The Top 10 Cleaning Hacks That Actually Work (from a Pro’s Perspective)

Inside: Use these top cleaning hacks that actually work from a professional cleaner to save yourself the time and effort of trying ones that don’t.

A guest post by Jessalynn Jones of Doable Simplicity

Do you ever get frustrated when you’re trying to clean your house and you meet with grime that just won’t budge? Maybe you can’t get into a tight spot or you always have streaks no matter what you do.

To make matters worse have you ever gone online and seen a “GENIUS CLEANING HACK” that left you chasing down lots of products, devoting too much time to the process, and in the end finding it doesn’t really work after all?

I’ve felt your pain!

I’m a professional house cleaner. In fact, I’ve been cleaning homes for over 18 years and I never mind trying out a new tip.

Some of the trending cleaning hacks you see online actually do work but others definitely don’t and will waste your money, time, and energy.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could save yourself all that time experimenting?

You can! Today I’m going to share with you the cleaning hacks that really work so that you can save yourself all that headache.

The Top 10 Cleaning Hacks That Actually Work

Save yourself the time of trying out the newest trends and use these top ten cleaning hacks that actually work. While they may not be glamorous, they get the job done and you won’t waste money on products that don’t work.

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1. Scrubbing with More Power

So there is this really popular hack out there that involves using power tools to clean.

I get it. More POWER!

Attaching scrub brushes to a power drill is an interesting idea. While it’s not a cleaning tool that I use when cleaning homes, there are some people who swear by them (and if you don’t have the arm strength to scrub, they could be a great option!).

I, however, prefer using the right cleaning supplies and a little old-fashioned elbow grease to get the job done quickly and efficiently.

What are these solutions?

2. Cleaning Solutions That Work

Scrolling through Instagram reels I saw a lot of magic sprays that will “do the work for you”. These chemical concoctions have been around for years. I’ve tried these types of sprays but they never deliver on being magical or doing the work for me.

Instead, they waste your money and can smell really strong making it hard to breathe in the room you’re trying to clean.

So what are the right solutions? What do I use to clean basically anything? My minimalist cleaning supplies consist of products you likely already have in your home.

My multipurpose cleaning is made with a squirt of Dawn dish soap, a squeeze of hydrogen peroxide, and water. You can add a couple of drops of an essential oil or two to make it smell good.

For glass, mirrors, and anything else that is shiny I almost always use white vinegar. If you can’t stand the smell of vinegar a half-and-half solution of Isopropyl Alchohol and water will also work.

For soap scum squeeze a little Dawn around your shower tub and scrub.

And last but not least, when you have some baked-on, hardened, or sticky grime use a paste or powder like Bar Keepers Friend or plain old Baking Soda.

3. Whiten Your Grout

But what about really dirty grout, lime deposits on your shower head, or moldy corners?

What you might actually need is a little time and a couple of smart cleaning hacks that actually work!

For dirty grout and moldy corners in your showers, I highly recommend a toilet bowl cleaner that contains bleach.

Simply squeeze it onto the corners or grout, give it a quick scrub, and walk away for a while to let the bleach work.

When you return and rinse it off you will be VERY impressed.

4. Clean Water Faucets and Shower Heads

What about those lime deposits and gunk that collects on your shower heads or faucets?

Have you heard of the cleaning hack where you fill a bag with white vinegar and attach it with a rubber band to your fixture? This one really works.

All you need is a Ziploc bag, vinegar, and a way to keep the bag closed so the liquid doesn’t spill out. Binder clips are a great option, but a rubber band will work too (it’s just a little trickier to get on there).

Make sure that the shower head or faucet is submerged in the vinegar. Give it at least half an hour and after that, a simple scrub with a toothbrush should help the crusty hard water deposits fall away.

You’ll be amazed at what a difference this makes.

5. Get Rid of Toilet Stains

Your bathroom should be looking pretty good with the last few tips! But what about your toilet?

I’ve seen videos where people combine a million chemicals in toilets to “clean” them. Those videos are downright dangerous because combining chemicals can have dire consequences.

So what do you do about those pesky toilet rings and stains?

First of all, the key to preventing an ugly toilet is to brush it every week.

Having a good toilet gel is great but I’ve never seen any particular benefit to the ones that hang on or attach to the toilet tank or bowl.

Next, when you really have nasty stains don’t go and buy some kind of toilet fizz bomb. It might work but you have something just as good or better at home already.

Pour a bucket of water into your bowl quickly and it will flush to empty. Then sprinkle baking soda all over the bowl. Scrub it around for even coverage and then pour white vinegar around the bowl. Don’t go overboard because it will fizz up.

Leave it for a while scrub it again and flush. You should see a huge difference.

If your toilet still has stains or deposits repeat this process or pour another bucket in to empty the bowl and put some bleach in to sit for a couple of hours.

My final suggestion for stubborn toilet rings is to get a pumice stone and scrub at those rings. But don’t do that too hard or too often because it can damage the enamel in your toilet bowl and make it even harder to keep clean.

6. Make Your Stainless Steel Sparkle

So now you know the truth about all those funny little cleaning hacks for your bathroom but what about your kitchen?

What cleaning hacks really work for the kitchen?

My favorite tricks for the kitchen are super easy and yes, you probably have seen them on social media.

The first trick is to use baby oil or even olive oil to wipe your stainless steel to a high sheen and make all streaks and fingerprints disappear.

Does that really work?

Absolutely.

Put a small amount of oil on your paper towel, wipe with the grain of your stainless steel, and see the magic. Just make sure you wipe the glass windows on your microwave and oven with vinegar.

7. Clean Your Microwave

Another trick I love for the kitchen is to microwave a bowl of water or a wet rag for a couple of minutes.

Let it sit with the door closed for another minute or so and it will soften all those hardened food splatters in your microwave.

Then pull out the bowl of water or the tray with the HOT rag on it and take it to the sink. Cool that rag down with cold water and then clean the glass microwave plate and set it aside to dry.

While it’s drying wipe down your microwave. Everything should be steamed, soft, and easy to wipe away. Finally, replace the tray.

8. Get Your Stovetop & Oven to Shine

Another one of my favorite cleaning hacks that actually works is using a paste like Barkeepers Friend for cooked-on-stove-top messes.

Remember that some gas burner stove tops lift so you can clean under them.

And finally, make your oven self-cleaning setting your best friend. It really does work and makes the job a breeze.

9. Make Dusting Easy

I know that a lot of people hate dusting but it’s my favorite cleaning chore and I live in the dusty desert.

So why is dusting one of my easiest cleaning tasks? Because I do it every single week as part of my cleaning routine. I never skip dusting because as long as you stay on top of it your home never gets so dusty that it is gross or hard to dust.

My favorite dusting tool is the Swiffer with the extending handle. I move through my cleaning jobs with a Swiffer shifting things and putting them back as I go.

And here are a couple more tips to ace the dusting game.

When wood furniture, doors, or trim need a shine put some Old English on a rag and rub it in. When you want to freshen up anything shiny wipe it with vinegar and a paper towel.

Another Dusting Hack: Wrap Your Fan Blades

Don’t you just hate dusting your fans and having all that nastiness fall on your face?

Years ago I saw a cleaning hack that really works especially if you haven’t dusted your fans in a while.

Grab a pillowcase and carefully climb your footstool. Put the pillowcase over your fan blade and with a flat hand on either side pull the pillowcase off the blade.

Doing that will catch the big pile of dust on the top of your fan blades so it doesn’t fall on your face or the floor.

If you have some sticky dust you will need to use your soapy water solution and a sponge to scrub it off. Finish wiping it with a paper towel or rag.

Here’s the biggest tip I have for fans. Once you have done the pillow case hack and cleaned your blades and possibly even run your light fixture covers through the dishwasher you don’t want to do all that work again and again.

Simply dust your fans every single week when you dust the rest of your house. Always grab your Swiffer with the extending handle and dust those blades as part of your cleaning routine.

I do this at all my cleaning jobs and it prevents the fans from getting to the point where I need a pillowcase ever again.

If you’re still getting dust in your face when you wipe your fan blades wear a mask and some glasses.

10. Make Floors Beautiful

And finally, we make it to the floors. I always clean floors after everything else because when dust and crumbs fall on the floor I know I will clean that up when it’s time to sweep, vacuum, or mop.

There are so many ideas and gadgets out there to help you clean your floors. Here’s what does not work and what you should do instead.

First of all, forget the cordless vacuums. I have worked with the best of them but if you have a medium to large house the battery on a cordless vacuum will probably run out right before you reach the last room. And it will only go downhill from there as these batteries seem to lose power quickly.

Instead, use a corded stick vacuum. I love the Shark Rocket series because they have great power, are easy to clean, and have super long cords so you don’t have to stop very often.

I’ve heard some people rave about their robot vacuums. When we tried one in our home it kept trying to eat corners of rugs, dust ruffles, and cords. So buyer beware. It may work great for you, but in our case, it didn’t.

Hardwood Floors

So what about hard floors? While the Shark Rocket does have a hardwood attachment I prefer to sweep hard floors. A broom just gets in the corners and under furniture better. Use an old-fashioned broom when you really want to get the floors clean.

And finally, there is mopping. Do you need a steam mop? Special mopping solutions?

Nah! Keep it simple.

With hard floors that are tile or vinyl use the O’Cedar spin mop. And for wood floors use the Libman spray mop because the key to streak-free wood floors is less water.

But what do you put in the water? A dash of dish soap, a little vinegar, or a wood floor solution all work fine. I’ve never seen a product that makes a huge difference. It just depends on if you want scent or not.

Make Cleaning Easy With Cleaning Hacks That Actually Work

So here’s a big question for you. When it comes to cleaning do you want to do it the hard way or the easy way?

Of course, you want to do it the easy way. Cleaning is just not the most thrilling thing in life so let’s get it done and move on with our lives.

Keep in mind when you hear cleaning hacks that sound too good to be true, they often are.

When you have a great cleaning schedule, the right cleaning products, and cleaning hacks that work you can have a happy simple life in your clean home without wasting all that money, time, and energy chasing down the latest TikTok trend.

Follow these tips and you won’t be sorry. Happy cleaning!

Which of the cleaning hacks that actually work do you plan to try first? Let us know in the comments section.

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