Seven cleaning hacks to simplify your life

Yahoo Life UK contributor
·5-min read
Close up of female hands dropping dirty laundry in the washing machine
Snatching 10 minutes here and there to crack through cleaning tasks you'll otherwise put off will help tick a lot off your to-do list each week. (Getty Images)

Spring is here, putting many of us in the mood for a major sort-out. If you’re finally getting around to tackling those household jobs on your list – big and small – rest assured, we've asked cleaning experts and the general public for their best tips to make your life easier.

A new survey on the nation’s cleaning habits found 89% of respondents say having a clean home positively impacts their mood. However, 45% of Brits get stressed and anxious about household chores and when jobs don’t get done 68% of us feel guilty.

The research, commissioned by Currys, also asked the public what their least favourite tasks were – oven-cleaning came out top (35%) followed by cleaning the toilet (23%).

Check out our tips below to make these dreaded tasks easier.

🧽 Clean your oven with a homemade mix

Karena Sophia, feng shui consultant and declutterer, shares her homemade recipe for over cleaning. "Put a few drops of vinegar, four-five tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda or baking soda and four to five lemons chopped into quarters on the oven tray or a baking dish, then fill it halfway up with water. Bake it at 90°C/gas mark six for 20 minutes to remove the grime from inside your oven," she explains.

"Once the oven has cooled, wipe it down with a cloth. Next, using a fresh cloth, rub the cleaning liquid mix all over the oven door and inside to remove more grease. Leave the mixture on for another couple of hours, then give it a final wipe-down. It removes oil and grease stains much more easily than scrubbing for hours."

🛁 Utilise a power hour to clean your bathroom

Cleaning the bathroom was the one job one mum of three we spoke to always avoided. "Now I dedicate one hour while I’m still in my pyjamas on a Saturday morning to have a blitz," she explains. "I get through everything from wiping down the bathroom mirror to pulling hair out of the plug hole. It’s stopped me procrastinating and makes the job feel more manageable."

🪥 Use an old electric toothbrush for added cleaning power

An old electric toothbrush can be handy for cleaning around grout and other tricky areas. (Getty Images)
An old electric toothbrush can be handy for cleaning around grout and other tricky areas. (Getty Images)

Keep your old electric toothbrushes to super-power your cleaning. Several Reddit users recommend these for various tasks. Pop some bleach on the brush head and use it to clean the cracks between floor panels, the grout between tiles in your bathroom and the dirt that builds up around the taps in your bathroom and kitchen. Just be careful to label it so it doesn't end up cleaning your family's teeth as well!

If you don't have one to hand, you can buy an electric scrubbing brush specifically designed for cleaning.

🧺 Have a daily 'reset'

A reset is a combination of cleaning and tidying, explain Ingrid Jansen and Lesley Spellman, organising experts and founders of The Declutter Hub. "Pick a time you want your home to be at its cleanest and tidiest. If you’re a stay-at-home parent, this might be after school drop-off or after bath time. If you work, this might be after dinner time.

"By resetting your house each day, you’ll avoid a backlog of jobs to do over the weekend. Decide on the non-negotiable jobs and divide them up between other members of your household. Your reset may include putting on a load of laundry, making your bed, loading the dishwasher or clearing your kitchen work surface."

🥒 Use cucumber peel to clean kitchen taps

"Using cucumber peel is a natural way to clean stainless steel taps and sinks," says Janine McDonald, cleaning and decluttering expert. "Wiping the peel over taps removes fingerprints and water marks as the natural oils break down the elements of grime. It's effective, chemical-free and leaves your kitchen smelling nice and fresh."

Cucumber peel can be a surprisingly effective ways to clean kitchen taps. (Getty Images)
Cucumber peel can be a surprisingly effective ways to clean kitchen taps. (Getty Images)

🪟Clean your windows with white vinegar and newspaper

McDonald has a great tip for when to clean windows: "Do it on a cloudy day because it helps to stop your cleaning solution evaporating too quickly, leaving streaks where the solution dries unevenly before you have time to wipe it off. Without the sun glaring on it, it’s easier for you to see any missed spots or streaks too.

She advises you avoid spending lots on window cleaning products and simply use white vinegar. "It’s an ideal choice as it won’t fill your home with nasty chemicals, but it breaks down grease and grime quickly. Instead of a cloth, you can use newspaper to clean your windows as it won’t leave lint particles behind and the ink on the paper helps to scrub small stains off your windows."

🧅 Tackle your grill pan with an onion

Onions are certainly a surprising solution to cleaning your grill pan, but McDonald is certain they work. "They're full of antibacterial properties and their acidity helps break down grime and charred pieces of food on your pan," she explains. "Be careful though, as you need the grill insert to be hot for this tip to work, so always use tongs. Cut your onion in half and use tongs to rub the onion up and down the grill pan to loosen grease and burnt-on food, before you wash it."

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