Quickie Clean Up
We’ve already shared a slew of homemade cleaning recipes, chatted about our own housekeeping habits, and even highlighted some easy home freshening ideas from Real Simple magazine, but we’re back with an error proof roundup of fast and easy fixes to leave you with a sparkly clean casa in no time. And perhaps best of all, these are all 100% free solutions, assuming you have some basics on hand, and each suggestion has three steps or less to keep things oh so doable. But enough chit chat. Let the cleaning frenzy begin!
Oh and just to demonstrate how easy and speedy they really are, we’re including a handy little timetable, so you can pick a cleaning time span (either 7 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or 45 minutes) and follow our minute-by-minute guide below:
If you have seven minutes…
- Place a bowl of coffee beans or a box of baking soda in a musty closet, cabinet or drawer and leave it overnight to absorb the odor (1 minute).
- Quarter a lemon and place it in a bowl of water. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Then wipe down the entire microwave with a moist rag, which is easy thanks to the lemony steam you created (3 minutes)
- Take your quartered lemon and slip each part into your sink’s garbage disposal while it’s on with the water running- this will freshen the air as well as cleanse the actual disposal line (1 minute)
- Use a vinegar soaked rag to remove hard water stains from your shower head, faucets, etc (2 minutes)
If you have fifteen minutes then do all of the above PLUS…
- Sprinkle baking soda on a musty carpet, let stand one minute, then vacuum the baking soda up- along with the odor (3 minutes)
- Pour one part baking soda followed by one part vinegar down the drain, let stand for one minute, then rinse to clean out the pipes in an 100% natural way (3 minutes)
- Open all the windows to air out the house (2 minutes)
If you have thirty minutes then do all of the above PLUS…
- Add one part vinegar and one part water to a spray bottle and spray down mold or mildew, then just scrub it away with a textured sponge or rag and rinse it clean (6 minutes).
- Wipe down your stainless steel appliances with a vinegar soaked rag (9 minutes)
If you have forty five minutes then do all of the above PLUS…
- Dust with a microfiber cloth- see how we get ‘er done right here (15 minutes)
Then you pretty much just have regular maintenance like toilet cleaning and vacuuming to do. And look at all the bonus super-thorough cleaning projects you were able to bang out in just a smidge of time. We’re rarely “inspired” to clean, but seeing that it can be done simply, on the cheap, naturally, and in less than three steps per task really makes it not-so-bad. And it’s amazing how good a clean microwave or a shiny new-looking shower head can make you feel. But now we’re turning it over to you guys. We’d love to hear your affordable and easy house cleaning tips. Do tell.
Psst- Wanna keep your cleaning mojo going? Check out a slew of homemade cleaning recipes, peep our own housekeeping habits, and peruse some super easy home freshening ideas from Real Simple.
First image from here, all following images from here.
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Thank you thank you thank you! I was just thinking of emailing you for cleaning tips last week. You read my mind.
I dampen a rag and tie it securely on a broom to get all cobwebs and dust from ceilings and walls. I also use slightly damp microfiber cloths for sprucing up my wood floors quickly. And for my kitchen and bathroom floors, I use a steamer mop that works beautifully and it simply uses steam from hot water.
Thanks for this! I aired out our bedroom this morning by opening up the windows and turning the fan on. I wanted to do it early since it starts getting hot around 8am. (I’m in Texas.)
I make a super easy counter spray/ air freshener with water, alcohol and lemon oil (about 6oz, 1 oz, and about 30 drops of oil, respectively). Keeping your counters and sink clean and the kitchen smelling fresh seems to make the whole house lighter and fresher!
I love that lemon-microwave trick! Definitely going to use that today!
Awesome tips!! And I love that they’re all natural with things around the house!
I love the saying, “a place for everything and everything in its place.” Having systems already in place makes cleanup so much quicker. That said, there are certainly times when the house turns into a wreck! I use my kitchen timer as a motivator to get a lot done quickly. I set it for 15 minutes and work as fast as I can. When my husband and girls join me it is amazing to see how much can be accomplished in such a short time!
Wow! I love these tips guys!
I am so happy to learn about the vinegar/water mix for cleaning stainless steel. All those finger prints and smudges have been frustrating me!
My garbage disposal can’t seem to handle citrus — any ideas for a softer freshing alternative? Thanks for the inspiration…
Maybe some baking soda? Anyone else have ideas for Leah?
xo,
s
I recently cleaned layer of greasy dust off of my stove range hood by rubbing 1/2 of a lemon all over it. And I had already zested and juiced the lemon to use it in some cooking, so all I was using to clean was the part that would have been wasted! It cut through the grease easily, and then I just wiped it down with a damp rag.
Great tips! We regularly have all of those items on hand and I love the fact that they are all natural, non-chemical solutions. I will definitely be adding a number of these to my weekly cleaning routine!
We have a big lemon tree in our backyard that is constantly producing, so I love any cleaning with lemon. It’s good for my house, good for the environment, and helps us use up all those lemons!
So, I want to know, did you guys do all these steps already?
Hey Carolyn,
Yup, many of them are things we do all the time (like microwave and garbage disposal cleaning) while we do other things every once in a while (like de-misting drawers and cleaning water-stained fixtures). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
We clean are disposal almost daily with lemons. My husband is a lemon-acholic!
I love the coffee/baking soda closet tip. Will def try that out!
http://www.kellyloves.wordpress.com
Do you have any tips on how to clean natural stone naturally? Vinegar would etch it. I have slate in my showers and it has a white coating on it from the water and I just don’t know what to clean it with! I am stumped! Thanks for any advice anyone!
We use Mrs Meyer’s All Purpose Cleaner on our granite counters. Love it!
xo,
s
So I am having company tonight; my sister is in from AZ. It was time to clean.
I spent 3 HOURS ON MY ROOM.
It’s a bedroom, for crying out loud! Who knew I’d need 3 HOURS to clean it!?!? I had dust bunnies that could talk back to me. I had stacks of magazines just piled up on the nightstands. I had clothes tossed over the cedar chest. I had dust; omg, did I have dust.
But then I thought about it: we leave before 7am for work, and get home after 6pm. For 1/2 the year I never see my room in the daylight. No wonder I didn’t see all that dust!
But it’s gone now and the room is so neat and clean – now if only it could stay than way…
I think I need to stay at home to stay on top of my house cleaning…
I use my Swiffer Sweeper to go over the floors – but instead of buying their expensive and chemical-containing “Sweeping Cloths”, I dampen a couple of paper towels, and insert them into the Sweeper instead. It doesnt smell and it doesnt leave a film on my wood floors. I can do one whole floor (about 700 sq feet) in about 5 minutes.
Thanks for these, guys! I love fresh lemon scents, and even vinegar (which I hated as a kid). I’m definitely going to try the baking soda carpet one.
before bed, I go around with a basket and pick up anything that is not in it’s place and put it away. it takes about 10-15 minutes but the clutter never gets out of control.
Definitely not on the subject of cleaning… did y’all paint the daybed that used to be in Clara’s nursery white? I noticed in the flickr pictures of little miss Clara :)
Good eye Wendy! We’ll share a few sunroom projects that we took on after we finish the office makeover!
xo,
s
These are great!! Thanks.
I put a damp and soapy rag in the microwave for 30 seconds and wipe clean. I’m going to have to try the lemon idea though…smells yummy.
thanks guys!
I love the break down of time, it is extremely helpful. Growing up my mom would use a timer for each room. She would say you have 20 minutes to clean the restroom. It is amazing how much you can get done when your time is limited.
I am a flylady.net devotee, and her “swish and swipe” advice changed my life. We keep our toilet brush in a holder filled with soapy solution and do a quick toilet bowl cleaning every morning. Then I take a windex wipe and swipe the mirror and fixtures, and a clorox wipe for the counter and toilet seat. For less than 90 seconds every morning we have a spotless bathroom, and it’s amazing how much cleaner the wholebhouse feels.
Thanks for all the tips! I went out and bought Mrs. Meyer’s All Purpose Cleaner this weekend, based on your previous recommendation, and did a thorough cleaning of our granite counters. Can I just tell you that I never thought I would like the scent of a cleaner as much as I love Lemon Verbana :). I’m hoping to tackle a few of these ideas this week!
Oh yes… We are OBSESSED with that scent! And we love that it’s all natural.
xo,
s
I use vinegar as a rinse aid for the dishwasher and as a softener. Brew baking soda in the coffee maker to sanitize it.
I clean my microwave same way you described with the lemon, except with vinegar. I’m sure the lemon smells much nicer though!
I use castile soap for just about everything: cleaning floors, washing clothes (when I run out of detergent and have to make more); making baby wipes; shampoo and body wash for me and Gremlin….
We just used baking soda to clean our marble bathtub tile. It worked great!! I’ll have to use your tip about the vinegar rag to clean the shower heads.
Excellent suggestions. Is it really OK to use vinegar on SS appliances? I thought that was a no-no (but who knows where I think I heard that).
Any great tips for fresh laundry (other than line drying outside)? I like to use detergents that are free of a lot of stuff because I can have skin issues and I definitely like to use those without phosphates, but I have to say, I’m not thrilled with the cleaning and freshening power of what I’ve been using. I’m getting sick of washing a lot of things twice.
Hey Erin,
We’ve done it quite a few times without any issue. Anyone else care to weigh in?
xo,
s
Any tips for freshening up your car? We only allow our dog to ride in one of our cars and even with vacumming and wiping down the inside it still smells like dog. Air fresheners only seem to mask it momentarily.
Have you tried a box of baking soda or a bag of coffee beans to freshen things up naturally? Anyone have other ideas for Marah?
xo,
s
Great tips! Im going to jot these down… Although opening the windows is pretty much impossible. We always have about 110% humidity down here ugh! Also for those with the glass top ranges [which ALWAYS seem to get stuck on stains] Sprinkle baking soda on the hard stains, then pour vinegar. Scrub away with a sponge :)
I love this post, I’m definitely saving it for the next time we clean around the house!
Marah,
sometimes I put really fragrant candles in my car to help mask the dog scent. I never light them of course but the smells seem to cover the scent nicely and it allows you to choose from much better scents.
Another dog tip- cleaning up a stain on a carpet. One part vinegar, one part detergent and one part water. That sucker will come right up.
I second Leigh Ann’s comment… flylady.net has been a GODSEND for me as well! Being a perfectionist has always made cleaning SO STRESSFUL for me (gee, using a toothbrush to clean my baseboards could make a person stressed? Who’d have thought?). Now I know, “Housework done imperfectly STILL blesses your family.” And, “Soap is soap” — you don’t need 37 different specialty cleaners, especially if you clean as you go, a little every day, it never becomes a problem.
The only downside is you don’t get that surge of accomplishment that comes with waiting for your house to become a filthy mess before cleaning it entirely (I’m not the only one who sometimes waits so I can see a dramatic improvement after cleaning, am I?).
I love having these natural cleaning solutions. Thanks! I’ve just had time to “visit” you in Richmond (I’m originally from Roanoke) and read the part where your home photos had been “stolen”. What are people thinking! As for me, I want to steal the actual rooms!! I love what the two of you do with your home.
Best,
Bonnie
Thank you sooooooo much! I specially love the microwave tip!! So ease!! :):)
Barkeeper’s Friend is my BEST FRIEND! It is amazing for cleaning copper bottom pots or getting out any tough stains in the kitchen or bathroom. We just had a crawfish boil and nothing would get the carbon from the propane grill off the bottom of the pot – except Barkeeper’s Friend! That stuff works MIRACLES!
Oooooh!! I especially needed the tip on the granite cleaner. We just finished our kitchen remodel and I feel like every time I walk through the kitchen I HAVE to wipe it down.
Anyone have good tips on cleaning a flat top electric stove? I heard you shouldn’t use baking soda…
My favorite quick clean is my bathroom floor method: I spray the floor with a spray bottle each of vinegar and peroxide, let it sit for a minute or two, then I step on two large rags and do the twist through the room. Give it another minute to finish drying, then run the dustbuster over the floor to get any stray hairs. Three minutes, tops, although granted, my bathrooms are pretty small.
Also, baking soda is the best thing ever! What else can I use to clean my counters, my fridge, my drains, and my face?
I have perhaps a silly question. I’ve always found vinegar to be so stinky. Doesn’t cleaning with it make your house smell kind of funky? Or am I just using the wrong kind of vinegar?
It does smell kind of acidic while you’re using it to clean, but the moment it dries it’s odorless. We even washed clothing in vinegar and it smells fresh and lovely when it’s dry. No trace of that vinegar odor afterwards!
xo,
s
This is for Erin, who asked about laundry:
We generally use Arm and Hammer Washing Soda (in the big yellow box) and 20 mule team Borax to help boost laundry cleaning. We actually have a container with the two mixed about half and half and throw roughly 1/4 cup in to the wash with the detergent.
And we use white vinegar in the rinse cycle instead of fabric softener, which also helps remove odors (and my hubs is convinced the vinegar makes our whites look whiter!)
I hope that helps. So many great tips on this thread!
Hi there,
What about natural disinfecting? I use the Mrs.Meyers Multipurpose cleaner (thanks to your suggestions) on my granite countertops, but what should I use to clean – say, the cutting board after cutting some raw chicken? Or to clean the juices that inevitably make it onto the counter?
Ideas?
We use regular old castille soap and water to clean our cutting board on the regular. Some good old fashioned soap and scrubbing hasn’t ever let us down (no ecoli outbreaks over here). Oh and things like tea tree oil have natural antibacterial properties as well, so you might want to look into cleaning products with that added ingredient. Anyone else have ideas for Bonnie?
xo,
s
John and Sherry-
You just keep making life a little easier every week! Fantastic tips! I’m not a big one on liking to clean, but I enjoy a clean house with minimal effort.
One of my biggest cleaning hassles is our carpet. I cleaned them last weekend with baking soda water in a carpet cleaner. Wonderful results. No foul chemicals to deal with, and are carpets are so beautiful now!
For Leah (and anyone else who doesn’t want to put citrus in their disposal): I put ice cubes and lemon juice in my garbage disposal and then turn it on (squirt the lemon juice in while turning the disposal on so the juice doesn’t just go down the drain). The ice cleans the disposal and the lemon juice freshens the air.
For katie @ k+b adventures in renovating, who asked: Anyone have good tips on cleaning a flat top electric stove? I heard you shouldn’t use baking soda…
I have a flat (ceramic) top electric stove, and I’ve used baking soda without any problems. Actually I had never heard that you weren’t supposed to use BS on it! I add a little vinegar to make a bubbly paste–good for the “cooked on” stuff, and then rub it in with a wet cloth. I remove it with a fresh wet cloth and just keep wiping the stove top down until it’s clear of any white stuff.
Good luck!
These are awesome, thank you!
We just installed hardwood floors (ok, WE didn’t do it ourselves, but you get the picture :-)) and I’m not sure the best way to keep them clean without harming them…and using natural products would be great. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Brooke
Hey Brooke,
We use the same Mrs. Meyer’s All Purpose Cleaner that we use on our granite counters. We water it down a bit and are sure not to let the floor get too wet (just a moist rag with watered down Mrs Meyer’s does the trick – or you could apply it with a mop). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Thanks for the tips–these are great! I’ve heard mixed reports on garbage disposals: are they bad for the enviroment, etc. Here’s a related article http://www.slate.com/id/2201176/. I’d love to see you guys write about how to make a compost pile!
Hey Ris,
We love composting and actually already did a DIY compost post! Check it out here: http://www.younghouselove.com/2008/08/younghouselovedotcompost/
xo,
s
I tried the vinegar + baking soda trick over the weekend on a bathroom sink, and once I got to the hot water stage, my once slow drain became completely clogged! The water in the sink basin wasn’t moving at all. Had to resort to chemical drain solvents and a good ole fashioned plunger. (Just a word of caution: The chemicals interacted with the vinegar/baking soda still in the drain which resulted in some pretty nauseating fumes.) But now the drain seems to be totally unclogged, so victory?
Appart from some days that i feel extremely tired and do basically the same as you and everything looks good. We do an special effort during the weekends like doing the toilets, ironing everything (hubby territory too) and sweep every inch of my floors, but it doesnt seem such a hard work. I’m really surprised that some young marriage dont clean the bathroom everyweek or not even every two weeks, it’s not that big a deal!!
Lin- I also turned my slow-moving drain to a no-moving drain with baking soda and vinegar. It turned into a horrible 2 day with no sink ordeal. When I got my handy father involved he insisted on using some chemical drain solvents as well (much to my dismay), but even those did not work. We ended up dismantling the pipes under the sink to clear the clog (which is probably what I should have started with). Not sure where I went wrong, but it was such a hassle I’d be wary to try it again. I try to pour some boiling hot water down the sinks every now and again to keep them clear. It seems to be working so far!
i love the cleaning power of vinegar =) i’m a newfound believer in it. hehe
question though, on the post about homemade cleaners you said don’t use vinegars on stones…so i shouldn’t use it on granite countertops right? What would you recommend/
Thanks!
I’ve been struggling with how to clean stainless steal the quickly and easily, so I’m very excited to try vinegar! Thanks for the tip!