How much money do you allocate to monthly apartment cleaning exercises? Let us face it. The figures are quite staggering and may even throw the wealthiest Wall Street broker off the balance.
However, what if there was a way you could hit two birds with one stone? The truth of the matter is that house cleaning is an expensive affair that can become affordable only if you adhere to the apartment cleaning hacks outlined below.
#1 – The alcohol and fiber combination
You must stop spending your cash on unnecessary cleaning products when you can easily source them directly from your house.
To put your mind in the right perspective, an alcohol and fiber-based swab are all you need to get rid of the long-standing stain on your coach.
Although simple, the alcohol and fiber combination is one of the apartment cleaning hacks you must trust.
#2 – Substituting the giant vacuum for a cordless stick vacuum
Do not get it twisted. A giant vacuum can work wonders for your household. Anyhow, there are locations the monstrous machine cannot explore with ease which is why you need to go for the cordless stick vacuum.
For the record, the cordless stick vacuum also consumes less electricity hence more affordable power bills.
#3 – Take care of your wooden furniture like a pro
Have you ever noticed the round water rings on your wooden wall unit? Believe me; MDF boards are highly susceptible to water and coffee stains.
To make matters worse, some of these stains linger on if nothing gets done and soon. The good news, however, is that a hair dryer is all you need to get the job done.
#4 – The devil is in the details
Dirt and dust are every cleaner’s nightmare. To be precise, dust penetrates areas you would not necessarily think about.
For example, how many times do you enter your shower cubicle only to find that no water is coming out of the shower head? How many times do you feel disgusted by the stains on your shower head?
Many times, right? As I said, there is still hope. All you need is a plastic bag and vinegar to give your shower head that shiny sparkle.
This perfect combination scours through the dirt and dust leaving you with a piece of bathroom equipment that is highly usable.
#5 – The oven: a sparkle finish with traditional tools
Who told you that you should always rush to the supermarket to buy cleaning products whenever your oven turns greasy and oily?
To be honest, impulsive buying is a pain in the neck especially on things you can do without. But why am I saying this?
Commercial cleaning products, although ideal for the average user, are easy to substitute with ingredients that are readily available in your kitchen.
Case in point, you only need a paper towel, baking soda, vinegar, lemons, and some washing soap to bring your dreams to reality.
#6 – Remove grease from stainless steel surfaces
A kitchen covered with layers of grease sucks leave alone the steel surfaces on your cooking apparatus.
If left unchecked, the grease might ruin your equipment. Luckily, applying a layer of cream of tartar on the stainless steel surface helps yield a glossy finish.
#7 – Taking care of the microwave oven in your kitchen
The microwave is an ingenious invention that continues to take the world by storm. Created essentially to heat up food products, the microwave is a device you cannot do without, well not in a modern kitchen.
Unfortunately, the oven is likely to absorb nauseating odours over time especially when thorough cleaning never gets done. Apart from posing a significant health risk, a dirty microwave is no longer something you would want to heat your meals with.
The good news, however, is that you do not have to throw the device away when it gets all smelly and dirty. As a matter of fact, you only need to revitalise your machine using the lemon and vinegar mixture.
#8 – The lint roller technique
Dust is an unavoidable menace regardless of how tough you are with your cleaning tendencies. If left to accumulate for long, dust particles make pillow and lampshade surfaces their home.
The biggest dilemma any cleaner faces is trying to pick up every grain of dirt on a fabric surface. To be blunt, it is quite a demanding task.
Surprisingly, a lint roller is all you need to pick up the gazillion specks of dust on cloth surfaces.
#9 – Yuck! I hate a dirty toilet bowl
The toilet got invented with one thing in mind, that of taking care of your dirty business. Regardless of its use, the toilet bowl should remain clean at all times.
Unfortunately, traditional cleaning methods hardly help get the job done given that stains always disfigure the appearance of the bowl.
Anyhow, with the help of a pumice stone, the dirt on your bowl becomes a thing of the past.
#10 – Everything DIY
Have we exhausted all the apartment cleaning hacks? Absolutely not! Did you know that dents on wood surfaces make your apartment look messy?
The truth of the matter is that they are unavoidable and may cost a fortune for you to repair if you settle for professional help.
However, a damp towel, sandpaper, varnish, and an iron box may make you smile all the way to the bank and here are my reasons.
The sandpaper gets rid of all dents on the wood surface. In essence, the coarse nature of the sandpaper evens out all rough edges. On the other hand, the damp towel coupled with a hot iron box helps raise the wood grain in the affected areas.
Once raised, you can apply some paint or varnish to revitalise the look of the wood panel. As you can see, this simple hack helps you restore surfaces you would easily ignore, to their former glory.
#11 – Dealing with pet messes
Do you have pets? Believe me; some of us cannot do without them. Regrettably, some pets shed off their hair on our couches, carpets, and blankets thus leaving the house messy and unkempt.
Putting your best foot forward, you vacuum these surfaces only to end up disappointed. However, there is a simple hack you can use to accomplish your mission.
With the help of a damp rubber glove, the hair fibres easily cling to the surface of the glove and are easy to dispose of off in the sink with the drain catcher in place to avoid clogging.
#12 – How to deal with dirt hidden in small crevices
Do you own a computer whether a desktop or a laptop? If you do, then you understand that the dirt between the keyboard keys never goes away regardless of how many times you try.
In short, dealing with dirt hidden in small cracks and crevices can be a real pain not unless you pull off the cleaning slime stunt.
You can create the slime using borax, water, food colour, and slime. That settled, it is important that you place the slime on your dirty surface and allow it to settle in.
It is after you have peeled the slime off the keyboard that you realise that you just saved a significant chunk of time and money.
#13 – Taking care of the dirty blinds
How many times do you clean up the floor and furniture in your apartment and completely disregard the blinds on your windows?
Trust me; you are not alone in this. Many homeowners barely pay any attention to their windows which is why a significant number of these individuals end up sick.
However, cleaning blinds is a walk in the park. After all, you only need your sock and some vinegar to accomplish the task.
#14 – Pressure wash your trash can with vinegar
Do you have to always rely on a hosepipe whenever you have to clean your trash can? Absolutely not! Assuming you do not have a yard, you can result in using your shower as a trash cleaning facility. The pressurised water coupled with the vinegar applied to the container helps keep the can clean and germ-free.
#15 – Dusting and waxing the vents
Dust builds up regularly on the vents. Therefore, it is always advisable that you dust the vents off regularly to avoid clogging. But how do you go about this issue?
It is simple. Washing the vents with clean and soapy water helps take the dust away. After rinsing, it is important that you give the vents enough time to dry.
It is after the vents have dried that you then apply wax on them. The wax, to say the least, protects the vents from dust build-up.
Synopsis
Cleaning an apartment is no easy streak. The process not only drains you physically but also financially. Luckily, you can use some simple apartment cleaning hacks to get the job done. Recall, these techniques hardly cost you anything which is why they are ideal for the average Joe. Alternatively, you can hire end of tenancy cleaners.
