5 Hands-Free Ways to Clean Your Home’s Ickiest Spots
It’s more important than ever to keep your home clean right now — especially those often-overlooked spots were germs can hide out. Good news! You can get the grossest grime-magnets sparkling, without having to roll up your sleeves or buy pricey cleaners. Read on to find out how!
Clean fridge shelves with a quick spin.
Sidestep the wrist-aching work of scrubbing refrigerator shelves with this easy solution: Simply place shelves in the dishwasher, says appliance expert Jeff Campbell. As long as they don’t have LED lights or electronics, they can go in for cleaning and sanitizing. “Rinse shelves under warm water to avoid a drastic temperature change that may cause cracks”, he advises, “then stand them up on the bottom rack of the dishwasher.”
Get toilets sparkling with a fizz
No need for a toilet brush: Get your bowl gleaming with a simple cleaning “bomb,” says DIY expert Jess Kielman. Just combine 1⁄4 cup of citric acid, 1 tsp. of Castile liquid soap and 1 cup of baking soda, pour into an ice cube tray and let harden for 24 hours. Then drop one cube into the toilet once a week. “The ‘toilet bomb’ will fizz, releasing scrubbing bubbles that remove buildup.”
Lift hard-to-reach dust with a pillowcase “broom.”
Avoid a mess when dusting a ceiling fan by using a pillowcase, says cleaning blogger Christine Satterfield. “Place it over the blade, then pull it toward the outer edge.” The fabric sweeps up dust like a broom, which lands inside the case, not on you.
Erase stubborn grease with a vinegar bath.
The scrub-free way to remove the film of grimy cooking grease that clings to oven knobs? “Simply remove the knobs from your oven (they pull right off on most models) and soak them in a bowl of white vinegar for five minutes”, advises natural cleaning expert Kait Schulhof. “Vinegar’s acids erode the grease, so it rinses right off.”
Dissolve hair clogs with natural Drano.
No need to fish out stuck clumps, assures expert Karrie Truman. Just pour one pot of hot water (not boiling) down the drain, allow tub to empty, then pour in one cup of baking soda and one cup of lemon juice. “The foaming dissolves organic materials,” says Truman. Let sit for 30 minutes, then wash away with hot water.
This story originally appeared in our print magazine.
