10 Cleaning Hacks you need to know
You know when you put off cleaning for so long that it becomes a burden to get it done? That’s because some stains have become too tough to clean and thus would require more time to get it thoroughly cleaned. Here are some cleaning hacks that will get your dirty stuff looking sparkling clean in no time at all.
- Disinfect your sponges in the microwave.
You use your kitchen sponge to clean utensils, dishes, and even countertops. Ironically enough, this might be spreading millions of bacteria throughout your home.
The solution? Slightly dampen your sponge, pop it in the microwave for 90 seconds on full power, and you’ll reduce the amount of bacterial contamination on it by up to 99 percent, according to research published in 2006 in the Journal of Environmental Health. Just make sure your sponge doesn’t have any metal scrubbers or you’ll be adding “buy a new microwave” to your list of things to do soon.
- Un-scratch your plates with baking soda.
A slip of the knife here, an overzealous use of the fork there, and suddenly you’ve got a stack of unsightly scratched plates in your kitchen. Fortunately, it’s easy to make your plates look brand new again with some baking soda. Simply make a paste of baking soda and water, buff it into the scratches, and in no time, your dishes will look good as new.
- Freshen up your garbage disposal with some lemons.
With all the junk we throw into our garbage disposals, it’s no wonder they’re a veritable petri dish—with the nasty odors to prove it. Thankfully, making them a whole lot cleaner is easy: Simply drop some cut lemons down your drain, and as your disposal gobbles up those rinds, it will start to smell fresh.
- Clean your cutting boards with lemon as well.
While most plastic cutting boards can be popped into the dishwasher, wooden ones quite different. Luckily, you can get out those difficult stains in your wooden boards by rubbing them with some lemon and salt.
All you have to do is sprinkle some kosher salt on your cutting board, use half a lemon to rub it in, and let the mixture sit for a few minutes. Then, give the board a rinse with clean water, and it should be virtually spotless.
- Steam clean your microwave.
That stuck-on mess from the time you tried to heat up your leftover noddles is going to take a lot of elbow grease to remove. Luckily, a little steam can make the job a whole lot easier. Simply fill a microwave-safe bowl with a few tablespoons of white vinegar and a cup of water and nuke the mixture on high for a few minutes. Your microwave will quickly steam up, making those caked-on messes a breeze to clean off afterward.
- Remove water stains with vinegar too.
If water stains on your glasses are the problem, then vinegar—once again—is the solution. According to cleaning service Maid Right, all you have to do is create a mixture of 50 percent vinegar/50 percent water, apply it to the water stains, and let it sit for 15 minutes or so. Once the vinegar solution has had time to break down the debris, use a toothbrush or another bristly tool to scrub the scum away and wipe the surface clean.
- You can also clean your showerhead with vinegar.
That spotty showerhead in your bathroom is just as gross as it looks. In fact, one 2009 study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America found that 20 percent of showerheads tested were contaminated with Mycobacterium avium, which can cause serious respiratory health issues.
Luckily, keeping the outside of your showerhead clean isn’t difficult. Simply fill a sandwich bag with white vinegar and affix it to your showerhead with rubber bands, leaving it to soak overnight. Research from the American Society for Microbiology suggests that the acetic acid in vinegar significantly diminishes bacterial counts, even when it comes to hard-to-beat germs like tuberculosis.
- Clean your TV screen with a dry cloth.
Never, ever spray chemicals like Windex or even water directly onto your sensitive TV screen. Instead, “gently wipe the screen with a dry cloth to remove dust and other debris, but don’t press too hard,” suggests John Walsh, a photographer with Consumer Reports. For those tougher stains, you can use a slightly dampened cloth—but again, do not apply water directly to the screen unless you want to damage the television.
- Remove carpet stains with vinegar and a steam iron.
Carpet stains are all too common, especially in households with lots of little ones. Luckily, all you need is some vinegar, some water, and a steam iron in order to eliminate any unsightly spots. Just mix vinegar and water in a 1:3 ratio, apply it to the stain, and then cover the stain with a wet cloth before steaming it for 30 seconds or so. This should have your carpet looking good as new in mere minutes!
- And clean up your keyboard with a toothbrush and some vinegar.
You’d be amazed by how much bacteria lives on your computer keyboard. One 2018 study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health tested various keyboards both before and after cleaning them and found that prior to the disinfecting process, they contained strains of everything from Bacillus (which can cause a host of diseases) to Staphylococcus aureus (which can cause an upper respiratory tract infection).
Though adding your keyboard to your list of things to clean might be the last thing you want to do, the good news is that it’s relatively easy to cross this task off your to-do list. All you have to do is dip a toothbrush in a half vinegar/half water solution and scrub-a-dub-dub both on and between those keyboard keys to eliminate any germs.
Source: Best Life Online
