10 Easy Home Cleaning Hacks That You Must Know

A clean home looks nice, but keeping your home and kitchen tidy and spotless is not an easy task.

There are many home cleaning products in the market, which make the task easier to some extent. But, we cannot ignore the fact that these products are full of harsh chemicals. Using chemical-based products is not good for your health or the environment.

Simple cleaning hacks can help you efficiently and effectively tackle some tough jobs, without any harsh chemicals.

 Home cleaning hacks are the result of experiments by people from days gone by that have been passed down from one generation to another.

1. White Vinegar for Hard-Water Stains

Hard-water stains occur due to the high amount of mineral deposits like lime, silica and calcium in the water. These stains often occur on glass or ceramic surfaces, particularly in bathrooms and kitchens.

The buildup of mineral deposits is also common in electric kettles. This scaling not only ruins the appearance of your appliance but also slows down its functioning.

You can easily get rid of these mineral deposits using white vinegar, thanks to its acetic acid content. You can also use white vinegar for cleaning kitchen counters and hardwood floors.

1. Fill your electric kettle with equal parts of white vinegar and distilled water.
2. Set it aside for 1 hour.
3. Boil the vinegar and water solution.
4. Let it sit in the kettle for another 30 minutes to help loosen the limescale.
5. Discard the solution.
6. In case of stubborn hard water stains, repeat the procedure a few more times.
7. Finally, boil plain or distilled water in your electric kettle a couple of times to remove the sharp vinegar smell and aftertaste.

2. Water and Lemon Juice to Clean a Microwave

Although microwaves have made cooking easy, cleaning out that gross, crusty, burnt-on food is a herculean task. In fact, most of us put off cleaning the microwave, for no obvious reason.

But you can make the inside of your microwave sparkle like new with just water and lemon juice. The acidic nature of lemon works as a good stain and grease remover.

1. Put water in a microwave-safe bowl.
2. Add the juice of 1 to 2 lemons to the water. You can even drop the squeezed lemons into the bowl.
3. Put the bowl in the microwave and turn it on high power for 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Turn off the microwave, but do not open the door for 5 minutes.
5. Then, open the door and wipe it clean with a washcloth.

3. Baking Soda to Clean a Stainless Steel Kitchen Sink

It’s very difficult to keep a stainless steel kitchen sink clean and sparkly. With regular use, the sink soon starts looking a bit dingy. No matter how much you scrub it, you can’t seem to get it back to looking almost new again.

For a fresh and sparkling kitchen sink, you can always try baking soda. It will help remove light hard-water deposits as well as grease marks from the sink without scratching the stainless steel.

1. Give your kitchen sink a quick wash and rinse with water.
2. Generously sprinkle baking soda onto the entire sink.
3. Wait 10 minutes.
4. Using a soft sponge, scrub the sink in the direction of the steel.
5. Rinse the sink with water.
6. Finish by buffing it with a paper towel and a touch of olive oil.

4. Mineral Oil to Clean Kitchen Oil Stains

Stubborn kitchen oil stains on your kitchen stove, stove vent filter, kitchen cabinets, and other objects like the oil dispense and bottle lying around in your kitchen are almost a part of cooking.

These stains, however, are difficult to clean. Don’t worry, you can get rid of the nasty film of gunk with a simple home cleaning hack.

1. Dip a paper towel in some mineral oil.
2. Wipe it on the greasy surface to scrub off the film of gunk. If it is stubborn gunk then sprinkle a little baking soda on the surface and continue scrubbing.
3. Finally, wipe down the surface with another paper towel to remove the excess oil.

You can leave a little oil on the surface to keep the surface shiny. Plus, it will work as a protective coating on the surface to prevent future sticky grease stains.

5. Toothpaste to Clean Foggy Headlights

It’s common for car headlights to become dusty and foggy over time. It is important to keep your vehicle’s headlights clean, as dirty headlights can reduce visibility. This can make driving difficult, especially on a rainy or foggy night.

You can use white toothpaste to make your headlights look new again. It works as a good abrasive plastic polish, which helps remove the cloudiness.

1. Clean the headlights with a dusting cloth.
2. Spray water on the headlights.
3. Rub some white toothpaste on them.
4. Gently rub the toothpaste all over the headlights with a soft toothbrush.
5. Finally, clean the paste off the headlights with a wet cloth.

6. Black Tea to Clean Bathroom Mirrors

Finger and water marks can make your bathroom mirrors a mess very quickly. To keep the mirrors spot-free and super clean, you don’t have to buy glass cleaner and paper towels.

Your regular black tea, a lint-free cloth and old newspaper can clean your bathroom mirrors easily and in no time. The tannic acid in black tea works as a cleaning agent to dissolve dirt and grease.

1. Brew 2 to 3 cups of strong black tea and set it aside for about 1 hour.
2. Transfer the tea to a spray bottle.
3. Spray the solution onto a lint-free cloth and use it to clean the mirrors.
4. Finally, use pieces of a crumpled newspaper to buff out water spots for a final touch.

7. Baking Soda and Vinegar to Unclog a Drain

Clogged drains are just not part of the joy of home cleaning, but from time to time this problem arises. For troubleshooting this issue, we often rely on plumbers.

The next time you need to unclog a drain, forget the plumber and do it yourself. You just need baking soda and vinegar for this simple and easy task.

1. First, pour some boiling hot water down your drain.
2. Then, put ½ cup of baking soda into the drain.
3. Next, pour 1 cup of white vinegar into the drain. A fizzing action will take place, which will help remove the gunk and grime that has built up in the drain.
4. Wait 10 to 15 minutes, then flush some hot water down the drain.

To prevent future clogs, avoid putting food waste, solids and kitchen oils down the drain as much as possible.

8. Grapefruit to Clean Your Bathtub

Cleaning a bathroom, especially the bathtub, is a dreaded task. The soap and oils used while bathing can leave a nasty greasy mark around the bathtub.

Using a chemical-based product to clean a bathtub is not a good idea as its can irritate your skin and even make the bathtub smell unpleasant.

You can clean your bathtub naturally using grapefruit and salt. While the acidic property of grapefruit will help get rid of grease, the small salt particles will work as a scrubber.

1. Cut a grapefruit in half.
2. Sprinkle some salt on 1 half.
3. Use it to scrub your bathtub, working your way from the inside outward.
4. Finally, thoroughly rinse the bathtub with water.

9. Aluminum Foil for Cleaning Mild Rust

Rust can form on rods in the bathroom, your kitchen knives or even on your day-to-day tools that are made of steel or iron.

Cleaning rust is easy with aluminum foil. This low-cost method will not scratch the surface of the metal and will remove the rust very easily. Aluminum chemically reacts with rust, which helps to get rid of it.

1. Clean the rusty surface using soapy water.
2. Dip a piece of aluminum foil into salt water. To make the salt water, add 1 teaspoon of salt in a small bowl filled with warm water.
3. Rub the aluminum foil back and forth over the rusty surface. Regularly dip the foil in water whenever it gets dry.
4. Clean off the residue using a rag or towel.
5. Buff the surface with a little olive oil and paper towel.

10. Lemon for Greasy Pans

Whether you are deep frying or cooking something special, it’s obvious that your pan will become greasy. But cleaning a greasy pan is a nightmare.

You can save time by cleaning the greasy pan with lemon. Its acidic nature can quickly help get rid of grease. Plus, lemon has a great aroma.

1. Pour water in your greasy pan.
2. Add some thick lemon slices to the pan. You can even add some lemon juice.
3. Allow the water to boil for 5 to 7 minutes.
4. Cover the pan and set it aside for a couple of hours.
5. Finally, clean the pan with your regular dish soap.