7 cleaning hacks for the home

Cleaning isn’t the most exciting activity and I bet it’s not on the top of your list for the most fun things to do with your day. However, there are some great shortcuts that will save you the elbow grease of a hard scrub and have different areas of your home crystal clean in no time. Here are our seven favourite time-saving cleaning hacks:

1. A spotless shower head.

Nothing seems to get the shower head clean no matter what you do. It’s awkward to scrub and straight after it’s next use it looks grungy again.

Try adding a small amount of white vinegar to a plastic bag. Cover the shower head with the bag and keep it in place with a rubber band. Leave it for around 60 minutes before removing the bag. Wipe the shower head with a clean cloth and see how sparkling fresh it is and stays.

25 Wilkinson Court, Ocean Grove, VIC.

2. Nuke your cleaning sponges.

There is a way to sanitise your sponges to make sure that you’re removing the nasty germs and to ensure that you’re not just spreading them all over the place. Wet the sponges that you want to clean and place them in the microwave. Turn the microwave on high for two minutes and say goodbye to all of the bugs. Remember it will be hot when you remove it from the microwave so be careful.

3. Pet hair on your carpet.

The vacuum cleaner doesn’t always remove all of the pet hair from your carpet. To clean the rest use a dry squeegee. Gently separate the stubborn fur from the carpet with the mop and easily pick it up the fur balls with your hands and place them in the bin.

4. Sweeter smelling air.

If you want to easily get rid of a bad odours just tape a scented dryer sheet over an air vent or air conditioner diffuser. The air circulates through the dryer sheet for fresher smelling air. Dryer sheets can also remove water spots from glass and taps and are ideal for cleaning your skirting boards.

5. No scrub bath cleaning.

Hate cleaning the bathtub? There is a better way than hours on your knees scrubbing away and inhaling nasty cleaning chemicals. For bathtub rings that just won’t come off, cut a grapefruit in half, add salt and rub it onto the stubborn stain. You’ll be amazed by the results. Rinse afterwards.

20 West View Grove, Ocean Grove, VIC.

6. Easily clean up broken glass.

You have to be so careful when cleaning up broken glass, especially on carpet, to make sure all of the tiny fragments are picked up. You need to make sure that you aren’t cut while getting every shard that could be a danger to little bare feet. So when you break a glass item, grab a slice of bread and press it over the glass to easily pick up even the smallest shards at the same time as protecting your hands.

7. Sparkling clean dishwasher.

Does your dishwasher have a kind of a funky smell, leave dirty residue on clean dishes and needs a good clean itself? Place a cup of vinegar on the highest shelf and run it on the top temperature. Then do a second cycle with a small amount of baking soda sprinkled on the bottom and presto you’ll have a sparkling clean dishwasher and cleaner dishes.

25 Wilkinson Court, Ocean Grove, VIC.

Maybe you have some other hacks for your home that you would like to share below to reduce the load of housework for all of us.