Scum, sludge, slime, muck, dirt, grunge, and dinge all have the potential to rear their ugly heads only by using your apartment. All of them can make your apartment much less pleasant to live in. Most of us make our peace with it because cleaning is a tedious process and needs a lot of time and effort.
However, you can benefit from learning some of the best apartment cleaning hacks that can make your home spotless easily. Here are some hacks that you need to adopt right now to make your home immaculate. Keep in mind that you might have to check with your property manager to ensure that you can do some home maintenance without having anything to worry about in the future.
Clean your tubs with salt and grapefruits
If your bathtub ring and other fixtures are proving hard to clean, this little trick can make your job much easier. Cut grapefruit into half and sprinkle it with some salt. Next start by scrubbing the surface of your bathtub with these open halves. Not only will it get rid of all dirt and make your bathtub spotless but it helps in keeping all potentially toxic chemicals away.
Scrub burns out of pans with baking soda
Older pans and pots can acquire some shoddy-looking burn marks. You can clean them easily by filling them with a mixture of water and vinegar and heating them until it starts to boil. Now remove the pan from the stove and add a pinch of baking soda. Let it cool for a while and then drain the pot. Next start by wiping all the burn marks. You can clean the roasted bottoms of your pans and pots by making a paste of a few drops of water and baking soda. Just apply this paste to the burned area, and scrub it all off after about 15 minutes.
Clean carpet stains with vinegar, a damp cloth, and a hot iron
Carpets are some of the most tedious surfaces when it comes to cleaning. Take a spray bottle and add 1 part vinegar with 2 parts of water. Now spray this mixture directly over the stain and quickly cover it with a wet cloth. Now use a hot iron on the ‘steam’ setting to heat the area for about 30 seconds. The steam will get the stain out easily.
Get rid of really bad spills with a baking soda paste
Some spills need to be cleaned as soon as possible. For instance, if you need to clean urine or vomit off a carpet, you need to do it as quickly as possible. In such cases, you should make a paste of baking soda and apply it directly to the area. Now let it sit overnight and then use a vacuum cleaner to pick up the dry remains. If you are left with some residual stains, you can clean them up with the previous carpet trick.
Buff away water spots with used dryer sheets
To get rid of water spots and rings easily, use a dryer sheet directly over the affected area. You will be left with a nice and smooth surface.
Clean microwaves by microwaving soapy water
Microwaves can accrue a greasy build up all over the interiors. This nasty build up is hard to clean off with a wet sponge. Instead, you should fill up a microwave-safe bowl with some soapy water and let it heat in the microwave for over a minute. The steam from this solution will get into the residue and make it easy for it to come off when wiped.
Clean dishes more easily with a spray bottle
To clean dishes effectively, fill up 3 parts of water and 1 part dish soap in a spray bottle and shake it until bubbles form. Now spray this mixture directly on the dishes and scrub it off. Your dishes will be as good as new in no time.
Unclog a sink with a soda bottle
If you need to unclog your kitchen sink, or bathroom sink drains, create a makeshift plunger using a plastic, 2-liter soda bottle. You can simply cut off the top one-fifth part of the bottle open and place the open end over the opening of the drain. Now squeeze this bottle abruptly a few times. The pressure created on the seal will loosen the clog immediately.
Clean ceiling fans with an old pillowcase
To clean your ceiling fans, use an old pillowcase, and place it over each blade of the fan individually such that the blades fit into the opening. Now close the pillowcase firmly and slide it off the blade. This trick will pull away all the dust and best of all, it will not get released into the air.
Clean hair off of the carpet with a squeegee
If you simply use a vacuum cleaner to pick up stay hair, you might end up damaging your device. Instead, you can use a simple squeegee to get rid of any excess hair from carpeted areas.
Use a bleach pen to remove toilet mildew
To remove any mildew rings that arise in toilet bowls that aren’t used regularly, simply drop a bleach pen into the bowl. Now let it soak overnight and remove it the next day. You can use this trick for several nights to get rid of stubborn rings.
Use oil to clean oil
One of the most common cleaning problems is getting rid of grease. Since it is oil-based, it is really hard to make it go away with most cleaners as they are water-based. You should just add a few drops of vegetable oil to a paper towel, and use it to wipe away food residue and grease from your counter-tops and stove-tops. The oil will help in getting rid of any stubborn oil stains and will leave your surfaces shining radiantly. However, make sure that you do not use this trick on gas stove-tops because they could probably catch fire.
Get out grease stains with a piece of chalk
Use plain white chalk to eliminate grease stains before getting a chance to settle. Take some wax-free chalk, and rub it on the stained area immediately when the accident happens. Let the chalk set in for a couple of minutes and wipe away all excess. Now start rubbing the stained area with some laundry detergent, and wash the item in running hot water. You can wash it a second time if the stain remains.
Use a tennis ball to help dry down comforters
To clean your comforters, put them in the washing machine and use a delicate setting with a very little detergent. Now transfer it to the dryer and add a few tennis balls before putting it on. Let it dry on the lowest setting. Your comforter will dry evenly and quickly leaving some fluff.
Clean your mattress with rubbing alcohol
To easily clean your mattress, fill a spray bottle with some rubbing alcohol, and add a few drops of scented oil. Now mist the mattress lightly and let it dry. This hack will disinfect your mattress and kill any odor-causing bacteria.
Clean stove burners with ammonia and a garbage bag
Remove your burners, take them outside, and place them in a good-quality garbage bag that doesn’t have any holes. Now add around 1 cup of ammonia, and close the bag tightly. Let them soak for a day and carefully open the bag and rinse them in running water. Be careful while opening the bag because the fumes of ammonia can be intense.
Use spare jar lids to keep jars from leaking onto refrigerator shelves
Dirty refrigerators can easily affect the food inside them. If some of your jars are leaking on the shelves of your cabinets, cupboards, or refrigerator, use spare jar lids to give them a contained area to leak. Just place it upside down below the jar.
Remove soap buildup from shower doors with cooking spray
Removing soap scum buildup from the doors of your shower doors is easily a very complicated job. Start by spraying the door completely with cooking spray mist and let it settle for about five minutes. This helps in loosening any soap buildup and helps you wipe it off without any trouble.
Conclusion
Cleaning your home is a tiring task, yes, but you can always make it simple and fun by adopting some of these easy hacks by Ecoverde Maids. Not only will it help you save a lot of time and effort but it will take the monotony out of your cleaning process and make it enjoyable. You should keep these simple hacks in mind and use them as and when needed. Make sure that you take any necessary precautions while dealing with harsh chemicals such as vinegar and ammonia. Using these hacks will go a long way in cleaning your home and making it healthy and virtually bacteria and dust free.
Happy Cleaning!
