on your walls as well. Spray it on your darling’s doodle, wait a moment, and wipe it off cleanly, without exhausting your arms. It should take it right off.

13). Mark your old sponges to avoid cross-contamination 

Kitchen sponges are breeding grounds for bacteria and need to be replaced often. However, worn-out dish or countertop sponges can be repurposed to clean dirtier areas of your home like floors or the bathroom before tossing them out. The next time you decide your kitchen sponge is too dirty for dishes or countertops, cut a corner off of it. This will permanently mark it as a utility sponge and it won’t get accidentally used on something sanitary. 

14). Remove nail polish from your carpet with a Magic Eraser 

Few stains are tougher to remove than a spilled bottle of nail polish. Start by applying nail polish remover (acetone) or rubbing alcohol. But if that doesn’t work, got at it with a Magic Eraser.  They are made of extra abrasive melamine foam, so you can moisten one to scrub dried nail polish out of carpet and rugs, and other non-delicate fabrics and textiles.  

15). Clean and brighten enameled pots

Enameled Dutch ovens, used for making soups, beans, bread, chili, poached chicken, and steam veggies, are also beautiful statement pieces. While the outside of the pots may look gorgeous, the insides can turn brown due to food and heat. Simply fill the pot with water about 3/4 of the way full and add 1/3 cup of baking soda. Bring it to a boil and then turn off the heat. After about 30 minutes, dump the dirty water, sprinkle the interior generously with more baking soda, lightly scrub the surface with a textured sponge and then rinse the interior with fresh water.

16). Polish your stainless steel appliances with olive oil  

If you have any stainless steel appliances in your kitchen, you know how easily the finish can get smudged. Olive oil is great for cleaning fingerprints and smudges on your stainless steel fridge, microwave, oven, and dishwasher door, and it won’t leave streaks the way commercial cleaners often do. Just add a few drops of olive oil to a clean, microfiber cloth. Then, use the cloth to buff your stainless steel in the same direction as the grain, either horizontally or vertically.  

17). Freshen up your garbage disposal with lemon, ice, and salt

The garbage disposal does a lot of dirty work on a regular basis, so it’s important to keep it clean and odor-free. To clean and deodorize your garbage disposal, toss in a cut-up lemon, add a few ice cubes and some salt, and turn it on. If you do this trick once a week, you’ll never have bad odors coming from your disposal.

18). Clean your oven with baking soda

Conventional oven cleaners contain a range of chemicals such as potassium hydroxide, monoethanolamine, sodium hydroxide, and butoxydiglycol. These and other chemicals can irritate your respiratory system and burn your skin, lungs, and eyes. Understandably, many people are concerned about using these chemicals around their families and pets or in an appliance used to cook your food.

Fortunately, there is a natural alternative to commercial oven cleaners. In a small bowl, combine the ingredients to make a paste roughly the consistency of pancake batter. Remove the racks from the oven. Using a rubber spatula or a gloved hand, smear the paste over the dirty parts, whether metal or glass. Avoid the heating elements. Let the paste sit for 15-20 minutes. Wipe up the paste and loosened dirt and grease with wet paper towels.

19). Dust your electronics with coffee filters

Coffee filters are useful items to keep around your living room and office, not only in the kitchen. They are perfect for clearing dust from TV screens, computer monitors, and any other screens around the home, without leaving behind fibers like paper towels d

20). Use baking soda and vinegar to clean your tub and toilet 

Keeping a bathroom sparkling clean and sanitary does not have to require a hazmat. White vinegar cuts through soap scum and helps keep bacteria and mold from developing, while baking soda is a gentle abrasive that softens water and deodorizes as it cleans. Mix one cup vinegar and half a cup of baking soda with hot water and pour into the tub and allow to sit for at least five minutes.

Start filling the tub with hot water until it is approximately one-quarter filled, and let it sit for another five minutes. Then drain and rinse thoroughly. Use the same concoction to freshen up your toilet. Just let it soak for a bit, then flush and wipe the seat. You can also mix one cup of baking soda with 15 drops of tea tree essential oil and 15 drops of lemon or orange essential oil. Let the mixture sit in the bowl for 30 minutes, then scrub with a bowl brush before flushing. 

21). Use vinegar to disinfect your coffee maker

Germs love warmth and moisture — two things that your coffee maker produces every single morning while brewing your daily cup. In fact, 50% of these household appliances contain yeast and mold, according to an NSF study. Cleaning a coffee maker with vinegar is an effective all-natural solution. It will decalcify the interior of the device as well as add acidity to the hot water to disinfect.

Once a month, fill your coffee maker reservoir with a quarter cup of white vinegar mixed with water. Run it and then run it again with only water to get rid of any lingering vinegar smell. Clean coffee stains from your coffee pot with denture cleaner. Simply put two tablets into the pot and let them soak for about an hour and rinse.

22). Eliminate foul odors from your upholstery

White vinegar has antibacterial properties and works really well to kill odors in upholstery, To use it, put straight white vinegar (not white wine vinegar) in a spray bottle and mist the couch with it. As the vinegar dries, the smell will dissipate, but you should spritz it from about a foot away. Aim for a light misting, not total saturation. You can also add your favorite essential oil such as like lavender.   

23). Dust your window blinds with an old sock 

Blinds often have multiple sides and shapes, so they can be a hassle to clean. With this simple hack, it doesn’t have to be. Use a half vinegar and water mixture with an old clean sock. Swipe the sock over each section side to side and the embedded dust and dirt will come right off your blinds. 

24). Make your kitchen blender clean itself 

Cleaning a blender essentially involves sticking your hand into a bowl full of knives and hoping for the best every time you try to remove the remnants of whatever you just blended from the blades. However, there is an easier and safer way to remove that stuck-on gunk from your blender. Just pour some warm water, baking soda, and a little dish soap into your blender and turn it on for a few seconds. Then give it a quick rinse with clean water or toss it in the dishwasher to get it squeaky clean.

25). Remove pet hair with rubber gloves

When your standard vacuum doesn’t seem to get all your pet’s hair, rubber gloves will get the job done. Just slide them on and rub down any areas that need extra cleaning. When rubber is pushed against the fabric, it can generate static electricity to gather remaining pet hair. Rinse the gloves under running water when you’re done and the hair will home right off.

26). Keep your washing machine smelling fresh with bleach 

Many of us think of our washing machines as self-cleaning, but that’s far from the case. A study published in an Applied and Environmental Microbiology journal found that running a typical wash and rinse with detergent was not enough to remove a number of infectious viruses. However, there is a simple solution to getting your machine clean and disinfected. Simply run your washer on a clean setting with a mixture of hot water and a 1/2 cup of bleach. This will help get rid of germs and bacteria that could be lingering inside.

27). Hire a professional cleaning service

When your home needs a deep cleaning, sometimes you just can’t do it all by yourself. It requires a professional cleaning service to come in and get your house spic and span. Not only that, a professional cleaning service knows all of the clever cleaning hacks to get your home ultra-clean – just the way you like it. 

Why your home needs Cleanstart

When you hire Cleanstart, your first cleaning will be a thorough deep clean. Our cleaning PROS will touch every inch of your home from top to bottom. After that, you can choose the frequency of maintenance cleanings (bi-weekly, weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly). In addition to tackling all visible dirt, grime, and dust in your home, we will clean the hidden areas that often get missed such as baseboards, underneath furniture, and those hard-to-reach spots like ceiling fans, behind the toilet, high furniture, and cabinet tops.

Our cleaning PROS bring to the job whatever cleaning supplies are needed unless there is something specific you want us to use instead. When we are finished cleaning your home, you will have peace of mind knowing that it has received the highest level of care possible. Our consistently high standards and attention to detail are what our customers love most about our services, and why they recommend Cleanstart to family and friends

Worry-free services

You can be assured that each member of our cleaning crew undergoes extensive vetting and receives a background check before they are hired. We train our cleaners in all aspects of professional cleaning including the latest technologies, tools, products, equipment, safety, and quality standards. Cleanstart is a fully insured company and our cleaning PROS are bonded and covered by worker’s compensation insurance.

Our Customer satisfaction guarantee

Simply put, we care about our customers and want to provide the best cleaning services possible. We offer a customer satisfaction guarantee. If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of our cleaning service, we want you to call us within 24 hours so we can promptly resolve the issue at no additional cost to you.

Whether you need a one-time clean when you need it or recurring house cleaning services on the regular, our cleaning PROS are standing by and ready to make your home sparkle and shine!

Cleanstart offers:

✓ Over 25 years of experience in the commercial cleaning and janitorial industry
✓ Thoroughly trained and vetted cleaning professionals
✓ Commitment to the highest quality clean
✓ Local, licensed, insured, & bonded
✓ 24/7 cleaning options & support
✓ Customized cleaning solutions
✓ One-time and recurring office cleaning services
✓ 100% satisfaction guarantee
✓ OSHA, HIPAA, EPA, CDC, AORN compliant
✓  A+ BBB-rating

If you would more information about our cleaning services or to schedule a cleaning, please give us a call at (253) 921-2593 or request a free online cleaning quote now! 

Cleanstart services the following Greater Puget Sound locations:

Auburn, Bellevue, Bellingham, Bonney Lake, Bremerton, Factoria, Fife, Gig Harbor, Kent, Lakewood, Olympia, Puyallup, Renton, Seattle, Tacoma, Tukwila, University Place, King County, Kitsap County, Pierce County, and Thurston County.

5013 Pacific Hwy E unit 16 Fife, WA 98424 • Phone: 253.921.2593 • Email: Caleb @ thecleanstart.com