Here’s How To Clean Your House From Top To Bottom For Spring

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Popular items from this list

  • Skip the heavy-duty elbow grease but still make your grout look brand new. Let an automatic scrubbing brush do all the work for you.

  • A soft cleanser that will erase any trace of mineral and soap scum buildup from your glass shower doors.

  • Once your toilet bowl’s all fresh and clean, a stamp-in gel can keep it that way for weeks at a time.

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Let your sponge dry out every single night, whether you use a simple binder clip or a stainless sponge holder

That’ll help prolong its life between cleanings! The sponge holder is $10.99 on Amazon.

Amazon

Then shine up your stainless steel sink with a quick dusting of flour and a microfiber cloth

At The Kitchn, they do this about once a month. A pack of 24 microfiber cleaning cloths is $13.56 on Amazon (available in two sets of three colors each).

But if that doesn’t do the trick, a foaming cleaner can deeply cleanse everything in your disposal

This foaming disposal cleaner gets rid of any odor, although it won’t unclog your garbage disposal (for that, you’ll have to call a plumber). This is a product one of our readers recommends, and it’s available on Amazon, $10.40 for eight uses in a lemon scent.

Promising review: “Holy cow I didn’t realize how easy and quick it was to clean a garbage disposal. I stumbled across this through a BuzzFeed article. Very simple instructions, literally takes five minutes and some hot water and voila! You have a clean, no-longer-stinky garbage disposal. Anytime I got a whiff of an odor, all I did was drop one of those packs in the disposal and the smell was GONE! Plus the blue foam bubbling through the sink was amusing to watch.” — VadersGirl

Mix up a paste of water and polish cleanser to easily scrub off cooked-on gunk

The Amazon reviewer behind these photos just added a few drops of water to Bar Keepers Friend powder cleanser to make a paste the consistency of glue, then scrubbed it onto each dirty burner, let it sit for a few minutes and wiped it up. Get a two-pack of the cleanser on Amazon for $6.58. (The benefit of this over the premixed stuff? You get to decide what consistency you want the paste to be. But both are good choices!)

Then make your greasy stove (and grill!) grates look brand new again by letting them sit overnight with just a little bit of ammonia

You simply seal them up in a plastic bag and let it do its work — just don’t mix ammonia with any other cleaner, and do read the tutorials from Fabulessly Frugal and The V Spot before you try this at home. You can get a bottle of ammonia on Amazon for $11.29.

Polish up your glass cooktop in five minutes

Drizzle on some Dawn and hydrogen peroxide, sprinkle with baking soda, and quickly scrub in circles with a dish brush. Then simply wipe clean. (This tip is from My Thirty Spot.) Need a dish brush? Pick one up on Amazon for $6.99.

Or try a cooktop cleaning kit that includes a cleansing polish and a razor scraper

The razor scraper’s key here, because it’s the best way to tackle the spots that will inevitably remain after your initial scrub with the cleanser (which is also included in most kits like these). Don’t be afraid to put some elbow grease into it! The kit that produced these gorgeous before and after photos is available on Amazon for $14.98.

If you haven’t kept up with regular spot or self-cleaning, a 40-minute spray-on cleaner may be just what your oven needs

This product is fume-free and recommended by our readers (see the review below). Get a can from Amazon for $6.27.

Promising review: “My oven was in bad shape. I tried this after seeing it in a BuzzFeed article and it actually worked! Let it sit for about four hours and the nastiness wipes off effortlessly.” — Natalie C

Amazon

Banish hard water from the mouth of your faucets

Attach a plastic bag filled with vinegar to the faucet, using a rubber band. If your faucet is heavily stained, substitute the vinegar for a more intense mineral cleaner. I first heard about this cleaning method from blogger Two Twenty One, who uses CLR (aka Calcium, Lime, Rust). A 28-ounce bottle is $5.22 on Amazon, or you can get a one-gallon jug for $24.98.

Amazon

Freshen up your wooden cutting boards by scrubbing them down with salt and half a lemon — then season them with a douse of food-grade mineral oil

A tip from Food52. A bottle of cutting board oil is $7.99 on Amazon.

Rid your dishwasher of gunk and funky smells with a dishwasher cleaner

There are a couple of dishwasher cleaners out there, but they all work similarly. You can get a six-pack of the one used in the photos above from Amazon for $5.98.

Amazon

Then wash the shelves, drawers and other removable parts of your fridge like dishes: in hot, soapy water

You can also use soapy water to wipe out the inside, doors and seals on your refrigerator and freezer; just make sure to rinse well. If you have glass shelves, let them come to room temperature before you hit them with the hot water — if you don’t, they could crack or shatter. I’ve done this plenty of times without issue, but if you’re concerned that food could absorb the scent of your dish soap, use an unscented option (like Better Life’s — yes, the Shark Tank brand — which has two bottles on Amazon for $12.99.) The full tutorial for this step is on Martha Stewart.

Amazon

Stop any lingering refrigerator odors in their tracks using a fabric deodorizer filled with activated charcoal

You can hang it on the included hook or just set it on your shelf; get a two-pack for $8.95 on Amazon.

Tackle even the worst, most egregious rust stains with a spray-on cleaning gel that’ll dissolve it right before your eyes

It’ll also remove any rust stains from color-safe fabrics, among many other surfaces. (Some reviewers use it with a Magic Eraser for extra oomph). Two bottles are $13.99 or three bottles are $19.99 on Amazon.

Get rid of hard water toilet stains by gently scrubbing them off with a pumice stone

Whether it’s calcium, lime, rust or some impossible combination, the pumice stone can take care of it. A pack of two is $8.94 on Amazon.

Amazon

Once your toilet bowl’s all fresh and clean, a stamp-in gel can actually keep it that way for weeks at a time

Basically, it cleans just a little every time your toilet is flushed. I used this all the time in college and it really does help prevent mildew and toilet rings. Once there’s only a teensy bit of the gel left, you can use that to scrub things down, then add another dab. (Although if you have particularly hard or rusty water, you might need something stronger, like these drop-in tabs). A pack that will last up to 10 weeks is $4.37 on Amazon.

Transform your grimy bathtub into something that’s actually spa-worthy with a classic soft cleanser

This is from They Are Crafty, who used (can you guess?) Bar Keeper’s Friend. A bottle of the original formula is $9.97 on Amazon.

Soft cleanser that will also erase any trace of mineral and soap scum buildup from your glass shower doors

This is another good tip from Ask Anna Moseley (who pairs the cleanser with special scouring pads, like these that are $13.70 for a pack of four on Amazon). She swears by it, along with several Amazon reviewers. Any version of BKF should work just fine, but some people swear the glass cooktop version does this particular task better; two bottles are $15.18 on Amazon (but if for any reason you wanted only one, you can get it for $10).

Amazon

Unclog your slow-draining tub or sink using a simple drain clearer

Just insert it down your drain, twist it a few times via the handle, let the grabby micro-hooks on the tip (they’re similar to Velcro) do their work on stuck, clogging hair and debris. Then pull it up, and your sink will drain like it’s new! Get one (with five refills) on Amazon for $18.99.

Natalie Brown / BuzzFeed

Skip the heavy-duty elbow grease but still make your grout look brand new: let an automatic scrubbing brush do all the work for you

I use and LOVE this brush, and it’s absolutely the easiest and fastest way to clean grout (maybe besides bleach, which I don’t like to use). You literally see the dirt come up and the grout lighten with just 30 seconds of use. They make a specialty grout head you can buy for it, but TBH the default brush works just as well, unless you have incredibly narrow grout lines. (Some reviewers like to use it with a grout and tile cleaner, but I just use some Castile soap diluted with water. I haven’t tested to see if one is faster than the other!) You can read my full review of the scrubber brush for more. Get it from Amazon for $21.81.

Remove years of sticky, built-up hairspray residue from tile by scrubbing your floors down with a paste of Borax and water

Adventures of a DIY Mom tested a bunch of different solutions, and this one clearly made the most difference. A two-pound bag of Borax is $10.99 on Amazon. She used an old toothbrush which totally works, but for something like this I’d reach for a bigger scrub brush to cover more area with less scrubbing effort. Try this handled one that’s $7.98 on Amazon.

Natalie Brown/BuzzFeed/Getty/Amazon

Then simply spray down your mirror, sink and everything else with your favorite all purpose spray cleaner, and give it a good wipe-down

You can make your own spray cleaner by mixing one part dish soap with one part warm vinegar (check out full directions on Goodful); or mix an all-purpose cleaner from a concentrate like Simple Green ($19.24 for one gallon) or Mrs. Meyer’s (a set of three for $12.84 for 16 ounces), both on Amazon. And yes, you can substitute a glass cleaner for your mirror, if you prefer!

If you have a rope mop, use the ~slop mop~ method to give your tile or linoleum floors a truly deep wash

Basically, you use a saturated mop to get your floors wet, then squeeze out your mop, use it to soak up the dirty water (in no more than three swoops at a time), and squeeze that dirty water back into your bucket. The Creek Line House has the full how-to. A similar microfiber easy-wring mop that comes with three refill washable mop heads is $41.50 on Amazon.

Erase those mysterious (and not so mysterious) carpet and upholstery stains with a nontoxic and odor-free spot remover spray

In my experience, it might take a couple of rounds of cleaning for your carpet to look brand spankin’ new, but it’s worth it because this particular spray doesn’t bleach out the fibers, doesn’t need to be vacuumed up or rinsed, and doesn’t attract new dirt to the area after you’re done. It works well on all kinds of stains, like grease and oil, pet stains, wine, coffee, rust, food, makeup and dirt — and can, of course, double as a laundry stain remover. You can safely use it on upholstery, carpet and other color-fast materials that are okay to dampen with water. Wondering if it’s okay for your couch? Look at the upholstery tag. If it has a “W” or a “W/S” on it, then yes, it is! “W” stands for “water-based cleaner.” A 32-ounce bottle is $12.79 on Amazon.

Or opt for a solvent-based cleaner for any upholstery or draperies you have that has an “S” on its cleaning tag

Any marked with a “W/S” means you can use either, of course. The most important thing you can do is check what your cleaner code is before you buy something — you don’t want to make a stain worse! To use this, simply apply a small amount onto the stain, then blot from the outside edge of the stain toward the center. And to help prevent a ring from forming, once the stain’s removed, use a blow dryer to dry up any excess product. Reviewers say it works for both old and new stains, and one reviewer who says they own a furniture store tested it on butter, grease and pomegranate juice stains and the results impressed them enough that they make sure to tell customers who buy S-code fabrics to buy a bottle. It’s $8.50 for a 4-ounce bottle on Amazon.

And if you’re a pet owner or parent, choose an enzyme-based stain and odor-eliminating spray

You can use it pretty much anywhere except fabrics marked with an “S” only: It’s safe on all carpets and floors, plus works well on furniture, clothes, litter boxes, carriers, strollers, kennels, hardwood floors, concrete and more. Reviewers say that it works on both old, dried messes and fresher ones. All you have to do? Spray a liberal amount on the stain, wait about half an hour, then blot it up! It’s pricey, but over 55,000 people around the world have rated it five stars because it just works. It’s $19.97 for a 32-ounce bottle on Amazon. If you want to read more, check out out our in-depth writeup on Rocco & Roxie Professional Strength Stain & Odor Eliminator.

Or just get an extendable microfiber duster set

It comes with two duster options that you can either use with a handle or the extending pole (which starts at 29 inches and telescopes up to 49 inches). Get it on Amazon for $15.99.

Amazon

Besides pulling the lint off your dryer’s screen after every load, regularly get the lint out of the spot where the screen sits using your vacuum or a lint brush

A lint brush is $7.99 on Amazon, and can also be used to clean your refrigerator coils so it works more efficiently (check your fridge’s manual to see if that’s something you need to do).

Set-in mattress stains are no joke, but you can make ’em look better by using a carpet stain remover and a carpet washer

The carpet washer that pulled off this coffee stain before and after — and has over seven thousand five-star reviews — is $155.99 on Amazon. And a jug of stain remover is $19.97. You can also try to bleach them out using hydrogen peroxide; that may not remove more than the surface stains, though. Get a how-to here.

Use any old squeegee and some water in a spray bottle to easily clean pet hair

Just spritz once or twice, squeegee, and watch it clump up — a tip from CareaBearaSara. A similar squeegee is $10.99 on Amazon.

Or try an infinitely reusable pet hair roller to pick up gobs of hair all at once

I’ve witnessed one of these in action at a family gathering and y’all, it’s so quick and really does pick up all the hair. My sister also uses one and swears by it for picking up the small mountains of hair her pets (a dog and two bunnies) leave lying around. You open up the back to empty the hair out when you’re done, and it’s ready to reuse. Plus it literally lasts for years, even with daily use. It’s $26.45 on Amazon.

And grab a squeegee broom to sweep up the hair embedded in your carpet and scattered over your hardwood or tile floor

Of course you could use your hand-held squeegee for this too, but this telescoping broom could make it easier on your back. Reviewers recommend using short, quick, rake-like strokes for the best effect. It’s also handy for cleaning big windows and pushing snow off of cars in one swoop. It’s $12.97 on Amazon.



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