15 NEW & Exciting Cleaning Cheats You'll Want To Try NOW

Just when you thought you'd read all the cleaning tips we have to offer, we've gone and found some new ones for you!

Here are some interesting cleaning hacks you might have never heard of...

1. Dust blinds and your TV with old dryer sheets

Wipe your blinds up and down with some used dryer sheets. They will help create an anti-static barrier between each blind and dust particles, preventing it from building up.

This works a treat on TVs too and we love the 'buy once - use twice' use for those used dryer sheets.

Don't forget to vacuum afterwards, too! For alternatives to dryer sheets and cleaning vertical blinds, take a look at our other tips. 

2. Two words: magic erasers

Oh, how we love magic erasers! These easy-to-use foam sponges remove stubborn marks, stains, and scuffs from surfaces in the kitchen and around the home.

Made from high-density melamine foam, they provide abrasive cleaning without the use of harmful chemicals. 

3. Discover rhubarb-based products

Developed over 100 years ago in America, Bar Keeper’s Friend is a multi-purpose cleaner that uses an active ingredient found in rhubarb plants. It’s excellent at removing stains, fingerprints and other sticky marks.

Known for its cleaning prowess, rhubarb is efficient in removing baked-on foods from stainless steel – no more scrubbing! Instead of stocking up on rhubarb, simply find Bar Keeper's Friend in your local shop or online. 

4. Use a pumice stone to clean your toilet and oven

Pumice stone is a type of volcanic rock, they’re lightweight yet can be used as an abrasive tool. It can be found in most scouring powders so why not give it a try?

Make sure it’s wet before using it as a scourer to remove grease and dirt from your oven. You can also use it on your toilet!

5. Remove stubborn dirt stains with denture tablets

To easily eliminate a dirty ring around your toilet or bathtub and gain a sparkling surface, grab some inexpensive denture cleaning tablets and drop them into the water.

Leave it for 30 minutes or overnight if you can and by morning it would have helped dissolve the dirt making it easy to wipe off.

6. Use toothpick or skewers to clean crevices

Here's a great tip that we found on Food52: Use the end of a toothpick to clean out those dirty kitchen crevices such as the gap between your worktop and oven or crevices on your electrical appliances.

Warning: once you look at how much gunk – food debris, grease, and dirt – has accumulated in these gaps, you’ll notice it forever!

7. The lazy way to make your porcelain sparkle

If you have white porcelain bath fittings, line the sink with paper towels and soak them with bleach. Let the towels sit for half an hour before putting them in the bin. Rinse the sink with warm water and sponge clean to reveal a whiter, brighter sink.

TOP TIP: Always wear gloves when handling bleach. 

8. Use a toothbrush to get into nooks and crannies

Always keep an old toothbrush in your cleaning kit! They come in so handy when you're cleaning between and in those tiny nooks, for example, they work really well around the screws of a toilet seat.

9. Use microfibre cloths or reach for substitutes

Microfibre cloths are our favourite thing to use for cleaning! They pick up the dust instead of moving it around, and they can be washed and reused over and over.

If you don't have any microfibres, use an old t-shirt or pillowcase that is 100% cotton. Dampen it slightly before getting to work. Both are like magnets for dust!

10. Keep your drain hair-free with a DIY concoction

If your drain quickly gets clogged up with hair, conditioner, and other product build-ups, you might end up spending an absolute fortune on chemical drain gels. Instead, pour down half a cup of this homemade cleaning solution every few weeks to keep your drain clear. You'll save both time and money.

Mix together and keep in an air-tight container:

• 1 cup of bicarbonate of soda
• 1 cup of salt
• ¼ cup of cream of tartar

For more tips, read our guide on how to get hair out of drains.

11. Discover the professional 7-minute secret

Here's a hotel housekeeping secret… anytime you use a cleaning product, let it sit for at least 7 minutes (while you continue on another area), before wiping away. This allows the product to fully cut through the dirt and grime.

12. Vacuum clean your room in THIS order

Do you know the best way to vacuum your carpet? You might have been taught to vacuum from the furthest corner and work your way out or perhaps you go to town without any kind of thought to it.

Either way, try vacuuming into the room over the areas that people walk over the most and then vacuum yourself out of it. This way you'll go over the entrances and most walked on spots twice.

13. Clean more often to spend less time cleaning

If you clean your home more often in short, quick bursts you'll actually spend less time cleaning than if you left long periods in-between. Once you've deep cleaned your home, speed clean different areas more frequently to help maintain it.

Remember: you want to reach the point where you are maintenance cleaning, not catch-up cleaning. 

14. Remove stains from wood with Brazil nuts

If someone hasn't been using a coaster (guilty!) and now you've got a water ring on your favourite coffee table, take a large Brazil nut and gently rub the wood with it. The stain should lift, but make sure the surface is dry before you get to work.

The natural oils in Brazil nuts are hugely effective in stain removal and act as a natural dye to darken and camouflage stains or scratches.

15. Use a grapefruit to tackle limescale

The citric acid found in grapefruits acts as an effective cleaning agent, breaking down and removing limescale. Cut the grapefruit in half and sprinkle a tablespoon of salt onto it before scrubbing the area and rinsing. Your bathroom fittings will be sparkling clean and smell lovely. 

Which was your favourite tip? Let us know in the comments below!