Fast, Efficient Cleaning Hacks to Add to Your Bag of Tricks

Yuganov Konstantin/Shutterstock

Tuck these ideas into your bag of tricks and you’ll have your home spick-and-span in no time.

Clean Your Cabinets With Your Vacuum

Use your vacuum’s brush attachment to pick up dust and crumbs inside. Outside, concentrate on the area around the hardware using a cloth dampened with warm water and Murphy Oil Soap.

Use Your Dishwasher to Clean Light Fixtures

Run removable glass pieces, such as domes, through the dishwasher. Run a drying cycle, too, to reduce spotting.

A microfiber mop with an extension pole dusts ceilings and walls quickly and easily. Terelyuk/Shutterstock

Use a Pillowcase to Clean a Ceiling Fan

Slip a pillowcase over ceiling fan blades, one at a time, then wipe. Dust falls into the pillowcase, not on your furniture and floors.

Use Old Socks to Clean Blinds

Put an old sock on one hand and spritz it with water. Grip each panel of the blind and slide your sock-covered hand from one end to the other, removing dust from both sides of the slat at once.

Use a Paint Roller to Clean Popcorn Ceilings

Roll a damp high-nap paint roller over the ceiling to pick up dust and cobwebs without knocking down pieces of the ceiling the way sweeping would.

Spot-Clean Fabrics With Baby Wipes

Baby wipes are surprisingly effective because they contain very little moisture, have gentle cleaning agents, and dry quickly. Just don’t confuse them with cleaning wipes, which might contain bleach or other harmful chemicals.

Baby wipes are surprisingly effective because they contain very little moisture, have gentle cleaning agents, and dry quickly. spotters_studio/Shutterstock

Use Tennis Balls to Launder Comforters

You can machine-wash most comforters in front-loaders, as long as the comforter fills only half the washer. Dry with tennis balls to keep the stuffing from collecting in one corner.

Clean Window Treatments Faster by Not Taking Them Down

Instead of taking down curtains, just shake them out to remove loose dust. Then vacuum from top to bottom using the upholstery attachment.

Clean curtains faster by not taking them down. Rock and Wasp/Shutterstock

Have Your Kids Clean Your Mattress for You

Have your kids jump on the bed to bring up dust from inside. Then vacuum the mattress top. (If your vacuum has a beater bar, turn the bar off first.)

Use Lemon Oil and Vinegar to Get Woodwork That Shines

To remove dust and dirt buildup from woodwork and leave it looking shiny, wipe it down using a mix of one part lemon oil to one part white vinegar.

Clean Your Dishwasher With Little Effort

Add 1 cup baking soda to the bottom of your empty dishwasher and let it sit overnight. Run the hottest possible cycle, using vinegar instead of detergent, to clean and deodorize your dishwasher. Remember to remove debris from the filter.

A double-sided squeegee is the best tool for cleaning windows. Photographee.eu/Shutterstock

Remove Hard-Water Stains by Walking Away

But first, soak paper towels in undiluted vinegar and place on the buildup. Leave overnight, then scrub and rinse.

Clean Faster With Smart Tools

A 50-foot, 16-gauge extension cord lets you plug in your vacuum at a central location so you can clean a whole level without stopping to find another outlet.

A microfiber mop with an extension pole dusts ceilings and walls quickly and easily. When you’re done, just remove the cover and toss it in the wash.

A double-sided squeegee is the best tool for cleaning windows. Dip it in your cleaning solution of choice and work in a tight S-pattern from top to bottom.

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