Clean Smarter, Not Harder With These 25 Time and Money Saving Solutions

Achieving — and maintaining — a clean home 24/7 can be next to impossible in the best of times. Add a social life, hobbies, a job, a family, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Sure, cleaning services exist but even if you can afford one, (and want someone coming into your home), you still have everyday messes to deal with.

Our secret weapons? Professional and commercial cleaning tools, techniques and equipment that are designed to blast through all kinds of cleaning tasks quickly and efficiently, as well as economically. That’s not to say some old favorites aren’t good, because they’re old favorites for a reason. From crevice brushes to window cleaning robots, you’ll find plenty of both below.

Get More From Less

We can’t tell you how many bottles of cleaning supplies we keep buying, even when they don’t work all that well, just because it’s what we’ve always used. It’s time to give up on the old and busted and try some new hotness.

1. All-Around MVP: A staple in restaurants and working kitchens everywhere, you’ll be amazed how fast you can clean steel cookware, take tarnish off silverware, and brighten up and most surfaces using the Bar Keeper’s Friend Ultimate Cleaning Kit. It comes with liquid soft cleanser, polishing powder, a non-scratch sponge and a microfiber towel. It’s robust yet sensitive, so it gets the job done harmlessly.

2. Goodbye, Grease: This is a professional product that doesn’t cost any more than regular cleaners, but it works better than you can imagine. CLR Pro Cleanser and Degreaser will help you take care of nasty, clingy grease on any surfaces. Plus, a little goes a long way — so it’ll be a while before you’ll need to buy another bottle.

3. Dust Away: We’re not sure anyone likes or dry mopping, but you can make it literally 10 times more effective with Endust Cleaning Spray. While dust clings to the spray, it leaves behind a fresh lemon scent, to remind you that you did — in fact — deep clean the house like you intended to.

4. Hair-Be-Gone: There’s nothing worse than constantly having to snake your shower… or using Draino, because it literally eats your pipes. Instead, Green Gobbler Drain Clog Resolver is an enzyme treatment, rather than a corrosive chemical one, and is a rare case wherre the safer choice also works better. Phew.

5. Carpet Cleanup: Hiring a carpet cleaner will certainly do the job, but is it really worth the price? Before you take the leap, first try Resolve Stain Remover Carpet Cleaner. It neutralizes odors, lifts stains and penetrates tough-to-clean spots, making your rug look good as new.

6. Spotless Sink: There’s nothing worse than a stinky garbage disposal, which is where Glisten Garbage Disposal Cleaner comes in. It’s an eco-friendly bleach alternative that helps you clean out hard-to-reach spots, safely.

7. Opt Orange: Instead of getting a million different types of cleaners, try using Angry Orange Filth Fighter. Its fast-acting formula works on ceramic, glass, metal, plastic, and wood.

8. Fab Floors: Scrub the floors across your home with FabTab Floor Cleaner Tablets. Not only are they fragrant and eco-friendly, but they work on all surfaces, so you won’t need to switch from wood to tile cleaner and back.

9. Immaculate Bathroom: Instead of switching between toilet brushes, shower cleaners and more, the Scrubbing Bubbles Mega Shower and Bathroom Cleaner is all-purpose. It’ll ensure your shower, vanity, toilet and sink is germ- and grime-free.

10. It’s Magic. Magic Eraser melamine sponges do a fantastic job for a million cleaning jobs, but they’re over $1 each and don’t last very long. Instead, get exactly the same thing in a generic version for less than 40¢ a piece.

11. Great Glass. If you’re tired of Windex leaving streaks, try a proper professional foaming glass cleaner. You’ve probably seen Sprayway before, if not at home, then at an office where someone needs to do a good job in a hurry.

Cleaning Tools and Accessories

Cleaning brushes, tools and accessories are such an easy and affordable way to upgrade not just what you use, but the way you clean.

1. Grime Gone: A next-level cleaner and brush collide in The Pink Stuff Miracle Scrubbers. Each package comes with three scrubber heads infused with The Pink Stuff cleaning paste. Forget spending time and money on grime removal from your kitchen, because saves time and money.

2. Reusable Rags: Growing up is realizing you’re wasting money and killing trees by continuing to purchase paper towels. Instead, get yourself a set of microfiber towels that you can throw in the washing machine after using to clean up literally anything. You’ll thank me later.

3. Tiny Space: Quit spending time on squeezing rags, oversized brushes and toothbrushes into those hard-to-reach places. Crevice cleaning brushes are sturdy, pliable and can clean just about anything… plus they come in a million cute colors.

4. Dish Duty: If you’re late to the Scrub Daddy game, where have you been? These sturdy AF two-sided sponges make cleaning dishes so much easier. And they last longer than the average sponge, so you’ll end up saving in the long run.

5. Organized Cleaning Queen: Forget stuffing all your cleaning products into a closet or scattering them throughout the house. A wheeled cleaning caddy will keep everything together and roll wherever you need to be.

6. Mop Madness: There’s nothing nastier than wringing out your mop. Instead, use a mop and bucket set that uses microfiber clothes and has a built-in wringer. It also has different mop heads, so you don’t need a million different devices to basically get the same job done.

7. No Char: Cleaning your grill can be tricky. Char, grime and grease sticks to everything, and it often takes quite a bit of effort to even make a dent in it. But GrillArt’s Grill Brush is free of bristles and scrapes everything clean. Pretty soon, your grill station will look good as new.

Appliances Take the Work Out Of Cleaning

There are a million gimmicky cleaning solutions and don’t deliver, so shop carefully for things that both do what they promise, and solve your problems.

1. Sparkling Windows: Things like limited mobility and hard-to-reach windows can make cleaning them a huge hassle, but did you know that along with robot vacuums, mops and lawnmowers, you can now also find window cleaning robots? The most impressive part may be that they don’t have to cost any more than a stick vacuum.

2. Carpet Salon: Hoover’s PowerScrub Carpet Cleaner is like the ones you might rent, but at only $150, it’ll pay for itself after just two or three uses. Having a wand attachment when you need it will save your fabrics when you can keep a stain from setting.

3.  Grout Be Gone: We don’t know anyone who likes cleaning a shower, which is why we love having a cordless electric spin scrubber. The long reach means you don’t have to ruin your back and knees, and it does the scrubbing for you.

4. Steamy Clean: Use the power of steam — sans the chemicals — to remove car seat stains, clean your rug or to simply degrease your kitchen. A handheld steamer truly does it all… and it comes in such a cute color.

5. Quick Clean: Save time during your weekly clean up with a highly portable and cordless cordless vacuum from Lirios. It’s super powerful, but lightweight and due to it’s size, it’s easier to reach small crevices.

6. Cleaning Robot: Maintaining your home has never been easier than it is with a Roomba. It has smart navigation, so it can clean when you aren’t home. And it self-charges, so it won’t run out of battery.

7. Pristine Pool: If you have a pool, it’s hard to make sure it isn’t filling up with leaves and dirt. But Beatbot’s Cordless Pool Cleaner does the job — no nets or pool cleaners required.