18 Pro Cleaning Hacks to Make Your Life Better

Our 18 best pro cleaning hacks to make your life easier 

Household chores seem to never end. After keeping house for almost 30 years, we’ve compiled our favorite tips to help make your load just a little bit lighter. No one wants to spend their life cleaning. That’s why these quick fixes are the best. Even if you have help cleaning these tips will help you stay on top of the “daily grind,” like laundry, dishes, and trash. We’ve also included a few quick solutions to some tough cleaning problems. Here are our top 18 cleaning tricks that will help you finish the job so you can get back to living. Let’s get started!

Cleaning Hack #1: Keep a Stash in the Trash

This is literally my favorite cleaning hack of all time:  Keep extra trash bags inside trash cans all over your house. This may seem like no big deal. Au contraire mon amie! It’s a big deal. Such a great time saver. I swear it makes me so happy every time I go to empty a bin and my next bag is in there. Sometimes it’s the little things.

Hack #2: Easy Way to Clean the Tub

Sometimes, I like to use cheap shampoo to clean the tub. It’s conveniently located and less expensive. It’s a win, win! You can also use Kaboom if you have it on hand. Just spray a layer of the foaming cleaning solution all over your tub. With barely any scrubbing, it soaks up all that gross dirt, grime and rust. Plus, it’s kind of fun to watch. It sprays on white, and once it turns to a blue foam, that’s when you know it’s done. Just rinse it away with warm water. You can also use this on your sink and toilet. 

Hack #3: Cellphone Lands in the Toilet, Bathtub or Sink

We’ve all been there. You drop your phone in the toilet and game over, right? Not necessarily. If you act fast, you may be able to save the phone. Pull the battery out ASAP. Then dry the inside of the phone with a hair dryer. Put the battery back in to see if it works. You probably will have to get a new battery. If it still won’t turn on, let the phone sit in a bowl of 4 cups of uncooked instant rice for 48-72 hours. Make sure the phone is separated from the battery and both are completely covered in rice. This will help extract excess moisture from your phone. Take the phone to a service center to check it out. Good luck!

Cleaning Hack #4: Soak Your Dishes Before Rinsing

Another super helpful cleaning hack is to soak your dishes in hot, soapy water before rinsing them to place in the dishwasher. You save a ton of scrubbing time by doing this. While you soak them, you can do other things like wipe down the counters or tidy up the kitchen.

Currently, ever since our reliable dishwasher broke, we’ve been using this trick to help us as we tackle all the dishes by hand. 

Hack #5: Wipe Down the Counters Before Vacuuming

Have you ever vacuumed your entire kitchen and realized afterwards you forgot to wipe down your counter tops beforehand (which are covered in food crumbs)? It basically defeats the purpose of vacuuming in the first place. I like to wipe down the counters first, not worrying if some crumbs get on the floor, and vacuum up the rest. So much more efficient this way. 

Hack #6: Use Baking Soda and White Vinegar to Unclog a Drain

If your sink or shower drain is ever draining slowly or clogged, simply pour a solution of baking soda and white vinegar down your drain. Let it soak overnight if the drain is very clogged or not draining right away. It should be cleared by morning.

Hack #7: Use a Mr. Clean Eraser for Marks on Walls

This is one of my absolute favorite cleaning hacks. The Mr. Clean erasers are lifesavers for cleaning walls. I’ve been relying on these cleaning erasers for years. And they last a while. Get your eraser slightly damp, making sure to wring out excess moisture, and begin lightly “erasing” any marked-up areas. It will remove most scuff marks on your base boards, walls, doors, you name it. It comes off with very little scrubbing which is awesome. Swap it out for a new one when it starts to get dark in color and shrivels down. 

Always proceed with caution. Painted walls are more delicate. You can inadvertently take off paint. Trim areas and doors are stronger.

Cleaning Hack #8: Use a Dryer Sheet to Clean Oven Racks

Are your oven racks covered in food and junk? Because mine sure are. I just recently discovered this clever hack where you use a dryer sheet to remove excess gunk off your oven racks. How cool is that? Simply remove the racks from the oven and rub a dryer sheet over any areas that need cleaning.

Hack #9: Clean Makeup Brushes with a Trivet and Dish Soap

Cleaning your makeup brushes doesn’t have to be rocket science. Good old Dawn dish soap and a cleaning trivet will get the job done. Wet your brushes with warm water, squeeze a dime size amount of dish soap and swirl in circular moments on the trivet. Rinse with water and clean until all the makeup is gone.

Make sure to only rinse the brushes with the bristles facing downwards. This protects the bristles from getting worn out or breaking. Lay the clean brushes on a clean paper towel to dry. They should take 3-4 hours to dry before use. It’s best to wash them before bed and let them dry overnight. 

Cleaning Hack #10: Use a Vacuum to Clean Inside Cabinets

Vacuums aren’t just for the floor. Most vacuums come with easily detachable attachments that you can use to clean smaller areas like under couches, alcoves, counter tops and even inside your kitchen/bathroom cabinets. Simply use it to suck up any dust, dirt or crumbs and voila, clean cabinets. 

Hack #11: Keep a Dish Scrubbing Brush in the Shower

A convenient way to keep your shower clean is to keep a dish scrubbing brush within reach. This makes it easier to clean rust and grime without using a toothbrush or rag. Simply cover the bristles in soap and begin scrubbing your shower walls and surfaces. The small handheld wand helps you get into smaller, harder to reach areas. You can use a dish brush with a built-in sponge and soap dispenser to make it even simpler. 

Cleaning Hack #12: Use a Sock to Clean Your Window Blinds

This cleaning hack is something you wouldn’t normally expect. Place a sock over your hand and wipe the dust off your window blinds. You can easily wash the sock afterwards and you’ll have dust-free blinds in no time.

Hack #13: Best Way to Clean a Cast Iron Pan

You may have learned the hard way that you can’t clean a cast iron pan the same as you would regular dishes. There is a specific method to cleaning cast iron pans, and it’s not hard. Simply heat the pan up on the stove or clean immediately after cooking. Then, scrub the pan with hot soapy water. Don’t let the pan soak in water, this will ruin the pan.

Scrub until all the grease and grime is no longer visible and place on a drying mat. Drizzle olive oil all over the pan and take a scrubbing brush or paper towel to soak the oil into the pan. Make sure the pan is completely coated in oil and let dry overnight. This will ensure the pan doesn’t rust over time. 

Hack #14: Use Vinegar and Baking Soda to Clean Your Oven

Ever had a cooking disaster where your muffin batter drips all over the bottom of your oven? Or pizza cheese drips everywhere? Well we certainly have. This is the best way to clean your oven: baking soda and vinegar. Simply remove your oven racks and clean those separately. Then, combine a mixture of 2/3 water and 1/3 vinegar in a spray bottle and spray all over the inside of your oven.

Sprinkle baking soda all over the oven, followed by a good layer of coarse salt. Spray the door and inside of oven once more with the vinegar mixture. Let this sit overnight. In the morning, scrub the oven with a coarse sponge. Everything should come off easily. Spray one more time with vinegar and wipe with paper towels. 

Cleaning Hack #15: Best Way to Clean a Blender

I’m sure we aren’t the only ones who are always looking for more efficient ways to clean dishes and appliances. This blender cleaning hack is genius. All you need to do is fill the blender with warm water and drop of dish soap and turn the blender on for 30 seconds. Then, rinse the blender out with warm water. 

Hack #16: Use Baking Soda for Stained Laundry Loads

If you want a brighter load of laundry, pour a cup of baking soda in the wash with your clothes. This will ensure that your clothes come out cleaner, brighter and stain-free. Such a simple cleaning hack to make your life a little easier. 

Hack #17: Use Vinegar to Clean Dirty/Cloudy Glasses

Pour a small amount of vinegar on a paper towel to clean your dirty or cloudy glasses before a dinner party or gathering. 

Hack #18: How to remove a water stain on marble?

To remove water spots, wash the stain with a gentle detergent and water; use a soft bristled brush and lightly scrub. Rinse with water and dry. If the stain is stubborn use baking soda and water to make a paste. You can also use a diluted solution of ammonia, bleach or hydrogen peroxide.

Do you have any favorite cleaning hacks to share?

We hope you enjoyed these cleaning hacks we’ve learned over the years. If you have a favorite cleaning hack or two please tell us in the comments. If we like them we’ll add them to the post. 

Let us know in the comments if you’ve tried any of these hacks and how they worked for you. Be sure to check out our blog post on how to organize your home using the famous Marie Kondo method.

Happy cleaning, Friends!