We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed and its publishing partners may collect a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.
1. A glass cooktop cleaning kit packed with a grease- and grime-busting polish *plus* a scrubber and a scraper, so you can skip hours of elbow-aching scouring (so annoying) but still get your cooktop gleamingly clean.
Promising review: "WHAT A LIFESAVER! We tried every other hack on the internet to try and keep the new stove looking like new but nothing worked until we found this cleaner. The scraper blade was scary at first, and I was worried about damaging the finish but I have since overcome that fear and have used to it to get all the stubborn, stuck on spots off the surface. The cleaning solution and cleaning pad are really easy to use, and have great longevity. Once the cream is removed, the stove shines like new! Could not be happier with this purchase!" —Michelle Eng
Get the kit from Amazon for $14.28.
2. A pet hair remover that you simply brush over any fabric surface to instantly pick up basically every last bit of shedding your furry friend's always leaving in their wake. Because it doesn't rely on adhesive paper, you only have to buy it once and use it forever!
I used this a BUNCH in 2020, while living with my now-husband at his parents (for various pandemic-related reasons) and their two sweet but shed-prone dogs. So I can tell you with resounding certainty: it works! Give it some simple back-and-forth swipes over your upholstered furniture, and it easily picks up TONS of pet hair. Then it's simple to pop open the back compartment and swoop that unbelievably big pile of collected hair right into the trash or compost.
Promising reviews: "Better than a small vacuum! This is a life changing hack if you have pets! This is easy to use and easy to clean. I spent several hours using it and I can’t love it anymore!" —Amazon Customer
"TikTok made me buy this, and it is money well spent!! I’m convinced that my beagle sheds a full coat of hair and regrows it daily! I use this on my bed every single day and it blows my mind how well it works. Before this I was going through 4–5 disposable sticky rollers a month and spending 3x longer to remove dog hair. I am buying these for everyone in my family as Christmas gifts this year! ❤️" —tiff4short
Get it from Amazon for $31.95.
3. And a bigger squeegee broom so you can extract years worth of built-up, embedded pet hair from your carpet and rugs (the kind that even your pet vacuum somehow doesn't touch) *and* easily sweep up the scattered bits from your hardwood or tile floors.
It features rubber bristles along one edge, and if you flip it, a wide rubber squeegee on the other — some reviewers find the squeegee side is more effective on carpet than the bristles, so could be worth a try! Oh, and the handle telescopes 36–60 inches, so you can store it easily but also like, use it to squeegee off high windows if necessary.
Promising review: "You know that "life hack" about using latex gloves to remove pet hair? THIS works just as well, and you won't get a sore back from bending over the furniture or sitting on the floor. When this thing arrived, my husband was going "Oh god, not another weird sex toy." Then I started using the broom on the hall carpet. Husband stared at the rapidly-growing mound of cat hair that was gathering under the rubber, and said, "Take me now." Bonus: HE picked up the cat hair first." —MinorAgentofChaos
Get it from Amazon for $12.98 (also available with a collapsible handle).
4. A stainless steel cleaner and polish that I suspect will work both *faster* and *better* than pretty much any other stainless steel cleaner you've tried — because it did for my mom AND the 13,000 other people who have left 5-star reviews. Less time spent + easy results = no frustration!
My mom tried like, three or four different stainless cleaners before I showed her this one, and y'all: she swears by it because it's easier and faster to use than the others, and makes all of her stainless appliances SO SHINY!
Promising review: "10/10 would buy again. Works better than any stainless steel cleaner I’ve bought, or any DIY “hack” I’ve attempted. It also smells amazing and leaves my kitchen smelling fresh for a while after I use it. Plus the microfiber cloth is an added bonus and so far is up really well to multiple washes." —Sean
Get a bottle and a streak-free cloth from Amazon for $19.95.
5. A mold and mildew remover made from a no-odor gel that sticks and stays to your grout and caulking, giving it the time it needs so it can actually do its job: banishing the grossness from your bathroom like it was never there.
You do have to let it sit for 4–5 hours (or even overnight), but the results, as proven by the review photos like the one here, are worth it.
Promising review: "Seriously. We spent so much time trying different "hacks" to whiten the black spots on the caulk in our bathroom (bleach, bleach pens, putting saran wrap over the bleach, etc) and were a few days from ripping it out. This product was listed in a BuzzFeed article on amazing cleaning products, so we decided to try one last time. It was SO easy. Very minimal smell, and six hours later, perfectly white caulk. Just rinsed with water. No scrubbing. Highly recommend." —Amanda
Get two bottles from Amazon for $25.99.
6. A bottle of makeup brush and sponge shampoo that will break up all the embedded layers of foundation, contour, concealer, powder, and eye makeup. And it'll do it so quickly and easily you'll hate washing brushes a little (just a little) less than before.
And it could help with your acne, too, because washing your makeup tools cuts down the amount of dirt and bacteria that tend to accumulate on them over time. (Oh, and it's cruelty-free.)
Promising review: "Honestly, if you’re looking for a sign to buy this for your makeup brushes, let this be it! I’ve tried all the DIY/hacks that are supposed to save you money and be good for your brushes and now I see I was wrong. I forgot how soft my brushes used to be, and apparently what their original color was because after using this wash, it’s like I have brand new brushes! Even my cheapest brushes that felt coarse but looked clean were transformed by this stuff. And for the makeup users who also get acne breakouts after wearing any makeup like me, I’ve seen a pretty significant decrease in breakouts that were clearly caused by my deceptively dirty brushes." —A.
Get it from Amazon for $6.99.
7. Or, so brush cleaning's even quicker and less onerous, a brush spinner so you can get every last bit of makeup out of even the dirtiest brushes AND dry 'em — all in less than a minute.
You charge up the wand with a USB, put your brush in the wand, and choose one of three different speeds to spin it clean in a pretty little glass bowl.
Promising Review: "Love this, I will definitely clean my makeup brushes more often now! It takes 5-7 minutes to clean all my brushes to their fluffy and soft newness where before I tried all the hot glue and texture surface hacks and still had those lines of gunk leaving brushes that didn't blend well, and it would take me at least 30 minutes or more. The cleaning solution is great, the adaptors work perfectly and drying time is fractions of what it was before, I can use my brushes same day instead of waiting overnight to dry. The only downside I did find was that I felt the need to rinse them under the tap water as the last step because just spinning the brush after being in the solution didn't seem to take off all the dirty /soiled solution and they still felt slimy. Other than that I am extremely pleased with this product." —Megan V Hartman
Get it from Amazon for $35.99+ (available in two colors).
8. The carpet and upholstery stain remover Folex so you can extract all kinds of dirt, rust, grease, food, makeup, and other stains that you haven't been able to get out using literally anything else. This is my go-to cleaning product for all kinds of stains, because it just works!
In my experience it might take a couple of rounds for your carpet to look brand spankin' new, but it's worth it because this particular spray doesn't bleach out the fibers, doesn't need to be vacuumed up or rinsed, and doesn't attract new dirt to the area after you're done. It works well on all kinds of stains, like grease and oil, pet stains, wine, coffee, rust, food, makeup, and dirt. And can of course it doubles as a laundry stain remover.
I took the pictures on the right, when I melted a chocolate chip into my favorite couch pillow. As you can see, this spray got every bit of it out! So much so that I took pictures of both sides of the pillow because I couldn't find where the original stain had been! You can read more about that experience in my Folex stain remover review.
It works on all kinds of upholstery, carpet, and other color-fast materials that are safe to dampen with water. Wondering if it's safe for your couch? Look at the upholstery tag — if it has a "W" or a "W/S" on it, then yes, it is! "W" stands for, unsurprisingly, "water-based cleaner".
Promising reviews: "This is AMAZING for laundry. My newborn had several sleepers that were stained from blowouts. Even after using other products and “hacks” and washing them several times, I couldn’t get the stains out. I sprayed one with this stuff and threw it in her hamper. A couple days later, when I went to throw it in the washer, the stains were GONE. I did nothing but spray it and toss it. This stuff is incredible. I can’t wait to try it on a carpet stain." —Evelyn
Get a bottle from Amazon for $6.65.
9. And a stain and odor-eliminating spray for, erm, ~organic~ messes (think pee, poop, and vomit) because for those sorts of stains, you need enzymes — a type of bacteria — to feed on the ammonia to completely eliminate the smell. Other stain removers might help some, but without the enzymes in a spray like this one, that not-so-lovely stench will stick around.
You can use it pretty much anywhere except fabrics marked with an "S" only (in which case, you need a solvent cleaner like this one): it's safe on all carpets and floors, plus works well on furniture, clothes, litter boxes, carriers, strollers, kennels, hardwood floors, concrete, and more.
Promising review: "All I can say is WOW!!!!!!! I am a total pessimist when I see a product with tons of great reviews I immediately question if it’s true. I was desperate for some sort of solution, though, having tried everything I could find including every DIY hack and nothing was working. I am literally obsessed with this product. I don’t know what the proprietary contents are but I do know that they work insanely well. This far exceeded my expectations." —TW
Get it from Amazon for $19.97.
Check out our in-depth writeup of Rocco & Roxie Professional Strength Stain & Odor Eliminator.
10. A Wet & Forget shower cleaner — simply mist your shower walls, curtain/door, tub, fixtures and floor once a week after you turn off the water and you'll (almost) never need to deep clean your shower at all. This dissolves all the grime *before* it can build up, and leaves a nice pleasant scent behind!
This daily shower cleaner prevents *and* helps clean buildup of all kinds of nasties, including the dreaded soap scum and limescale, with no need to scrub — simply rinse the next day, right before you shower again.
Promising review: "Shower hack! This is great if you hate/forget to clean your shower. I did a deep clean and now spray this about once a week at night. No more pink scum collects on our floor and our grout has stayed clean. This takes one thing off my cleaning list which is invaluable if you’re a working parent. Also there is very little scent, so if your bathroom connects to your bedroom, you’re not inhaling chemicals all night." —Gabrielle
Get it from Amazon for $20.98.
11. A tub of The Pink Stuff cleaning paste so you can instantly shine or de-gunk dozens of different surfaces without having to scrub for hours *or* worry about scratching your chrome, marble, porcelain, wood, glass shower door or stove top, or stainless steel.
Promising reviews: "Pretty much a miracle product. This stuff is a life hack!" —C Mark
"I saw this in a BuzzFeed article and thought, no way it's THAT good....It's that good. It's better than good. My shower looks better than new. It took rust stains off tile. It took years of hard water scale buildup off in seconds. It is literally a miracle product." —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $5.97.
12. And some Bar Keepers Friend Cooktop Cleanser that eliminates the built-up residue on shower doors *and* the burnt-on grime on glass cooktop stoves. Simply rub on, wait a minute, rinse, and enjoy the stunning results.
Promising review: "Recently bought a house and the basement shower was disgusting. No matter what I did I couldn't get the nasty thing properly cleaned. I drenched it in bleach wet and dry and had left it to sit and would check on it and scrub to no avail. I tried various cleaners and hacks but I read an article that mentioned this brand so I took the chance. I put this stuff on the dry soap scum and scrubbed it all over with a damp sponge, let it sit for at least a half hour, scrubbed again and it actually started working. Most of what was left rinsed off with hot water. Miracle product!!" —Reina King
Get two bottles from Amazon for $13.85.
13. The Diamond Dazzle Stik, which will shine up your jewelry with to a few dabs of its gentle cleaning solution, no matter where you happen to be when you notice you need it.
You simply twist its base to dispense the solution into the bristles, brush it over your gems, rinse with water, and voila! Your ring will sparkle like a thousand stars, and you can toss the Stik back in your purse, ready for the next time you notice a little dinginess. (It works with pretty much every gem and metal except pearls.)
Promising review: "I was skeptical, but bought it, and WOW! It honestly and truly works! Best $5 I have ever spent! My ring looks new and so shiny! And I know if/when my ring gets dull and dirty again, I can easily use this product and bring it back to what it looked like when I bought it from the jewelry store! Great hack! Great find!" —Danielle AB
Get it from Amazon for $8.02.
14. Some Goo Gone — it quickly and painlessly removes everything from tape residue to mysterious sticky substances, pretty much wherever you find them around your home. Duct tape? So long. Sticker residue? Farewell.
I bought a bottle of this stuff when I moved in 2021 — it was super useful then, and since that point I've used it to clean stubborn grease off of kitchen cabinets and my stove's hood several times, and pulled it out for several other mystery sticky stains and messes. But the move story is the most compelling:
Back then, my partner had hung up these posters that used big foam adhesive squares (no, they were not Command Strips), and when we pulled them off the wall, they left a bunch of foam and sticky stuff behind. Goo Gone (plus a plastic scraper) came to the rescue! It took a little patience, but the stuff would never have come off without the Goo Gone. It helped break down both the foam stuff and the adhesive, which came off in little bits, leaving nothing behind. We did then wash off the paint with some dish soap and water — Goo Gone is super greasy — but by the end, you couldn't tell anything had been there at all, and the paint was undamaged.
Promising review: "Kid left a sticker on their clothes (track number on jersey) and ran it through the washer and dryer. Tried all the hacks, none worked. This worked in one shot. THEN cleaned some tape adhesive off my softball gear. Amazing. Worth every penny." —Malin77x
Get two bottles from Amazon for $15.97 (they also make a spray-on version for $17.98).
15. The Oogie Bear nose and ear gadget that makes it (relatively) easy and painless for you to clear your baby's boogers and earwax without going too far in, thanks to the cute little bear head shape. Sure, you're not cleaning a house with this, but you're helping your kiddo stay clean!
You still have to be gentle, of course, and not push too hard or you will go too far. But the bear head makes a great little guide!
Promising reviews: "Great product hack. Love it when it's so easy to clean the nose of my baby!! A little pricey but very good product." —jesusgarcia
Get it from Amazon for $12.95+ (available in two styles).
16. A fume-free oven cleaner because sometimes you need a little chemistry (thanks, Science!) to undo years of baked-on grime. Simply spray it on, let it marinate for a few hours or overnight, and watch even layers of gross grease lift effortlessly.
Promising review: "Used this to clean the dirty, sticky, grease-filmed surfaces of an industrial kitchen. Shake can, spray on any hard surface (from metal to Formica countertops/shelves) and let sit 30-45 minutes. Wipe clean with a wet scrubby sponge and you’ll be amazed. Also used it on my soap-filmed fiberglass shower and the glass shower door at home. WOW WOW WOW!!! Works better and quicker than any cleaner I’ve ever used and cuts wayyyy down on scrubbing time. This stuff is a life hack in a can!" —R.hood
Get a can from Amazon for $8.88.
17. A bottle of jetted tub cleaner because over the years those pipes get coated in soap, dead skin cells, and all kinds of other gunk that you definitely don't want keeping you company in your relaxing bath. It takes just 15 minutes to see results: Simply run your water, pour in some cleaner, and start your jets.
Promising review: "Our jetted tub is a little older, since we bought our home three years ago we have tried everything to get it clean. We tried bleach and all the random hacks you see online and nothing ever made it feel clean so the jets went unused. Last night we tried the Oh Yuk jetted tub cleaner and let me tell you this stuff was amazing, the stuff it brought out and loosened up is crazy, I finally have clean jets and can enjoy them! Will most definitely be a repeat customer." —Amanda Hicks
Get it from Amazon: a bottle good for four cleans for $17.84 ($4.46/clean), two bottles for $31.49 ($3.94/clean), or a gallon good for 32 cleanings for $56.29 ($1.77/clean).
18. A microfiber duster perfect for wiping down all kinds of surfaces, because it attracts and holds onto dust like a *magnet* instead of brushing it into the air just to settle again later. Actually getting rid of the dust is THE key to a home that needs less dusting.
This one from Oxo is very thin so it can squeeze into tight crevices. To clean it you just run it through a gentle cycle in the washer and air-dry.
You can buy extra covers for $7.99 each and a long-handled version for $17.99.
Promising reviews: "Life hack! For years I've been cleaning dust off my furniture the hard way, using paper towels and a cleaning solution. Now with this duster, I don't have to do that anymore and it saves me a ton of time." —Mills
Get it from Amazon for $11.99.
19. A battery-powered fabric shaver because there's no need to throw out a sweater or chair just because it's started to pill! This quickly and easily pinches off those pesky little buggers to make your fabrics (including upholstery!) look brand-new.
Granted if you have an entire sofa to do, it'll probably take you more than 10 minutes, but for small furniture and ESPECIALLY for clothes, it'll have things looking new in no time!!
Promising reviews: "This is awesome! I don’t know how I’ve lived without it — I consider it a life hack. I’ve gotten rid of so many items because they looked horrible due to pilling. Yes, it’s true. But this product has opened a new chapter of keeping various materials looking ‘clean cut’. I used it on a brand new cotton bedding set that looked horrendous after the first wash. It came out of the dryer with tiny cotton balls stuck everywhere-pilling beyond belief! Needless to say, I was pretty unhappy-but this product saved the day (and the bedding set)...!" —Jennifer M. Superales
Get it from Amazon for $13.99 (available in six colors).
20. A rust stain remover spray perfect for anything coated in a thin crust of orange — a few sprays and a final wipe of this stuff will actually make your shower, sink, and tub look exactly like they did the day they were first installed.
Note that it's designed for rust stains that come from having hard water; it won't do anything for, like, a rusty metal towel holder.
Promising review: "This product works miracles. Our well water is nasty! Our treatment system went down for a few days and I thought the shower was permanently stained. I tried CLR and all kinds of “hacks” to get rid of it. I scrubbed for hours and then decided to do a Google search. Duh wish I would’ve done it sooner — this stuff is amazing!! I sprayed the shower and watched the iron dissolve before my eyes!! The fumes are bad make sure you have ventilation and wear gloves. But mind you I barely scrubbed anything!!! Buy it now you will not regret it! Buying more right after typing this to use on my sinks and everywhere else I have any discoloration. So grateful for this stuff!!!" —Sarah C
Get it a pack of two bottles from Amazon for $15.99 ($7.99 each), or a single bottle for $6.98. And if you also have struggles with rust in the toilet or staining your white laundry red, try the same brand's rust-removing powder, $16.10).
21. A pack of Bottle Bright fizzing cleaning tablets that you simply drop into almost any seemingly permanently stained travel mug or stainless water bottle to banish those stains without scrubbing even one little bit. Want all your beloved drinking vessels to look new in no time? This stuff's the key!
Promising review: "This product is phenomenal. I had about a year's worth of coffee sludge build-up in my favorite thermos that I had tried almost everything — soaking in soap, bottle brushes, various online hacks. I bought these, popped one in with some warm water, and waited an hour. The sludge literally just rinsed right out. Completely. No scrubbing. I recommend these to everyone I know now." —Jackie
Get a box of 12 tablets from Amazon for $8.
22. A splurge-worthy RoboVac to really keep your floors cleaner than you ever thought possible. IDK about you, but there's no way I'm ever going to vacuum or sweep every day without one of these little buddies doing it for me.
This vac moves between hard floors and low-pile carpets/rugs without a glitch and can pick up all the accumulated dust, dirt, and hair left strewn about your home while you go do literally anything else. The reviewer who took the pic on the right above says that with a goldendoodle in the house, it picks up that much dust and hair EVERY DAY. Omg.
Promising review: "Best housekeeping hack! I have to empty it almost everyday because it does it's job so well! I call her Mrs. Doubtfire and may purchase a twin to work upstairs as well. Timer was easy to set after reading the directions. Cleaning her out is a regular occurrence. She rarely gets stuck but usually only if the floor is cluttered worth cords or something. She also stops when she's full and needs to be cleaned instead of burning out her own motor which I think is nice. I have two Great Pyrenees and she handles the hair beautifully as well as the mess I track in from the barn." —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $249.99 (available in two colors).
And if you're in the market for a good vacuum of any kind — full-size, stick vacs, robo vacs, and more — check out 15 Of The Best Vacuums That You Can Get On Amazon.
23. A simple dunk-and-rinse paw washer because your dogs constantly bring dirt in from the yard, and this stops it in it's tracks even better than a towel would. It has a few rows of silicone bristles for scrubbing, and a main compartment for the soap and water!
Enlisting an old beach towel really can work wonders to keep your floors cleaner, especially if you're consistent about giving them a quick wipe-down.
But if you deal with lots of mud or sand that gets embedded between their toes, a paw washer could help. Its silicone bristles are super gentle so many dogs don't mind them, and they help rinse off most dirt and mud with just a quick dip or two (for particularly muddy days, you may have to change the water once or twice, but that will still be easier than pulling out the hose). Just imagine how much cleaner your floors would stay if your dogs stopped bringing dirt inside with them, period!
Promising review: "Perfect for a messy pup. I live where it’s constantly raining and with rain, there’s mud. It’s a life hack you need! Btw I have a schnauzer, but I know a bigger dogs paw would surely fit in this." —Monica Cardenes
Get one from Amazon for $16.99+ (available in three sizes and six colors).
24. A pack of six dishwasher-cleaning tablets — they work to disband the lime scale and mineral buildup preventing your dishes from actually getting as clean as possible.
Promising review: "Got these after noticing my dishwasher had a horrible smell and wasn't washing my dishes well, leaving me to have to rewash them. Tried DIY deep cleaning dishwasher hacks but nothing worked... then I came across these. I was a little skeptical that these would work as well as they did! Smell is gone (finally!) and the dishwasher is actually cleaning my dishes. Will definitely be purchasing again in the future." —Kristen
Get a pack of six tablets from Amazon for $8.50.
25. An oil stain remover that works wonders on basically any kind of stone (whether it's untreated *or* sealed and polished) because you shouldn't have to live with the consequences of that one leaky bottle of olive oil.
It works on marble, granite, limestone, travertine, slate, sandstone, grout (for ceramic and porcelain tile), masonry, and concrete — and it shouldn't discolor the surface of the stone even one bit!
Promising review: "I tried all of the hacks and nothing would get the butter stain out of my granite…last ditch effort I ordered this and two days later — wow! The stain completely lifted! Thank you!!" —JT’z momma
Get a can of it from Amazon for $11.48.