Cleaning

It's better to be dirty than useless. Some cleaning methods can permanently damage your device, or maybe even render it unusable.

It’s warm and soothing for your body, but did you know you can also use black tea to clean your hardwood floors? Tannins in the tea add a light, warm “stain” and help to bring out the wood’s natural warm tones. In addition to it’s beautifying qualities, black tea derived from the Camellia sinensis plant contain polyphenolic compounds that prevent microbial growth.

A dirty garbage disposal is often the culprit for bad smells in the kitchen. Food bits can cling to the disposal and pipes and create extremely unpleasant odors. The best way to de-stink your kitchen is with a healthy dose of all-natural ingredients that will loosen tough food particles and get the pipes moving! Any time I’m cooking or baking with lemons, I try to squeeze out any excess or leftover juice down my drains for that added smell of freshness in the kitchen.

Are you wasting space and not realizing it? Find out what mistake you may be making, plus get two great IKEA storage product recommendations from tiny home dwellers.

The cleaning up part certainly isn’t as fun (or as tasty) as the cooking part, but it’s a job that must be done. Check out these handy tips for a stovetop your mother would be proud of! Cleaning as you go truly is the best way to save yourself from having to cleanup a disaster of a mess like the one above. But sometimes life gets busy and there just isn’t time between the cooking and the eating and the evening’s engagements to wipe down that stove.

Step away from the smelly sponge, I've got just the solution for you!

People give their cars annual inspections—why shouldn't a sofa get the same treatment?

If I were a better person, I’d be cleaning my grout right now, but instead I’m gathering tips and tricks to help you clean your grout. Pay it forward!

Cleaning the house not on your list of favorite ways to spend your time? You might want to check and see if you’re unintentionally making things worse on yourself. From spending more time on cleaning tasks than you need to, to just not being efficient, peruse this list of seven things you could be doing that’s making it harder to keep your house clean, and see if you can eliminate one to make cleaning the house easier or faster! 1.

January 16 is the new January 1, and there's never a bad time to get excited for a fresh start at home.

Spotless floors in a jiffy, and you're not even touching the grossest part of the mop!

You know the type.

IKEA's new collection is meant to tidy up your home in no time.

Without proper care, makeup sponges can harbor bacteria and even mold.

These eight quick tests will tell you if a used vacuum works well, and if it had a rough past life.

One more reason to do the dishes.

I’ve started a new routine of taking 10 minutes each night, to tackle 5 things that have since made a world of difference in the overall upkeep of our home. It makes mornings easier and nights more calming… 1. Do The Dishes – It’s a proven fact that we’re more likely to eat at home and make dinner ourselves if the area in which food preparation happens is clean.

You wouldn’t dream of leaving your sheets unwashed for weeks at a time, but the sofa never really gets that sort of deep clean.

To help you avoid a costly mistake, we asked the pros to set the record straight.

Designer and organizer Amelia's current home is short on space, but rich in smart small space storage ideas

Professional organizer Rachel Rosenthal reveals what most people get wrong when it comes to getting their home organized.

I'm set to make 2020 my most streamlined cleaning year yet.

Elbow patches: Not just for professors! Okay, so I’m not going to pretend I didn’t get an eye roll when I presented my husband with his cute little heart shaped buffalo check elbow patches, but I didn’t really get that much resistance either! I think he secretly loved it. I know I did, and isn’t that really all that matters? Whatever the shape may be, elbow patches are a great way to gussie up an old favorite with items you already have around the house.

No matter what price I pay for dark denim jeans, they always seem to bleed. Some are worse than others (one brand in particular seems to hemorrhage indigo) but they all are culprits. Here’s how to protect your furniture from a tough-to-remove stain: It may not seem like that big of a deal, but just wait until you leave your (very unwanted) mark on a friend’s white Barcelona chair. Ever tried to remove indigo from white leather? Make sure that doesn’t happen!

We left off yesterday with a half-reorganized junk drawer. I’d done the easy part, putting away cooking utensils that were grouped according to their use, and had the “junky” portion left to tackle. Check out my final result, and read how I got there: After putting all the cooking utensils away on the right side of the drawer, it was time to tackle the big pile of junk that was left.

It involved hardly any hands-on time at all, and that is the way I like to work: set it and forget it.

Happy to report: It IS possible to remove a red wine stain, at home, without paying a pro to do it for you.

To boil or not to boil, that is the question.

We’re still in love with our Eames chairs and recently inherited a couple more that are covered in naugahyde. They’ve been sitting in storage for about 20 years and they’re dull and sad. We want them to look shiny and new like the picture above. Jump below for hot to restore them to their original lustre.Here’s our baby, a dull pink with water stains and sadness.

When you have to pack clean clothes with dirty clothes, everything ends up smelling slightly less than fresh. But there's a hack for that!

A weekend shower tile refresh that's both transformative and cheap.

Cast iron skillets get better with age- as long as you’re consistently cooking with them, and as long as you don’t clean them with soap. If it’s been ages since you’ve actually used your skillet, chances are it’s in need of some TLC. Covered in rust, you say? No problem! Reach for these three simple kitchen staples to help you return your pan to its former glory. Coarse saltOil (vegetable, olive- even Crisco works!

Five free things you can do to make any room look nicer.

Have you noticed your clothes smelling… musty? Even if you’ve switched the load from the washer to the dryer immediately after the cycle has ended? Before you run out and buy a strongly scented laundry detergent to cover the smell, give your machine a thorough cleaning. Taking care of your washing machine can help it stay clean and prevent walking.

A while back Abby and I got some tips from Danny Seo on how to be smarter about how we did laundry. He had some great simple (green) tips that we implemented right away. He also was one of the first to point out the importance of maintaining the machines so that your clothes get clean, the machines stay efficient and you get the most out of your investment.

As much as people love their cats, and we know that love is boundless, there are certain aspects of life with pets that can be a challenge — odors being top of the “arrgh” list for many. We dug through our archives for some reader intelligence on the issue and according to our commenters, here are three top tips to try.

What you do today depends on the anatomy of your home.

If you’ve ever owned anything suede you know how much of a hassle it can be to keep clean—but you also know how durable and long-lasting the fabric is. So if you’ve tucked away furniture or clothing because you’re stumped as to how to clean up those stains, get up and gather these three tools, because DIY suede stain removal is easier than you could ever imagine. The first step in stain removal is to identify your stains.

Can't we all just get along?

The ushering in of spring on Tuesday may have gone unnoticed due to the lack of a proper winter in many regions of the US, but it is here, nonetheless! And with the change in seasons comes longer days, outdoor dining, blooming flowers, and an opportunity to renew and refresh your space. Take a break from preparing taxes and consider these 10 tips for reviving your abode; and please share your tips!

One way to prevent those creep-up-on-you, whole-house disasters is keeping this rule: "If it takes less than a minute to finish, do it right away."

For hundreds of Amazon's 5-star reviewers, there’s one stain treatment that stands out from the rest.

Mold is just waiting to grow in the bathroom if you don't take preventive measures.

It’s no secret that probiotics are one secret weapon for healthier digestion and overall wellness. But this popular wellness remedy is now making its way into the world of cleaning products, too.

“Traditional non-stick coatings are very thin—typically around 1 thousandth of an inch.”

This tip will not only save you money on dry cleaning, but it’ll also help you save money on buying clothes. It’s an all-around life hack, really.

Here's how to get your witchy wardrobe through the laundry without bringing harm to everything else in the process.

We talked to a laundry and fabric care expert to get some insight on how exactly we should be washing our favorite cold weather staples.

Living rooms host so many of what become life's memories. But all that living means lots of people touching things, and spilling things, and sneezing on things...

Of all the appliances (big or small) in the kitchen, the dishwasher is the one that sparks the most arguments among roommates and families.

Here is a semi-annual of home maintenance tasks to check off, all in one place, to make sure your home is not only clean, but safe.

Grease is often difficult to remove, especially if you aren't able to clean it right away.

We asked the experts to help us figure out which kitchen tools should always stay clear of the dishwasher.

From a scrub brush to a hand duster, here are the seven things you need to clean every inch of your space.

It works like magic!

If you’ve ever heard (or believed) that you shouldn’t mix bleach with hot water, then we have news for you. It's nothing more than modern-day housekeeping folklore.

A little hack that lets you quite literally squeeze your sponge for all it's worth.

Days and weeks go by while the flowery blouse and the flowy dress hang unworn... because you pulled them out of the dryer wrinkled and you just do. not. want. to iron.

This second-hand sofa was gross and bound for the alley—but the alley wasn't an option.

Instead of bugging out, follow these steps to make sure your home is bug-free and prevent the little pests from spreading.

Our sink has been draining very slowly for months; but, complete laziness has kept us from doing anything about it. Last night when we were brushing our teeth, we realized that we’d let it all go too far.

Who better to give expert bathroom cleaning advice than someone who's literally seen it all?

This homeowner's laundry room had also become her storage room. So she wanted to give the space some love—but, like, budgeted love.

This technique is safe for use on all kinds of hard flooring. And it's so handy that you may just keep the tennis ball on your mop handle for good.

Not only do these tiny pests tend to hide (and breed) inside of beds, couches, and clothing, they’ll gladly hitch a ride on your clothes and luggage if given the opportunity.

In honor of National Make Your Bed Day on Sept. 11, we spoke with experts about an important question: How can those of us who aren’t natural bed-makers make a routine of it?

If there was ever a cookware staple that could last well enough to be passed down generation after generation, it's cast iron skillets. Here are some top-rated Amazon finds that will help you keep your cast iron in good shape to last a lifetime and then some.

Check out these tried-and-true products that’ll make sure your bathroom is mold-free—for good.

Bed bugs don’t just live in your bed. If you suspect you have a bed bug infestation, you might be unhappy to find that bed bugs can thrive just about anywhere. They have a soft spot for fluffy fabrics with lots of folds and cushy places to hide. But they also party in cracks in grout, under your box spring, and in your dresser drawers. In other words, almost nowhere is safe from these sneaky critters.

Clean your screen in a matter of seconds.

Who doesn't wash the top AND bottom of a plate?

We talked to Brittany Campbell, Ph.D., staff entomologist for the National Pest Management Association—and probably one of the few people in the world who seems genuinely excited to talk about bed bugs—to demystify the pests.