23 Quick & Easy Cleaning Hacks (Make Your Home Shine in Less Time)

Want to learn how to clean your home more quickly and easily? See how to keep your kitchen and bath sparkling, your house odor-free, and your floors and counters clean with these 21 clever cleaning hacks.

Make cleaning as easy as possible with these 9 Must-Have Spring Cleaning Tools and these 15 Homemade Cleaners that Really Work!

Cleaning. Nobody wants to do it, but it has to be done! I’m all about making cleaning as effortless and quick as possible so I can get it out of the way and onto the better parts of the day.

After all, the Making Lemonade Mantra is to reduce time and effort on house chores so you can go on living your life. With that in mind, I’ve rounded up some of my go-to cleaning hacks so that you, too, can quickly and effectively clean your house… in less time, with less effort.

Kitchen Cleaning Hacks and Tips

If you cook often or have kids, the kitchen is probably one of the areas that needs to be cleaned the most often. Here are some quick DIYs for keeping your kitchen clean and functioning at its best.

1. Wipe Down Your Refrigerator Before Getting Groceries

Don’t let residue and old food build up in your fridge. Instead, take a few moments before getting groceries or on grocery day to toss expired food and wipe down your fridge while there is empty space. All you really need is a good sponge and some elbow grease. Make sure to rinse off any residue after and then dry with a paper towel or dish cloth.

2. Use Baking Soda to Remove Refrigerator Odors

Baking soda is a great natural deodorizer for the fridge. Add in some essential oils, and you get an extra burst of freshness every time you open the refrigerator.

3. Microwave Cleaning Hack with Lemon and Vinegar

This is the easiest way to clean your microwave!

Combine 1 cup of vinegar, 1 cup of water, and 2 tbsps of lemon juice in a bowl and microwave it for two minutes. Once done, remove it, and then you’ll find that you can easily wipe down the sides of your microwave.

4. Softly Scrub the Sink

Two magic ingredients create the most effective yet gentle scrub out there. I like to use it on my kitchen sink so that it removes stubborn stains and doesn’t get scratched up.

Cleaning Hacks for the Floor

Cleaning floors is often the most exhausting chore in a home, so here are a few options for taking some of the stress out of the mundane task.

5. Cordless Vacuums

A cordless vacuum (this cordless vacuum is my favorite and worth every penny) makes regular cleaning so much simpler. Just pull out the vacuum whenever you need to spot clean to keep floors cleaner for longer – and with less effort.

6. Combo Floor Cleaners

Two in one combo floor cleaners like the Bissell Crosswave can vacuum and mop at the same time, saving you time and space. The Bissell does such a satisfying job that the whole family loves to use it to clean our floors and throw rugs– just wait until you see how dirty the water gets, you’ll be shocked all of that was on your floor!

7. Freshen the Carpet

The carpet can quickly turn into a musty and dirty place. Easily freshen it up using just 2 ingredients to deodorize and clean the carpet.

Laundry Cleaning Hacks and Tips

Make laundry a cinch with these simple but helpful tips!

8. Wool Dryer Balls

Ditch the dryer sheets! Instead, use dryer balls to keep your laundry from clumping together in the dryer. This helps to make your clothes dry faster, reduce static, and help to keep them soft. Plus, it’s so much better for the environment because the balls are reusable for thousands of laundry loads.

9. Mesh Laundry Bags

Use mesh laundry bags to help keep items together, wash delicate items, and also help you remember if you need to check an item to make sure the stains get out before it goes into the dryer.

10. Wash Pillows in the Washing Machine

When pillows age, they turn yellow. You can clean them up in the washing machine with white vinegar, hot water, and All Free and Clear to make them fresh and white once again. One cycle and you’re done!

Bathroom Cleaning Hacks and Tips

Keep your bathroom not only looking fresh but actually clean with these handy DIYs and hacks.

11. Toilet Cleaning Fizzies

Bath bombs for the toilet! Pop one of these homemade fizzies into your toilet bowl, and let it work its magic. Once it’s fully dissolved, wipe down the toilet with a toilet brush, and all the grime will instantly slide away.

12. Squeegee Your Shower

After you’re done in the shower, use a squeegee to remove any water (or other residue) on the walls and glass on the shower door. For an added cleaning/freshening bonus, spray a mixture of equal parts vinegar and water after using the squeegee and let it air dry.

13. Use This Powerful Bathroom Cleaner

Make your own bathroom cleaner out of natural ingredients for a powerful yet green clean. Works on tile, the shower, sink, counters, and everything in between! It can even help prevent mold and mildew and remove water stains and soap scum on grout too.

14. Dry Toilet Brush Cleaning Hack

Let your toilet brush dry before storing it. An easy hack for this is to close the lid over the handle of the brush and let it hover over the bowl for 30 minutes to an hour before storing it.

15. Clean Your Shower Head with Vinegar

When your showerhead is crusty and clogged, fill a plastic bag with vinegar and insert your shower head until fully immersed. Use a string or elastic to hold it in place. Allow the showerhead to soak for a few hours before removing and letting the water run.

Pantry Staples for Natural Cleaning

These pantry items are a must-have because they can be used as affordable yet powerful natural cleaners for not only the kitchen – but all over your home.

16. Baking Soda

I use baking soda in many of my natural cleaning recipes (like my toilet cleaning bombs or DIY fridge deodorizer). It softly scrubs away grime, works as a deodorizer, and creates strong cleaning reactions when mixed with vinegar. It usually only takes sprinkling on a few tablespoons—it works like a charm.

17. Vinegar

Vinegar is a powerful cleaner that can be used throughout the house. To make a vinegar spray, mix equal parts of vinegar and water to disinfect and clean surfaces.

18. Lemon Essential Oil

Use lemon essential oil to take stickers and labels off in seconds. You’ll be amazed at how well it works! Here’s ten more cleaning hacks using lemon essential oil.

More Great Cleaning Hacks for the Home

Here are a few more fun DIYs that really can make a difference in your everyday life.

19. Make Your Own Air Freshener and Deodorizer

Quickly get rid of odors by spritzing this DIY spray throughout the home. Customize the scent to whatever tickles your nose, then add the ingredients into a spray bottle and spritz away.

20. Natural Cleaning Wipes

It’s great to have wipes handy whenever you need them or to bring them with you on the go. Make your own non-toxic wipes in a matter of minutes. You can also use these at home to dust, wipe down counters, or anything else you need.

21. Deodorize Shoes

Add a couple of drops of purification oil to your shoes or combine it with witch hazel and water to spray the outside of the shoes. The odors will disappear instantly! We also will stick charcoal bags into stinky shoes which helps naturally absorb the odor.

22. Remove Pet Hair Easily

I’m not sure if this can be considered a ‘hack’ because it was designed to work this way, but this pet hair remover is such a brilliant cleaning tool that I couldn’t leave it off the list. It’s the only thing that seems to get stubborn cat hair off of our couches!

23. Dust Ceiling Fans Without the Mess

Place an old pillowcase over the ceiling fan blades one at a time, and then use a microfiber cloth to dust each one while inside the pillowcase. Dust falls into the pillowcase, saving your floors (and corralling the dust inside, your nose and allergies will thank you!)

By utilizing these cleaning hacks, you’ll save so much time and energy, and even cut costs down by making some of your own natural cleaners. Happy cleaning!

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