Life Hack: Three go-to tips and tricks to make cleaning your home easier – Irish Examiner

Hate cleaning horizontal blinds? Here are some ways to make that chore easier.
Cleaning your home can often be the last thing you want to do so having a foolproof hack to cut through grime in no time not only makes cleaning easier, but it can also make it more enjoyable. From sparkling showers to dust-free blinds, here are some go-to tips and tricks for household chores.

Shower

Are watermarks on your shower door proving to be tricky to remove? Instead of confronting it when it gets too much, try keeping a useful tool in your bathroom to keep on top of the job. Many shops stock refillable scourers and sponges by brands like Dishmatic, kitchen tools that allow you to attach a sponge at one end of the handle and pour washing-up liquid into the handle itself. It’s designed for washing your dishes in the kitchen sink, but it is an invaluable item to keep in the shower too. Fill half the handle with your preferred dish soap and fill the other half with white vinegar (but skip the vinegar if you have grout or marble in your shower). The washing-up liquid cut through the soap scum in the shower while the vinegar works wonders on the glass doors. Keep it in your shower and use it to wipe down the surfaces after you finish washing – or use it to pass the time while doing a deep-conditioning hair treatment. Simply rinse it away with water from the shower and marvel at the gleaming shower you’re left with. It only takes a minute but it eliminates the need for a regular deep clean.

Blinds

There are lots of gadgets you can buy to help you whizz through cleaning your blinds, particularly if they are horizontal or vertical blinds that can easily gather dust. Save your money, however, and reach into your sock drawer instead. Put your hand inside a sock (ensure it’s dampened with water or a cleaning solution of your choice) and grasp the slats firmly. Wipe your hand along, gathering the dust as it goes. Some gadgets look like tongs with microfibre ends. You can also replicate this with your kitchen utensils. Wrap the ends of your kitchen tongs with clothes (microfibre is best but any will do) and clam it onto the blind, dragging it along to catch the dust. This is a good alternative to the sock method if you have trouble with your grip.

Dust

It might sound obvious, but there are a lot of dusty areas in your home that can be tackled with a vacuum cleaner. The top of your kitchen cabinets? Grab the vacuum. Want to refresh your mattress? Sprinkle some bicarbonate of soda on it and vacuum it up after an hour. This works on sofas, armchairs and cushions too. Using its brush attachment, you can dust books, lampshades and more.

source