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Cleaning Hacks For Moms Who Have Other Things To Do

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Moms have busy lives trying to be well-rounded individuals while taking care of a family and home. Wouldn’t it be nice if there were cleaning hacks for moms who have other things to do? We could take all of that time we normally spend cleaning and use it for other things like spending time with our families and friends.

a lady holding a mug standing against a wall with title text reading Cleaning Hacks For Moms Who Have Other Things To Do

Cleaning Hacks for Moms

While a lot of Wondermoms that I know manage to keep very clean and tidy homes, I don’t know any of them who LOVE cleaning.  We all want to have clean, organized homes but the act of creating them typically falls pretty low on our list of things we want to be doing.

a mom in a kitchen holding a boy on her lap next to a girl in a highchair

For those of you who would like to save your time for other things and prefer to get your workouts at the gym or with your friends, rather than on your hands and knees scrubbing away at dirt and grime, here are some strategies to help you have a clean house with less time and effort.

Kitchen

a very clean kitchen

To clean burnt on grime out of a pan, fill with water and a squirt of dish soap.  Put on the stove and boil the water.  Boil for 5 minutes, but don’t let the water evaporate.   Dump out the water and use a sponge or dish cloth to wipe out the grime.

Remove tarnish from silver by combining 1 tablespoon baking soda and 1 tablespoon of salt in a glass or plastic container lined with aluminum foil.  Add warm water (enough so that you can fully submerge whatever silver you are polishing).  Let sit for one hour, and then tarnish will rub off easily with a soft towel.

To clean your microwave put 1 cup of water in a microwave safe bowl.  Add 2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice or white vinegar.  Place bowl in microwave and cook on high for 3-5 minutes.  Let sit for 10 minutes, then wipe down with a dry rag.

To clean your stainless steel sink, make a paste-like mixture of baking soda and white vinegar.  Coat your sink with the mixture and let it soak for 30 minutes. Rinse with warm water.

To clean your stovetop, combine hot water and dish soap in a bowl, then submerge a large cleaning rag.  Spread baking soda over stovetop.  Lightly wring out the cleaning rag (it should still be VERY wet, just not dripping water everywhere) and spread out over the baking soda.  Let sit for 30 minutes.  Remove rag and gently rub any stubborn spots in a circular motion. Wipe off with paper towel to remove any remnants and to dry.

Bathroom

a clean and shiny bathroom

To keep drains clear, pour ½ cup of baking soda down the drain followed by ½ cup of white vinegar.  Don’t be alarmed—it’s supposed to foam up.  Let it sit for 5-10 minutes, then pour boiling water down the drain.

To clean the faucet, soak paper towels in white vinegar and then wrap them around the faucets.  Leave them there for an hour, then remove them and easily wipe off the grime.

To clean bath toys, fill a bucket with ½ cup of white vinegar per gallon of water.  Soak toys in the solution for 10 minutes, then rub gently with a sponge.

To remove hard water rings from the toilet bowl, pour 1 cup of white vinegar into the bowl.  Let it sit for 1 hour.  After 1 hour, the ring should rub off easily with your toilet brush.

To remove stubborn mildew spots from the corners of the tub/shower, dip cotton balls in bleach and let them sit in the corners while you clean the rest of the tub/shower.  When you are done, remove the cotton balls and the mildew should be gone.

To easily clean the tub/shower floor, sprinkle baking soda all over it, then cover with paper towels and wet the paper towels with white vinegar.  Let soak for at least 30 minutes, then wipe gently with the paper towels and rinse with water.

To clean the track of the shower door, pour white vinegar directly into the track and let soak for 5 minutes, then rinse.

Keep plants in your bathroom to absorb air pollutants, particularly if you clean with harsh chemicals.  Peace lilies and rubber plants are especially good choices in the bathroom because of their chemical-combating qualities and resiliency.

Keep a fabric softener sheet in the wastepaper basket as an air freshener.

Everywhere Else

a clean living room

Remove pet fur from furniture by wrapping duct tape around a paint roller (sticky side out).  It works much better than vacuuming at extracting stubborn pet fur.

Use a lint roller to clean lampshades.

Rub baseboards with a fabric softener sheet to easily clean them while also forming a protective layer that repels dust and pet fur.

Fabric softener sheets also work great on blinds.

To clean your window tracks, dip a cotton swab in white vinegar and run it along the tracks to easily wipe out the grime.

More Cleaning Help

If you liked these cleaning hacks, you’ll LOVE my post on Cleaning in Your Sleep. You read that right!

If you’re more of a checklist person, you might prefer using one of my daily cleaning checklists. They’re designed to break household chores into easy to tackle tasks. The checklists help you stay focused and on top of those tasks. Try the Daily 5 Cleaning System or use the Daily Cleaning Cheat Sheet.

printable The Daily 5 Cleaning List

printable Daily Cleaning Cheat Sheet

 

20 thoughts on “Cleaning Hacks For Moms Who Have Other Things To Do”

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  5. I hate cleaning and I have very little time. That’s why I love tips and tricks that make cleaning easier and quicker like the ones you have outlined above. Thanks!

    Reply
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  7. I’m an empty nester, but I still hate cleaning. Who knew white vinegar was a wonder cleaner? I’ll be trying it soon!

    Reply
  8. I love a clean house and kept my house that way as possible but I just don’t have all those times! Thank’s for the tips!

    Reply
  9. I can absolutely use these tips especially the one for the bathroom. I do some of those you mentioned for the kitchen.. Thank you for sharing..

    Reply
  10. Love the tips, never thought to boil water and detergent in a pan to clean it. Green tips are great. I am one of those crazy people that actually loves to clean, I always find it so relaxing.

    Reply
  11. There are people who just love cleaning their homes. I do clean my home too. Thanks for these tips. I bookmarked this page so I have a cleaning guide.

    Reply
  12. great tips! i tried to manage cleaning the house as much as i can, but thanks to your ideas. gives it even more manageable

    Reply
  13. wow! good information. Thanks for posting. I do love to clean my home, but it’s hard to keep it clean. with the number of kids we have, it’s impossible.

    Reply
  14. Thank you so much for the tips. I am going to clean my microwave today! It is above my stove and difficult to get clean because I can’t scrub it very well without a stool. This will save me time and elbow grease!

    Reply
  15. Nice post, Corinne! I HATE cleaning, so this was perfect for me. I especially like the tub trick… or any of these having to do with baking soda+vinegar=fizz! Thanks! 🙂

    Reply

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