Everyone likes to live in a home that is clean, tidy and always smells like freshly baked cookies. Some of us, though, are not blessed with the motivation for cleaning. Fortunately, there are life hacks out there that make things easy for even the laziest of us!
The following ten tips are ways to prevent extra cleaning and let us be more efficient when we do have to roll up our sleeves and do a little housework.
1) Throw everything in the dishwasher!
WIKIHOW
Okay, not everything… But there are lots of things around your house that are totally safe to put in the dishwasher. AOL has a full list here.
2) Clean your microwave the easy way.
SIMPLY STACIE
Providr explains that it’s as easy as filling a glass bowl with water and half a lemon. Simply Stacie also recommends adding a splash of white vinegar. Microwave for a few minutes or until the water is boiling, then wipe it all down with a cloth. Easy, quick, and no chemicals.
3) Use stove-top liners.
HARRIET CARTER
These are absolutely genius. Instead of scrubbing away at the flecks of food baked solid onto your stovetop, just replace the liners.
4) Use furniture polish on…. everything.
NOTES FROM THE MELODY MAKER
Furniture polish makes everything nice and shiny – you can use it on your fridge, your coffee table, your dresser… but be careful not to spray it on the floor. It’s slippery.
5) Line your fridge with plastic wrap.
MOMMY SAVERS
Why? Because then if you spill something, or you start to get sticky rings under your food containers, you can just pull it out and throw it away.
6) Let the blender clean itself.
ASK ANNA
You made the milkshake, or the smoothie, and now that blender needs cleaning… Don’t bother scrubbing it, though. Just rinse it out, fill it with warm water and a little detergent, then hit the button and blend the soapy mixture until the blender is clean. Do another quick swirl with clean water to get rid of any detergent residue.
7) Use shower gel instead of soap.
NW GROUTWORKS
Why? Because according to Buzzfeed, the fats and oils contained in bars of soap contribute to that yucky buildup on your shower tiles. Shower gels, on the other hand are more like a detergent.
8) Clean your mattress with vodka.
LONE HOME RANGER
Distractify suggest pouring vodka into a spray bottle and then spritzing your mattress. The alcohol kills bacteria and gets rid of the musty odour. You can add essential oils for scent.
9) Clean your ceiling fan the easy way.
THE HOUSE ON HILLBROOK
Another genius tip from Distractify. Instead of swiping at your ceiling fan with a duster and getting all the lint in your face, simply hook an old pillowcase over one blade at a time and press your hands to both sides of the blade, pulling the case off. The dust will be trapped inside.
10) Use a removable oven liner.
LAKELAND
These are worth their weight in gold, because cleaning the oven is about one of the worst jobs ever.
You can always rely on a lazy person to find the quickest way to do something, and the above tips show that housework doesn’t have to be difficult or time-consuming when you plan ahead and work efficiently. It’s all about minimizing mess! Remember, a little cleaning now saves a LOT of cleaning later…
