Cleaning

Welcome to your cleanest home yet. We have everything you need, from product recommendations to cleaning methods. You’ll see tried-and-true tricks, passed-down advice, and more to achieve a home that’s clean and in your control. Remember: it’s about progress, not perfection.

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Mid-century modern dining room with wooden table, mixed chairs, geometric rug, black accent wall, and large plant.
The One Thing Pros Want You to Stop Doing to Your Wood Floors
There's one cleaning method you should never, ever attempt: Steam-cleaning.
Olivia Muenter
Nov 17, 2020
6 Common Cleaning Tips That are Actually Dead Wrong
A lot of household advice is just totally bogus.
Caroline Biggs
Nov 11, 2020
The No-Cost Hack that Made Taking Out the Trash So Much Easier
I discovered it on accident and I'm never going back.
Ella Cerón
Nov 15, 2020
Partner
The Un-Sexiest (But Most Satisfying) Thing You Can Clean Before Thanksgiving
Holiday Cure
Whether you celebrate Thanksgiving, or Friendsgiving, or reserve the big holiday meals for later in the year, you can't deny that your kitchen gets a lot of use this time of year.
Taryn Williford
Nov 15, 2020
There’s One Spot in Every Bedroom That Almost Never Gets Properly Cleaned
Weekend Projects
I'm not talking about the pile on your clothes chair, the stack of books on your dresser, or the growing collection of socks that litter the floor on *someone's* side of the bed.
Shifrah Combiths
Nov 13, 2020
45 Ways to Make Your Home the Cleanest It’s Ever Been
There are tons of surprisingly dirty spots sprinkled throughout your space that are super easy to miss.
Caroline Biggs
Nov 10, 2020
6 Homemade Cleaners That Really Work
Whether you want to swap out stronger, potentially hazardous chemicals for gentle-yet-effective pantry ingredients or you’re just frustrated that your go-to products haven’t been in stock due to the pandemic, consider making your own, homemade cleaners.
Ashley Abramson
Nov 12, 2020
Why You Should Keep a Bottle of Peroxide Next to Your Dish Detergent
This household staple boosts the power of your detergent, whether you’re washing by hand or in the dishwasher.
Ashley Abramson
Nov 12, 2020
Partner
Finish This Simple Cleaning Routine Before You Put Up Holiday Decorations This Year
Holiday Cure
Everyone has an opinion on when it’s the right time to start decorating for holidays, but the only opinion that matters is your own. In a year that has truly tested your spirit, you deserve to break out the twinkle lights early, if that’s going to bring a spot of joy to your life at home.Spoiler alert: We’ll be putting up decorations this weekend. (It’s very choose-your-own adventure-style: do as much or as little early decorating as you’d like.
Taryn Williford
Nov 12, 2020
6 Things Everyone Gets Wrong About Cleaning Wine Glasses
We asked Maximilian Riedel, 11th generation CEO and president of glassware company Riedel, to de-bunk several wine-glass-cleaning myths.
Anna Buckman
Nov 10, 2020
There’s One Year-End Kitchen Cleaning Task You Don’t Want to Put Off Past Today
Holiday Cure
Even this year, when so many people have plans in flux, everyone I talked to wanted to get ahead of this one small task.
Taryn Williford
Nov 10, 2020
This Viral TikTok Says You Can Clean Your Toaster with a Hair Dryer—So I Tried It
I’m no stranger to using new tools on old jobs, but I’ll admit, I’d never thought to bring a hair tool into the kitchen.
Ashley Abramson
Nov 8, 2020
Make Sure You're Using the Right Cleaner for Your Tile Floor
Not all tile floors are created equal!
Ashley Abramson
Nov 7, 2020
“Astiankuivauskaappi” is the Finnish Kitchen Staple You’ll Wish You Had at Home
Astiankuivauskaappi is the ultimate in "touch-it-once" convenience.
Shifrah Combiths
Nov 1, 2020
7 Reliable Old-School Cleaners This Neighborhood Grocery Store Always Keeps In Stock
To find out what the seasoned crowd couldn’t get enough of, I spoke with John Lind, one of the store managers at Lunds & Byerly’s in Roseville, Minn. Here are some of the products his senior shoppers love.
Ashley Abramson
Nov 5, 2020
This Versatile Cleaning Product Can Do Anything—And It Costs Less Than $1
It can handle tough jobs all on its own, but combined with other ingredients from your pantry, it can be even more powerful.
Ashley Abramson
Nov 4, 2020
I Tried TiKTok's Super-Simple Duvet-Cover Method, And It's Making Me Reconsider
This time-saving hack has solved my near-constant struggle to take the duvet on and off.
Shifrah Combiths
Nov 4, 2020
The Hidden Part of Your Kitchen You’re Forgetting to Clean
No matter how thoroughly you're cleaning your kitchen, chances are you're forgetting this one sneaky spot.
Ashley Abramson
Nov 3, 2020
The Best Duster Isn’t Even a Duster—It’s This Versatile $9 Cleaning Tool
It lets you wipe off anything your fingers can touch—a sort of spotless-making Midas touch.
Shifrah Combiths
Nov 3, 2020
The First Thing You Should Do If You Buy a New Container of Cornstarch
Hint: This hack will help brighten up your whole home!
Ashley Abramson
Nov 2, 2020
Grab This Trusted $10 Cleaner Now—Because Stores Sell Out for the Holidays
“We can’t keep this stuff on the shelves around Thanksgiving and Christmas,” the grocery manager told me.
Ashley Abramson
Nov 1, 2020
This $10 Laundry Hack Ensured I'd Never Lose Another Baby Sock Again
Seriously, where do they go?!
De Elizabeth
Oct 30, 2020
Soap Isn't Enough to Keep Your Coffee Maker Clean
Don't skip this second (important) step.
Kelsey Ogletree
Oct 29, 2020
The Best Natural Cleaner You Can Buy Costs Less Than $2
If you’re not using this humble solution to its full potential already, here’s what you need to know.
Kelsey Ogletree
Oct 28, 2020
The Weird Bathroom Cleaning Tip I Learned from an Awful Landlord
His name was Horace and he was a mansplainer extraordinaire, but damn he knew how to clean a tub.
Faith Durand
Oct 23, 2020
11 Cleaning Supply Tricks That Might Save You Money
Keeping things simple is one way to preserve your limited resources. And the principle is just as relevant to your cleaning arsenal as it is to anything else.
Shifrah Combiths
Oct 19, 2020
Yes, You Can Clean Your Oven Effectively With Natural Ingredients
And a few tools you already have on hand!
Ashley Abramson
Oct 24, 2020
Use This Simple System to Tackle a Huge Amount of Laundry Without Missing a Beat
If your laundry is in a constant state of disarray, you’re not alone, and solving the problem probably isn't as complicated as you think. You don’t need tons of space to prevent your clothes from piling up in your laundry room or bedroom—you just need a reliable system.
Ashley Abramson
Oct 23, 2020
The Only Setting You Should Be Using on Your Laundry Machine
“If I made a washer, it would only have one setting on it,” says laundry expert Patric Richardson.
Ashley Abramson
Oct 23, 2020
7 Brilliant Cleaning Hacks We Learned on TikTok
If you keep scrolling through choreographed dances and memes, you’ll stumble upon a corner of the app where lifestyle bloggers, pro cleaners, and normal people, like you and me, generously share genius cleaning products, tips, and tricks.
Ashley Abramson
Oct 22, 2020
How Bad is It If You Don’t Wash Your Reusable Water Bottle Daily?
Whether its composed of stainless steel, thick plastic, or aluminum, here is what our experts say about water bottle care.
Caroline Biggs
Oct 19, 2020
7 Insanely Clever Homeschool Organization Ideas for Small Spaces
Like anything else when it comes to sending kids to school, the most important thing to remember for homeschooling is organization, organization, and more organization.
Olivia Muenter
Oct 22, 2020
Why You Should Put Olive Oil on Your Stainless Steel Appliances
The humble pantry staple is key to preventing and removing stubborn fingerprints, smudges, and other frustrating marks.
Olivia Muenter
Oct 21, 2020
8 Unexpected Things You Can Clean, Scrub, and Soak With OxiClean
Here are some tried and true ways to expand your use of OxiClean beyond the laundry stain soak you've come to know and love.
Shifrah Combiths
Oct 14, 2020
The Natural Cleaning Habit That’s Ruining Your Granite Countertops
There's definitely a time and a place for simple solutions that make cleaning easier—but this isn't one of them.
Shifrah Combiths
Oct 19, 2020
The First Thing to Clean When You’re Cleaning the Kitchen
A little pro strategy goes a long way in making sure that you don't sabotage your own best efforts.
Shifrah Combiths
Oct 19, 2020
This Old-School $12 Cleaner Has Been Making Faucets Shine for 70 Years—So I Tried It
Reviewers rave over this stuff. So I tried it for myself!
Ashley Abramson
Oct 19, 2020
Here's One Easy Way to Know if You Need to Clean Your Coffee Maker
If you’re not the type to mark the calendar for chores, look out for this telltale sign that your coffee maker needs some love.
Ashley Abramson
Oct 16, 2020
I’ve Tested Tons of Cordless Stick Vacuums, and These Are My Favorites
And not one of them is a Dyson.
Terri Williams
Oct 16, 2020
Do I Really Have to Clean My Sheets Every Week? And 10 Other Things We Were Told Are Mandatory
How much truth is there in these wives tales we have always heard growing up?
Stephanie Trovato
Oct 15, 2020
The First 3 Things to Clean If You Want a Big Impact in a Short Time
The key to breaking free of the messy home cycle is knowing how to direct your efforts, and where to spend your limited time for the biggest impact.
Shifrah Combiths
Oct 15, 2020
15 Cleaning Hacks That’ll Save You So Much Time in the Kitchen
Because we only get 24 hours in a day!
Lisa Freedman
Oct 13, 2020
I Fought My Mom's Favorite Cleaning Ritual—Until I Got Homesick and Leaned In
Blasting Spanish-language music connects me to my heritage as much as it makes chores more enjoyable.
Ella Cerón
Oct 12, 2020
These 4 Kitchen Counter Zones Helped Cut My Cleaning Time in Half
We have two main lengths of counter, on either side of the kitchen, and they're broken into two zones each.
Shifrah Combiths
Oct 12, 2020
This 15-Minute Weekday Cleaning Routine Means You Don’t Have to Clean on the Weekend
Take it from someone who's spent far too many Saturdays cleaning the garage: Cleaning is not what weekends dreams are made of
Shifrah Combiths
Oct 12, 2020
5 Things You Should Always Throw Into the Dishwasher If There’s Room
Make a little room for these things.
Ashley Abramson
Oct 11, 2020
Your Clothes Aren't Ruined if You Get Paint on Them—Just Try This
Not all stains are created equal.
Ashley Abramson
Oct 10, 2020
It’s Time to Clean the Places You’ll “Get to Later”—Here Are 17 Commonly Forgotten Spots
Weekend Projects
It's a rare person who keeps every unseen space spotless. (I'm certainly not one of them.)
Shifrah Combiths
Oct 9, 2020
One Endlessly Versatile Cleaning Tool I Convinced 5 of My Friends to Buy, Too
This trusty cleaning tool helped me tackle cushions stained with spit up, shower doors littered with hard water marks, and hardwood floors caked with tomato sauce.
Brigitt Earley
Oct 8, 2020
Your Vacuum Works Fine—You’re Just Not Vacuuming Correctly
Before you spring for a new machine, check through this list of common vacuuming mistakes that could be sabotaging your attempts.
Shifrah Combiths
Oct 6, 2020
Ina Garten’s Been Breaking this Major Dishwasher-Loading Rule for Years
Ina Garten showed us a peek at the her clean dishwasher load, revealing a few "forbidden" items that just took a spin through the machine.
Taryn Williford
Oct 5, 2020
3 Things You Might Not Know About Laundry (If Your Parents Always Did it For You)
Learning these things will save you frustration, time, and money—and keep your items looking their finest.
Shifrah Combiths
Oct 4, 2020
The $2 Bathroom Staple That Helped Me Finally Get Rid of Hard Water Stains
How a $2 household staple helped me tackle hard water stains that nothing else would eradicate.
Brigitt Earley
Oct 2, 2020
The First Thing You Should Do When You Open a New Roll of Paper Towels
Treat the purchase as a "trigger" to make a thankless cleaning task a little easier.
Shifrah Combiths
Oct 2, 2020
I Thought I Ruined an Entire Load of Laundry—But There Was an Easy Fix
A laundry hack sweeping social media helped me save an entire load of laundry from indigo dye stains.
Brigitt Earley
Oct 1, 2020
An Italian Shopkeeper Taught Me How to Clean a Copper Pot—and the Copper Pot Taught Me How to Take Care of Myself
The shine of the pot after I cleaned it with ketchup was satisfying in a way I hadn’t expected, considering I felt sure the Italian shop owner was trying to punk me.
William Horn
Sep 30, 2020
Don’t Skip the “Dry/Damp” Cleaning Rule When You’re Tackling These 5 Spaces at Home
You might end up making the chore harder than it needs to be, and in some cases, causing harm to your home.
Shifrah Combiths
Sep 29, 2020
The First Thing You Should Do with a New Bottle of Vanilla Extract
Whenever I pick up a new bottle, I started doing this one tiny, brilliant thing that has helped me banish unwanted smells from my refrigerator.
geraldinemcampbell
Sep 29, 2020
One Way Your Cleaning Checklist Could be Working Against You
Rather than giving tasks short-shrift, you end up going above and beyond with this one small switch.
Shifrah Combiths
Sep 28, 2020
This Game-Changing Spray Mop Makes Cleaning Effortless—And It Has Nearly 1,000 5-Star Amazon Reviews
Its fans include one editor's mom *and* grandma.
Tim Minerd
Sep 25, 2020
Keep This $14 Tool In Your Kitchen and Your Counters Will Practically Clean Themselves
I recently started keeping one of these by the sink, and right away it came in handy for even more chores than expected.
Olivia Muenter
Sep 23, 2020
Want Fluffier Towels? Try This Laundry Routine the Next Time You Wash
Weekend Projects
To get the yuck out of your towels, you'll need three things (that you probably already have at home).
Shifrah Combiths
Sep 18, 2020
Here’s a Game Plan for Decluttering Your Kitchen in 20 Minutes
Decluttering Cure
The kitchen can be such a black hole for storage, because everything in it feels necessary. When it comes to tools and cups and food storage containers, no amount feels like enough. And in your mind, you probably have a use for all of it.
Taryn Williford
Sep 16, 2020
7 Clever Ways a $2 Pool Noodle Will Improve Your Life in Mere Minutes
Swap out your store-bought solutions to common organizing, baby-proofing, and plant-parenting woes, and use a pool noodle instead.
Ashley Abramson
Sep 15, 2020
Your “Easy to Clean” Dark Fabrics Are Actually Grosser Than You Think
There’s a common misconception in interior design that light colors, especially white, are the most impractical choice for furniture and textiles.
Ashley Abramson
Sep 10, 2020
The First Thing You Should Do If You Want to Declutter Your Clothes
Decluttering Cure
When you’re culling through a collection, you should spend your time thinking about what you want to live with, instead of what you can live without.
Taryn Williford
Sep 13, 2020
The 10/30 Rule Gave Me a Cleaner Home, a Healthier Budget, and Made My House More Efficient
Here are five different ways I've put this tip into practice around my home.
Shifrah Combiths
Sep 9, 2020
5 Things Worth the Extra Money for Your Laundry Room, According to Experts
Good ventilation is a sensible splurge.
Brittany Anas
Sep 9, 2020
Your Oven is Hiding a Feature That Makes it So Much Easier to Clean
It's no wonder you put it off.
Shifrah Combiths
Sep 8, 2020
Is It Bad to Run Your Dishwasher Frequently? We Asked the Experts
We asked the experts about a dishwasher's impact on the environment, and the useful life of your appliance.
Olivia Muenter
Sep 6, 2020
Try This Laundry Recipe for the Softest Pajamas You'll Ever Sleep (or Live) In
It just requires a few small tweaks to your normal laundry routine.
Ashley Poskin
Sep 2, 2020
I Tried That Viral TikTok Hack for Cleaning Stained Tupperware—Here’s the Before and After
The trick says to shake for at least 45 seconds, but I went for 90 seconds—hoping I’d be shook myself with the end result.
Ashley Abramson
Sep 1, 2020