For most people, cleaning is already a pretty unpleasant time-suck. Add some of these tasks on top of it, and it becomes completely unbearable, even for the odd weirdo like me who actually enjoys cleaning. Whether you love it or hate it, these hacks make even the worst tasks easier.
1. Cleaning your impossible to clean blinds
Have you ever tried to clean blinds, particularly those sucky metal mini-blinds? It’s the worst. For a long time, I figured the best way to clean blinds was just to dump them in the trash and purchase new ones, but obviously it’s not even remotely financially sustainable to do this, no matter how satisfying.
Fortunately, there’s a better way to tackle this awful task. You’ll need a little more time, but just enough to dump them into the bathtub and forget about them for a while.
2. Handling that grimy area around the base of your toilet
There comes a time in every person’s life where they must face that they are disgusting, and proof positive of this would be the ring of horror that collects right around the base of their toilet.
Taking care of it means that you just have to face it with the understanding that there is not enough all-purpose cleaner in the world to make this OK. Fortunately, with a little caulk and a little patience, all is not lost.
3. Degreasing every repulsive surface in your kitchen
Grease is a splattery, pervasive monster that will coat everything you love and turn it to awfulness. Especially your range hood and your cabinets.
Here’s something you may not have been expecting: You can take care of the issue with even more oil. Mineral oil. Give it a shot.
More:These 12 hacks will make spring cleaning a breeze
4. Tackling the ugliness of aging microfiber
Microfiber was huge for a while there, but a lot of people shy away from it mostly because it turns into a foul, discolored mess after a few months or years of being sat upon. Stuff clings to microfiber. That’s why it makes such a great cleaning cloth.
But how do you clean microfiber without dumping tons of money into a professional service? Like this.
5. Defunkifying your dishwasher
Your dishwasher is a cavern of unspeakable horror, and it’s not something that we often think of cleaning, because it is, in itself, a tool for cleaning. But next time you walk into the kitchen, take a look inside of yours. Especially if you have a plastic tub. Ew.
Fortunately, there’s a fix, and it’s not too difficult to pull off. You don’t even have to scrub.
6. Wrangling the nastiness that collects in your garbage disposal
While we’re on the topic of unspeakable horrors, let’s talk about the garbage disposal. If you’ve ever accidentally dropped something down there and had to fish it out you know exactly what I’m talking about.
These DIY garbage disposal “fizzies” are easy enough to make and even easier to deploy.
More:9 Edible cleaners that really do the job
7. Figuring out how to salvage your repulsive stove burners
Gas burners are a special kind of cleaning torture. They’re odd shaped and collect ookums and slime in all of their odd-shaped corners and prongs, and they are the absolute worst ever in the world.
Here’s one way to do it. Yes, you have to use ammonia, but you won’t care once you realize that you have won this awful battle.
8. De-scumming your glass shower door
Glass shower doors are basically canvases on which nasty soap scum and other random shower detritus are flung and then refuse to budge, no matter how hard you scrub them.
Instead, use panty hose (really!) to keep your shower doors looking brand new.
9. Fixing how disgusting your bathroom exhaust fans are
Exhaust fans typically suck all of the nasty air out of a room and spit it outside of your house, which is great. They also get pretty gnarly after a while and can mess with your allergies and just generally make it harder to keep your bathrooms clean when a fine layer of grime settles on every surface.
Fortunately, you aren’t stuck with a grimy, dusty fan, and it’s actually pretty easy to take care of with this hack.
More:11 Things only clean freaks understand (GIFs)
10. Cleaning your dusty baseboards
You would think that cleaning baseboards would be pretty straightforward, but it’s a really dumb, frustrating task. When you try to dry dust, everything just resettles back in place. Use a damp cloth and the dust just sort of pills up and won’t budge.
Instead, use a Magic Eraser and some fabric softener sheets to take care of it.
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