30 genius cleaning hacks to save time and money

Make your home shine in no time with these cleaning secrets

Housework can be laborious and tiring, but these ultimate cleaning hacks will have your home sparkling in no time.

From age-old tips handed down through the generations to the latest TikTok cleaning tricks that have gone viral on social media, read on to check out these secret housekeeping shortcuts a professional cleaner wouldn't want you to know...

Clean your sink with a lemon

Stop using a sponge to clean your sink! Cleaning product brand Fabulosa shared this ingenious hack with their 147,000+ TikTok followers: "If you want to achieve a lemony fresh, sparkling sink, all you need to do is take half a leftover lemon and apply a drop of Fabulosa's Lemon Sherbet Washing Up Liquid. Scrub as you would normally with a sponge, then wash clean with water to reveal a spotless shine!" Follow their step-by-step video here.

Add ice cubes to your dryer

The housekeeping buffs at Fabulosa know a few laundry hacks, too. Effortlessly steam your clothes simply by adding a couple of ice cubes to your tumble dryer's drum 10 minutes before the end of the cycle. This leads to crease-free clothing without the effort of ironing. Check out the full hack here.

Clean a dirty keyboard with cotton buds

If you're looking for a keyboard cleaning hack, cotton buds make excellent mini dusters! One study by the University of Arizona found that the typical hardworking home office desk could be home to around 10 million bacteria as reported by commercial cleaning company, NuServe.

Office experts from Furniture At Work share the best way to tackle keyboard germs: "For a thorough clean, shut down your laptop or computer and unplug the keyboard. Shake it gently over a bin to eliminate crumbs and debris. Follow this by rubbing cotton swabs soaked with isopropyl or rubbing alcohol to clean between the keys. Finally, do a surface clean with a damp disinfectant wipe."

Remove pet hair with sports socks

If you've misplaced the lint roller, fear not! Reach for a pair of sports socks to tackle pet hair instead. Athletes will be familiar with the type; they're typically made of nylon and elastane.

In response to friction, the material creates static energy, which helps hair stick to the sock. Simply pop them on your hands inside out and wipe over a sofa with a lot of pet hair. To make it even more effective, you can slightly dampen the sock to catch more fur.

Lemon oven cleaning hack

Looking for a non-chemical option to leave your oven sparkling? Try heating a bowl of water and a little lemon juice. Shared by electrical retailer @ao on its TikTok account, this is a pretty straightforward hack.

Simply put the lemon juice and water in a heat-proof oven dish and heat at 200°C (392°F) for 20 minutes. Then, once your oven is cool, wipe the interior down with a cloth and the leftover lemon water.

Use a scraper to clean a ceramic hob

If you have a ceramic hob, then you may well already know this closely guarded secret. To keep them sparkling and free of marks, you'll need one simple gadget: the scraper.

Readily available from Amazon, Lakeland and various hardware stores, these nifty blades are specially designed to remove burned-on stains without scratching the surface or removing ring guides. Once the deposits have been removed, clean the surface as usual with a ceramic hob cleaner.

Clean the toilet with shaving foam

From grubby sofas to smeary mirrors, would you believe that shaving foam has many more uses than just grooming? Endorsed by @lynsey_queenofclean on TikTok, it's an ideal substitute if you're running low on cleaning products.

For a quick toilet-cleaning cheat, Lynsey Crombie says: "Just smear a good layer of foam all over the pan and around the basin and leave for 10 mins. The foam will banish odours and stains." Spray the foam onto a toilet brush for easy application.

Cut your Scrub Daddy in half

Every cleaning enthusiast loves a Scrub Daddy. But with the cost of living sky-high, we love this simple Scrub Daddy hack we saw in various videos on TikTok to help you get the most out of these scratch-free scrubbers.

As the sponges are quite thick, you can get away with cutting them in half to double the life span. Two for the price of one!

Remove floor scuffs with a tennis ball

Sports fans will particularly love this floor-cleaning hack. Don't only keep tennis balls handy for throwing for the dog or playing a game or two at the weekend, put some in your cleaning kit. Seems an odd suggestion, so let us explain:

As seen on the @home_reimagined's TikTok reel, which is bursting with innovative cleaning tips and tricks for the home, you can use tennis balls on laminate and other flooring types to remove unsightly marks. The fuzzy fabric acts like a magic eraser, so it's the ideal way to remove scuffs with ease. Simply rub the ball across the affected area until the marks fade. How's that for an ace idea?

Use a dish wand to clean the shower screen

Limescale build-up in the shower can be a real pain to keep on top of. But over on TikTok Emmy Rachelle (@..emmy.m), from Adelaide, Australia uses two household cleaning tools we usually find in the kitchen to clean her shower: dishwashing liquid and a dish wand.

Add a few splashes of white vinegar to the solution to leave your shower screen and tiles spotless. "You can even do the outside of the shower and just wipe it down with a towel or anything microfiber and it just comes up so clear," says Emmy.

Vacuum bathroom corners

Whether you own a luxury bathroom or a tiny powder room, tight corners where dust can accumulate can be a nightmare to clean. TikTok cleaning wizard, @cleanwithjen has a simple solution you may not have thought of.

Before cleaning, Jen uses a hand-held vacuum all over the bathroom to suck up dust, hair and fibres. "So now when I clean or wipe I'm just cleaning the surface. There is no dust and I don't have to worry about it moving around," says Jen.

Cover drains with a hair catcher

Removing hair and soap scum from bathroom drains is arguably the worst household chore there is. So, this nifty little star-shaped drain cover could be a real game-changer.

The perforated design allows water to drain through while catching hair and other debris that can clog up your pipes.

Bicarbonate of soda carpet cleaning hack

Bicarbonate of soda, also known as baking powder, is worshipped in the cleaning industry for its natural multipurpose uses. One of the home-making secrets we learned from our grandparents, its alkaline properties make it invaluable around the house.

To eliminate carpet odours, simply sprinkle the powder over your flooring in the evening and leave it to sink into the fibres overnight. In the morning, vacuum the area and you’ll find that your carpet smells clean and fresh.

Dust ceiling fans with a pillow case

Ceiling fans collect dust so quickly, but they're tricky to reach. This nifty tip from Advanced Ceiling Systems will keep the blades clean and free from dirt – and it uses a common household item we all have at home.

Simply slide the open end of a pillowcase over one of the fan blades, press down and then slide it back, catching all the dust inside the pillowcase. Genius!

Refresh your waste disposal unit with ice

This garbage disposal cleaning hack has gone viral on social media. Simply put ice cubes down the drain, run the hot water tap and then turn on the waste disposal. The result, as shown in several TikTok videos, is a brown sludge rising to the surface before being flushed away.

Mark Dawson at Benjamin Franklin Plumbing suggests adding rock salt and lemon to the mix: "Ice cubes can help sharpen the disposal blades and remove food scraps... but without adding a deodorising agent such as lemon, the odour could persist."

Clean grout with a toothbrush

Bright, clean grout lines are the best way to offset beautiful bathroom tiles. But keeping the filler clean and sparkling can be a chore. Here's a clever TikTok cleaning hack to make life easier.

Use an old toothbrush to clean between tiles with a solution of bicarbonate of soda, dishwashing soap and hydrogen peroxide. The results are dazzling!

Learn to roll your towels spa-style

Give your wash space a luxury spa-like feel by rolling your towels like a pro with this clever bathroom storage hack. Fold your towels in half to form a square. Bring the top right corner and the bottom left corner to overlap in the middle and then lift the whole towel from where the corners meet.

Fold in half to form an envelope shape. Pull the top half down slightly and roll the whole towel up. Finish by tucking the pointed end in. Take a look at @effectivespaces for the step-by-step tutorial on TikTok.

Denture tablets bathroom cleaning hack

Did you know denture tablets contain great natural household cleaning ingredients such as potassium persulfate, sodium perborate and sodium bicarbonate, to name a few? Normally used to clean false teeth, these powerful ingredients are compacted into a tiny tablet that can be used for all sorts of household chores.

Life hack expert and TikToker @mama_mila recommends dropping them in water and leaving them to soak in your bathroom sink and toilet for the ideal solution to whiten without scrubbing.

Use the right squeegee for the job

You can bet an Australian professional cleaning company has a few cleaning hacks up their well-used rubber gloves. That's probably why @thebiggcleanco has over 540k followers on TikTok. Owner Kacie Stephens says a decent squeegee is 'half the job' when cleaning glass and mirrors.

But it's important to make sure you're using the right type of squeegee for the task at hand. Opt for a stiff rubber design to tackle floors and smooth, flat surfaces. A malleable silicone design is better suited for tiled and bumpy surfaces.

Microwave lemon cleaning hack

In the same way that lemon juice helps to keep your oven sparkling, it's also a great way to clean your microwave. Reach into your fruit bowl for a lemon, halve it, place one half in a bowl of water and microwave it for two minutes.

Any burned-on debris and grime will be a breeze to wipe away once the citric steam has worked its magic. And the other half of the lemon can be used for more cleaning jobs or sliced for your next gin and tonic.

Remove burnt-on food with a dishwasher tablet

Dishwasher tablets can be used for so much more than just the dishes. The concentrated salt capsules are budget-friendly cleaning aids when elbow grease isn't quite enough. Over on her Instagram, @beckiesbitofsparkle shares how you can use them to remove burnt-on food from a glass baking dish.

She places the tablet in the dish and pours boiling water over it. It's left to soak and then the dirt lifts away, leaving the baking dish looking like new.

Turn the TV off before you wipe it

Not only is it super important to unplug the TV before you clean it for safety reasons, but it makes the job a lot easier, too. Sue Caldwell from Clean Living explains:

"It's much easier to see dust and remove streaks when the screen is black." Any fingerprints and marks will show up clearly, making the task just that little bit quicker.

Open windows fully for cleaning

Have you been climbing a ladder to clean the exterior pane of your upstairs windows all this time? Check to see if there is a secret button in the window hinge. TikTok user @hall_at_home shows just how easy this nifty hack makes window cleaning.

Jennifer pushes the window restrictor on the side of the frame and again on the base of the sill, sliding the pane of glass along and providing access to the outside of the pane. Remember this hack will open the window far wider than before, so keep small children and pets away.

Hairspray stain-removal hack

Stains can easily appear on upholstery, especially if you have children and pets. But don't despair, as a popular hair product can lift splotches and splatters in no time. On her TikTok profile, @georgia_kousoulou shared how easy it was to remove a large scribble of pen ink from her sofa with hairspray. Simply spray the affected area thoroughly and wipe.

Sharon Mckeown, a member of the Mrs Hinch Facebook fan page, agrees that hairspray will even remove nail polish if it has a high enough alcohol content.

Clean blinds with a vacuum and sock

A sock and rubbing alcohol will help you clean blinds in a flash. Lily Cameron, a cleaning supervisor at Fantastic Services, explains what to do: "Put plain rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle or a spritzer. Get an old sock, turn it inside out and stick your hand in it.

Flip your blinds to one side so they lay flat and give them a good spray. After you’ve done that, wrap the sock around the slat and gently pull from one side to the other. The rubbing alcohol helps loosen up dirt and dust, making the cleaning easier."

Descale a shower head with vinegar

With the cost of household goods increasing, it's great to find store cupboard items that double up as cleaning products. Experts found that white wine vinegar makes a wonderful cleaning aid for removing limescale, especially from showerheads.

Place a limescale-clogged shower head in a plastic bag filled with white vinegar for approximately 30 minutes and the residue should fade once you run it over with water. Check out @tanyahomeinspo for her step-by-step version on TikTok.

Soak a duvet in the bath

We know it's an important cleaning ritual to change bedlinen regularly, but what about your duvet? According to Sally Bonser, a spokesperson for Silentnight, you should be washing your duvet every eight to 12 months.

Check your label instructions. If it's safe to put it in the washing machine and there's space, great. But if it doesn't fit, try this hack: fill the bath with hot water and add detergent, fabric softener and oxi powder. Make sure the water is mixed well and then add the duvet. Leave to soak for two hours, then rinse and dry.

Make your own DIY scourer

This thrifty hack works incredibly well for pot washing if you've run out of Scrub Daddys and scourers, and a humble sponge just won't cut it...

Grab a piece of tin foil. It can be a new sheet or one you’ve just used to cook with, a great way to upcycle. Crumple it into a ball, add a bit of dish soap and water to your pot or pan and start scrubbing. All of the build-up on it will start to lift just like with a scourer.

Clean chopping boards with lemon

Both wooden and plastic chopping boards can be a breeding ground for bacteria, and over time this can lead to a nasty odour. Here's a natural remedy for maintaining them and removing any unpleasant smells.

Sprinkle with coarse salt and rub the board down with half a lemon, cut side down. Let it sit for around five minutes. Rinse the board and pat dry. This is not a substitute for sanitising your boards, so make sure you wash them thoroughly with a disinfectant first.

Use the dishwasher for more than dishes

Use the magic of the dishwasher for other items around your house that could benefit from a deep clean. Stick to the top rack where possible to ensure thin plastic isn't damaged by the drying element at the bottom of the unit.

You can clean plastic toys, kitchen sponges and brushes, microwave plates, vases, toiletry holders, rubber bath mats and more in this way. However, it's important to never put items made of wood, cast iron or copper in the dishwasher and never put anything with an electrical element in there either!

Now check out more ingenious home hacks and tips