Cleaning Tricks Best Guide

Living Room

 Use this everyday product to revive your rugs.

Spill booze on your berber?

Resist the urge to scrub, warns Joseph from Maid Sailors. “The best way to get out a stain in any rug, especially when it’s fresh, is to simply dab it,” he says. This pulls up any excess material that hasn’t yet settled.

Then apply your secret weapon: Shaving cream.

Apply the cream directly to the stain, let it sit for 30 minutes, then do another dab. Spray the stain with a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water. Finally, wipe it dry, like this:

 Clear windows with this Windex alternative.

Wash your windows on a cloudy day to avoid streaking. And forget traditional glass cleaner – NYC and Chicago cleaning service MyClean recommends mixing 8 parts water to 1 part vinegar for a DIY solution. Then wipe the panes down with a coffee filter or newspaper.

Sounds insane, but it works.

 Quickly wipe your blinds dry.

A Cultivated Nest

Since most of what you’ll find on blinds is dust, Merry Maids advises keeping the cleaning process dry.

Use your handy microfiber cloth to wipe the convex side of your blinds from top to bottom. Then turn the rod and repeat on the other side.

Or, cut your cleaning time in half by attaching a clean rag to tongs, á la A Cultivated Nest. Clamp the tongs on a blind to clean both sides of it at the same time.

Last but not least, vacuum any spilled dust.

 Take proper care of your hardwood floors.

First you’ll need to vacuum or dust, says TIDY. Next, fill a bucket with warm water and add ¼ cup of either white vinegar or all-purpose cleaner. Dip your microfiber towel in the solution, wring it out, and attach it to a mop handle.

Important: Take special care not to get your floor too wet while cleaning. And be sure to wipe away any excess water when you’re done.

 Freshen up your carpet’s look – and smell.

 

No carpet powder? No problem. According to King of Maids, you can simply sprinkle baking soda on the carpet and vacuum after at least 30 minutes. Add a few drops of your favorite essential oil for an extra fresh touch.

For particularly stubborn stains, blot the area with club soda on a cloth, then spray it with a 1:1 mix of water and white vinegar. Rinse with just water, and use your hands to readjust the carpet hairs in their natural direction. Dry with a paper towel.

Bedroom

Use this awesome guide to declutter your closet.

 

Organize your wardrobe – on the cheap! – with our comprehensive guide on how to organize your closet.

 Wash your pillows in the washing machine.

 

Your pillow type will determine how you wash it, says says Merry Maids.

Put down- and fiber pillows in the wash on a warm, gentle cycle. Follow with an extra rinse to get all the detergent out, and tumble dry low with clean tennis balls to restore your pillows’ fluffiness.

Heads up: Foam pillows require gentle hand washing with mild detergent.

21. Sprinkle this white powder on your mattress.

Flickr/Aqua Mechanical

In addition to stepping up your mattress game and flipping it every six months, Maid Brigade has this simple mattress deodorizing hack:

Sift baking soda on the surface, let it sit for a few hours, then vacuum it up.