18 Cleaning Tips for the Kitchen, Bathroom and House

At LTC Home Cleaning Service, we love cleaning houses! Over the past 30 years, we’ve picked up some “life hacks” for cleaning the house. Here are a few we’d like to share with you. But, f the idea of cleaning your house makes your head spin, be sure to contact us for a quote. Happy cleaning!

Kitchen

1. To make an easy, all-purpose cleaner, combine 1 quart of warm water and 4 tablespoons of baking soda. This cleaner works great on kitchen counters, appliances and inside the refrigerator.
2. To get rid of sour smells in the garbage disposal, put few lemon rinds through the disposal and follow with cold water.
3. To remove stains from a cutting board, cut a lemon in half and run the cut side of a lemon over the board. For extra cleaning power, sprinkle it with salt or baking soda first.
4. To de-grease cabinets, add a little dish soap to a spray bottle with warm water. Spray the cabinets with the mixture, then rinse with a well-wrung cloth and dry.
5. To remove coffee stains from mugs, use a little toothpaste.

Bathroom

1. Clean porcelain fixtures with vodka for extra shine. Moisten a soft, clean cloth with vodka, then apply a little elbow grease.
2. To get stains off of bathroom faucets, rub toothpaste over your fixtures with a wet sponge.
3. To make your shower sparkle, mix 1 gallon of water and 3/4 cup of household chlorine bleach. Use a stiff brush to apply to one small area at a time. Let it sit for several minutes, then scrub and rinse.
4. Clean your bathroom mirrors with coffee filters for a streak-free shine.
5. To prevent streaking on shower doors, use an auto glass water repellent like Aquapel or RainX. Before applying either product, be sure to clean the shower doors thoroughly first. To do so, clean off any soap scum, mildew or mold with glass cleaner. For extra difficult mildew or soap scum, use a product like CLR (calcium lime rust). For stubborn mold, use a spray bottle with a half and half mixture of water and bleach. Scrape off tough build up with a razor blade and dry the door with a cloth. Once the doors are thoroughly cleaned, treat with RainX or Aquapel. Treatments last about 6 months. Use a squeegee to keep soap from building up.
6. Remove yellow stains from toilet bowls with a pumice stone. The yellow stains are usually a result of hard water, common in the towns of Carlisle and Boxboro, or any home that doesn’t have a hard water treatment. Put on a pair of gloves and use a pumice stone, which can be bought in most hardware stores. It can be time consuming but it does a great job and it’s the only solution LTC Home Cleaning Service has found so far.

Pets

1. Scoop up pet hair while wearing damp gloves. After washing the dishes, do a quick run through the house and pick up errant fur.
2. Get rid of pet smells in soft furnishing by sprinkling surfaces with baking soda. Allow to sit for 15 minutes and then vacuum it up. Works with pet beds also!

House

1. If your children have added their artwork to your freshly painted walls, scrub lightly with a damp sponge sprinkled with baking soda.
2. A well-known trick for your windows. Mix 2 tablespoons of white vinegar with a gallon of water, and dispense into a used spray bottle. Squirt on and wipe away with a clean microfiber cloth, coffee filter or newspaper. Avoid paper towels, which tend to leave streaks.
3. Hide nicks on wood furniture by rubbing them with a de-shelled walnut.
4. Avoid musty smells in your linen closet by adding an open box of baking soda, similar to the fridge!
5. Clean chandeliers with chandelier cleaner! Instead of spraying and wiping clean each piece by hand while on a ladder, find a chandelier cleaner. Spread a plastic tarp on the floor below the chandelier (this catches the drips). Turn the lights off and spray the solution on the chandelier until the liquid bead. This may require a lot of spray, but it’s easier than cleaning by hand while on top of a ladder. The spray rinses off the dust and the solution that is left will evaporate quickly. This treatment works well on hanging crystals but will not remove dust from crevices.