8 Cleaning Hacks That Might Surprise You
Did you know you can clean your toilet with Coke?
It’s got something to do with acidity – the same reason why you’re taught to use a straw when drinking soda. Acids break things down and Coke has three different types of it. It has citric, carbonic, and phosphoric acid.
With such acidity, Coca-Cola is powerful enough to remove toilet stains without the need for commercial toilet cleaners. Cool, right?
Here are 8 other cleaning hacks you’ll want to try next.
1. Forget About Nuking Your Sponges
You read that right. Stop microwaving your dirty sponges.
Yes, we know that this one comes up often when you try to search for cleaning hacks online. But we’re telling you it’s not as effective as people think it is.
In fact, according to one study, when you nuke your sponges, you’re only killing the weakest microorganisms. That means you’re letting the baddest of the bunch survive.
Your best bet is to replace your sponges every week or so. But if you’re concerned about the waste, pop it in a laundry machine and make sure it’s at the highest setting. Add powder detergent and bleach and use it someplace else, other than the kitchen.
The idea is to use in an area that’s less hygiene-sensitive such as the bathroom, for example.
2. Use Vinegar to Remove Scum From Your Shower Head
What’s that thing preventing your shower head from working the way it should? Ah yes, scum.
And if you’ve tried everything removing such a thing with no luck, you should give vinegar a try. As we’ve said before, vinegar makes an excellent cleanser thanks to its acidic properties. It is environmentally friendly, and you can use it full strength or diluted with water, depending on how scummy your shower head is.
Here’s what you need to do. Fill a bag with vinegar, soak your shower head in the bag, and leave it overnight. By next morning, you’ll have a scum-free shower head.
3. Remember: Oil’s as Good as Water
Cleaning hacks might seem magical to some, what with the use of unusual cleansers like Coke or ketchup. But really, when you distill them to their essence, it all boils down to solid science.
If you recall your chemistry lessons, the phrase “like dissolves like” might ring a bell. This applies to polar solutes dissolving in polar solvents or non-polar solutes dissolving in non-polar solvents.
Simply put, if you have an oil-spattered kitchen, this means you should clean it with a “like” solvent. Now, that doesn’t mean heading to your local supermarket to buy a special oil cleanser.
It just means use a few drops of oil (vegetable is fine) on a clean dish rag instead of using soap and water.
The oil will disappear as you wipe it and you only need to let the surface dry as normal.
4. Sanitize Your Cutting Board with Half a Lemon
We talked about using a bottle of peroxide spray to disinfect cutting boards after each use. But if you want to get rid of the smell and sanitize it at the same time, you can use half a lemon. Just rub it all over the board or juice it and wash your cutting board with it.
Another thing you might want to try is a paste of salt and lemon juice. Now this treatment will not only clean your board but also restore it to its previous color. It’s also a good option if you’re looking to deep clean your cutting board.
5. Clean Your Vents with a Butter Knife
As far as cleaning hacks go, this actually isn’t as quirky as it sounds. Plus, you should only do this if your soft vacuum brush tool doesn’t get the job done.
Here’s how you can clean your air vents with a butter knife. First, soak a rag in your preferred cleanser. Wrap it around your butter knife and use that to clean your vents. It takes a bit of work but at least you’re sure your vents will be thoroughly cleaned.
6. Give Your Computer or Laptop Some TLC
Certain chemicals such as ammonia, acetone, or ethyl alcohol can damage your desktop or laptop. As a rule, you should only use gentle cleaning agents for your computer. You should also never spray cleaning solutions directly on the screen.
For your keyboard, you can use a few drops of vinegar on a clean rag. If you have a microfiber cloth, even better. Give your keyboard a good wipe and for those nooks and crannies your rag isn’t able to get to, you can dip a cotton swab in vinegar and use that.
For your screen, avoid using paper towels or any other paper products. Use a microfiber cloth and if necessary, spray it with a diluted solution of vinegar.
7. Get a Piece of Bread to Pick Up Shards of Broken Glass
The problem with sweeping broken glass is you leave just one microscopic piece of glass behind and it could cause an accident.
So if you’re dealing with teeny tiny shards of broken glass, get a slice of bread and use it as you would a sponge. You want to sop up the area to pick up even the tiniest pieces.
Of course, you should still use a broom to sweep up the bigger glass pieces. You should also use rubber gloves as an extra precaution while picking up the smaller pieces with your bread slice.
8. Pick Up Pet Hair with a Damp Rubber Glove
If your furbaby likes to leave hair all over the sofa, you can use a damp rubber glove. It will pick up pet hair like running a magnet over iron filings.
Repeat as needed, or if you run out of rubber gloves, you can use a slightly wet sponge in a pinch.
Want More Cleaning Hacks?
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