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    48 Cleaning Basics It's About Time You Learned

    Just choose one thing on the list and get started — you'll feel so much better.

    1. To start, clean every area from top to bottom so you don't have to re-clean what you've already done. That means dusting from the ceiling down — no one wants to sweep TWICE after de-fuzzing your fan.

    2. After dusting every surface in your home, ~keep~ your baseboards dust-free by rubbing a dryer sheet along them. It'll repel dust (and even pet hair) for a surprisingly long time!

    A box of dryer sheets with arrows pointing to base boards

    3. Remove every single pet hair from your couch, carpet, and more by running this pet hair remover over everything you own. It's a rolling brush, with no adhesive paper or tape needed, so you can use it again and again (and again and again).

    4. And knock out pet stains (these things happen to even the goodest boys) with a carpet spot remover so you can banish wine stains, pet stains, and what-the-heck-even-is-that stains — WITHOUT rinsing or vacuuming.

    5. Don't ~just~ wash your pillowcases, but also regularly wash your pillows themselves (at least twice a year!). You do spend hours with your face pressed against it, after all.

    A blogger's before/after of yellowed pillows before, and clean, white pillows after

    6. And wash and dry your pillows, duvet, towels, and clothes *without* ruining their perfect fluffiness by popping a prickly lil' pufferfish in the dryer with them.

    One white and one blue pufferfish nestled in towels

    7. Clean your ~cleaning machines~, too! Just run your washing machine on a hot setting with 1 or 2 cups of vinegar and wipe it out.

    A collage showing the process of running vinegar through the machine (right in the detergent holder)

    8. While you're at the ~machine cleaning~, sanitize your dishwasher by running it with a liquid cleaner and disinfectant designed to remove limescale, ruse, grease, and other nasty buildup so your machine runs more efficiently than ever. It even kills Salmonella and E. coli!

    A product image of the inside of a dishwasher before (scaly and with white residue) and after (sparkling clean)

    9. Learn exactly what products and potions remove the worst stains, so when your happy hour turns sad (i.e., when you spill red wine all over your favorite blouse), you know exactly what to do.

    A chart of what removes which stains

    10. And spray the toughest stains (hello food, sweat, and blood stains!) with Puracy's enzyme-based spot remover. It'll erase every trace of stain, without bleaching or fading any colors.

    A BuzzFeed editor's shirt with a large orange stain on the left, and stain-free on the right

    11. Get pollen, cobwebs, and other detritus off your window screens by passing a lint roller over it quickly.

    12. Dust your blinds, air-conditioner vent, and more hard-to-reach areas with a three-part microfiber wand that gets 'er done quickly.

    The wand cleaning four surfaces of Venetian blinds at once

    13. But actually, microfiber cleaning cloths are your best friends when it comes to *streak-free* cleaning — use them on your car, stainless steel, countertops, wood furniture, floors (reusable Swiffer sweepers, anyone?) and wayyy more.

    Three glass pendant lights: two that are cloudy and one that is clean

    14. Shine up your wood furniture and banish those water marks and rings by rubbing in a Feed-N-Wax Wood conditioner that'll basically erase years of damage. It polishes beautifully, bringing out the natural color and sheen of your pieces — whether the wood is finished or unfinished — *and* adds a layer of protection.

    A review photo before and after of a table covered with grime and drink rings, and polished and shiny after

    15. And maintain both wood and leather furniture (and other leather goods) with a cleaning balm made with beeswax, olive and coconut oils, and grapefruit essential oil — it's food safe, so you can even use it to condition your cutting board!

    The tin of wood and leather balm

    16. For extra scrubbing power, try a toothbrush-like brush duo with an ergonomic grip and stiff bristles that do the heavy lifting for you.

    17. Powerfully clean your toilet — without having to keep a gross toilet brush and all the germs sitting on the brush head — by using a Clorox toilet wand with disposable scrubby heads *preloaded* with cleaner so you can clean the whole bowl with one hand — and *one* product.

    18. And hey, if you're wanting to clean that toilet but are *also* looking to go greener (and not throw something away every time you clean it) I'm here for you. Try these popular toilet cleaning bombs you can drop in, watch the ~fizzing action~ and then scrub away with your usual toilet brush.

    The white bath bomb-like cleaning balls

    19. But if it's already too late for some of those stains (looking at you, hard water!), use a special pumice stick that removes stains without damaging the porcelain.

    20. Get the grossest bathroom scrubbing D O N E in record time with a set of three scrubbing attachments you simply add to any power drill to make cleaning your tub, floor, appliances, or even the wheels of your car ridiculously fast and easy.

    21. Wax off those water spots and fingerprints and wax on a layer of protection by rubbing some ~wax paper~ on your faucets.

    22. Harness your laziness and descale your showerhead while you watch Netflix. Just fill a plastic bag with vinegar and lemon essential oil and let it sit!

    A scaly shower head inside a baggie filled with the mixture to sit and wait

    23. Keep your shower clean and mildew-free by spraying a 🙌 no-scrub, no-wipe 🙌 Wet & Forget cleaner once a week.

    24. Or hang a dish brush filled with a vinegar-and-dish soap solution in the shower with you for a no-brainer cleaning while the conditioner sits in your hair.

    A dish brush hanging on a shower caddy between cleanings

    25. Unclog your drain by alternating vinegar, baking soda, and boiling water to blast out whatever's blocking up your pipes.

    An infographic with the steps for unclogging: pour in half a cup of vinegar, half a box of baking soda, plug the drain until the fizzing stops, then wait 30 minutes and pour boiling water down

    26. Or if your hair clog is too powerful for that classic science fair combo, try a drain snake with over 4,000 micro hooks and a slim design to shimmy down any drain (you don't even need to remove the cover) and snag all the hairs and goop that's clogging the system — in one quick pull.

    (But really just buy a TubShroom, guys.)

    The Tubshroom in green being removed from a drain

    27. Keep Bar Keeper's Friend Soft Cleanser in your house (it's pre-mixed so it makes less of a mess than the original powder). Seriously. It works on SO. MANY. SURFACES — sinks, cookware, stainless steel, faucets, countertops, tubs, toilets, grout, and more — so you can get to work and see results with only one product.

    A review image of a marked-up porcelain sink before cleaning, and the after of the same sink looking spotless after cleaning

    28. And for everyday jobs, keep an all-in-one cleaning concentrate you can dilute and use on just about everything — floors, countertops, dishes, windows, laundry, and more — so you don't have to keep swapping out bottles in your linen closet.

    The bottle of citrus-scented cleaner

    29. Touch up messes or everyday dust with a super-lightweight vacuum that converts to a hand vac *and* a shorter stair vac.

    30. Keep your vacuum efficient as heck by cleaning the bristles with a seam ripper.

    31. Freshen up and sharpen your garbage disposal by tossing in homemade frozen tablets made with vinegar and sliced lemons and limes.

    The tablets, which are ice cube–size and have chunks of lemon and lime

    32. Remove every single crumb lodged in your keyboard by blasting it with canned air designed for electronics.

    The cans of Dust-Off

    33. While you're at it, clean your phone. You can make your own disinfecting spray with water and 70% isopropyl alcohol.

    34. Or do as I do and try a Phone Soap UV sanitizer you can just toss your phone in when you get home — it kills 99.9% of germs with a built-in UV-C light (and charges your phone at the same time).

    The PhoneSoap with a phone inside

    35. Remove the product buildup from your curling iron and other hair tools with a combo of baking soda, rubbing alcohol, an old toothbrush, and some sudsy water.

    BuzzFeed's before and after of a stained, residue-covered curling iron pre-cleaning, and the same tool after looking shiny and new

    36. And knock out lingering car smells with a carpet freshener (you can totally use it on your indoor carpets too!), whether you're carting around messy kids, keep your gym gear in the back seat, or stop for french fries and don't want your car smelling like McDonald's forever.

    A carpet with shoes and a vacuum on top

    37. Refresh your mattress with a combo of baking soda and lavender essential oil; just sprinkle, sit, and then vacuum it up.

    38. Shine up your stainless steel with a can of Pledge.

    A before and after of a stained dishwasher before, and shiny dishwasher after using the Pledge

    39. Or try a plant-based stainless steel cleaner to remove streaks, marks, and fingerprints from all of your appliances with one wipe of the included microfiber cloth.

    A review image of a super shiny stainless steel fridge

    40. Let your dish sponges drain in an unobtrusive basket that attaches right to your sink, keeping them cleaner and bacteria-free for longer.

    A sponge in the clear holder with square holes

    41. And then when they get funky, just pop your sponge in the microwave for two minutes to disinfect.

    A sponge in a microwave

    42. Wipe away food and grease that's stuck on your microwave with ease — just heat up 1/2 cup of water and some lemon juice for three minutes.

    A graphic of several images showing the dirty microwave, a lemon squeezed in a bowl, and the clean microwave

    43. And scrub your makeup brushes up with a plant-based, paraben-free shampoo so you can feel good about *finally* washing caked-on foundation out of your favorite tools without irritating sensitive skin or leaving behind residue. The formula'll even leave the bristles soft and conditioned.

    44. Get your water bottle crazy clean with these little scrubbing beans — just toss one in and shake it up!

    45. And deep clean that borderline-foul travel mug you can't bear to look into. Just drop in a Bottle Bright tablets that'll deep clean your thermoses and on-the-go bottles — no scrubbing required. These'll get into all those hard-to-reach spaces and remove *all* the gunk.

    46. Whip up a gentle and nonacidic spray for your granite using just dish soap, water, and alcohol.

    47. But don't *just* stick to your counters. You might think your stovetop is dirty forever, but break out a Cerama-Bryte cooktop cleaning kit, which includes cooktop cleaning solution, a scrubbing pad, and a scraper so you can absolutely remove every bit of baked- and caked-on food from any smooth range — no matter how long it's been there.

    48. And if you, like I, love crossing something off a to-do list (or don't want to spend ALL DAY cleaning and want to do a little something every day) follow an easy, printable cleaning checklist so you can tackle one room every day.

    Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.