Home Cleaning

You probably do the dishes often—even more so if you lack the luxury of a dishwasher—but how often do you clean or replace your kitchen sponge? (Or any sponges in your home, for that matter?). The dirt on sponges (pun intended) is that they can get really gross, really quickly—more gross than you might realize. According to Huffington Post, it’s the dirtiest thing in your home, even worse than toilet seats and garbage cans.

We’ve all been there. It’s Friday night and after a long work week, you make it home just in time to remember that you’ve invited your friends over—gasp!—in an hour. Your sink is full of dirty dishes and you haven’t swept in days, so naturally, panic ensues. But before you pick up your phone to cancel or postpone, perhaps consider a new a plan of action.

Bring back the glory days of your 1990s childhood in one fell swoop with this effective—but also really, really fun—way to clean. It starts with a few handy household ingredients, which become mixed into a substance similar to Nickelodeon Gak (remember that stuff?). You can use the resulting goop to reach crumbs in hard-to-clean crevices all around your home (plus your office and your car).

So, you accidentally shrunk your favorite sweater. You’ve mourned its loss—and searched desperately for an identical replacement to no avail—and now it’s time to make sure you never make the same laundry mistakes again. In order to become a true laundry master, there are some major things to know—like what those weird symbols on your clothing labels mean, what settings to use, and why you should never ever overstuff your machines.

A few coats of nail lacquer can polish off your personal style, but aside from adorning your fingers, nail polish can actually come in really handy around the house. You probably already know that a little dab of clear polish can stop a run in a pair of stockings, but did you know it can fix broken tile and keep screws from coming loose?

Considering all of the different cleaning sprays and solutions available on the market, we’re surprisingly trusting of the ones we bring home. That’s why the pros have always sworn by “spot-testing”—where you sample new products by testing them out on a small area to make sure they won’t cause any damage or discoloration.

You already know hydrogen peroxide comes in handy for cleaning up cuts and scrapes and even for whitening your teeth, but there’s a lot more to it than that—it’s also great to have on hand for cleaning your home. It’s inexpensive, you can find it at just about any pharmacy and grocery store, and it can do just about anything. From disinfecting toys and countertops to keeping your shower mold and mildew free, H2O2 has your back.

Is your cleaning mantra “When in doubt, douse it in bleach”? While you might feel confident your house is sanitary and squeaky clean, you can’t always trust that your health isn’t suffering—the problem with many household chemical cleaners is that they’re actually toxic to your health. Instead, you might want to try borrowing a greener, cleaner recipe from your grandmother.

My Facebook feed is a battleground right now, overtaken with competing analyses of the world today, the state of politics in America, and what’s going to happen to us all now. Which is why, when a friend liked this unassuming little anecdote about a late night run-in with a Roomba and some poop, I clicked over for a little respite. Fifteen minutes later I was still laughing. Here’s how Jesse tells it: So, last week, something pretty tragic happened in our household.

As hard-working as that holiest of appliances is, it can't do it all. Or, rather, it shouldn't.

Thanksgiving is in three days. And you’re hosting. If you started planning weeks ago, you’re in great shape to pick up and get to the real work of having guests and preparing a very special feast. If you’re only getting around to preparations now, don’t despair! Here’s a list of practical things to take care of so your mind and heart are free to enjoy what matters most. Do a quick clean of the guest room (dust and vacuum).

As we’re heading into the season of potlucks, cookie exchanges, and cocktail parties, let’s remember that our friends and family are coming over to spend this special time with us, not to judge our homes. Even if we’d like everything to be “perfect,” we only need to tackle a few issues to make our homes welcoming and inviting.

Even if you happen to be a Monica Gellar type—someone who spends their free time dusting and sweeping—spending an entire afternoon indoors cleaning is still way less fun than, well, just about anything. It’s really no wonder that so many people make a habit of putting off cleaning until it’s absolutely necessary, i.e. until you’re suffering from either out-of-town visitors or out-of-control allergies.

Keeping your home clean and put-together is hard work. Throw a full-time job, kids, and/or pets into the mix and it’s dang near impossible. Yet somehow you manage to pull it off. Whether it’s because of daily wipe downs, weekly chores, or even monthly cleanouts, you’re making it happen—even if it doesn’t always feel that way. Chances are your place is a lot less cluttered than your headspace, and most importantly, it works for you.

Chores aren’t fun, and unless you’re lucky enough to get along with all your roommates, having the conversation to divide them up might not be easy, either. Good news: Apps can help, and you can add a little variety into your cleaning routine by trying some fun DIY takes on chore charts, and by turning your chores into a bonding activity.

Beautiful cleaning supplies are so underrated. Just allow me to list for you a few of the perks of splurging (and some of these are certainly a splurge) on some seriously stylish tools. One, if you have limited storage, you should buy gorgeous brooms and brushes that are chic enough to leave out in the open on hooks in the entryway or on a shelf in the kitchen — I mean, these handmade beauties are practically art.

Moving in with your significant other isn’t all sunshine, rainbows and picking out throw pillows. It’s a struggle to learn to live together. Think about it: You’re two different people who grew up in different houses around different people, and you’re coming together under one roof for the first time—bringing with you two totally distinct sets of home habits.

In my post, 5 Apartment Therapy Tips I Use All the Time, I noted that keeping fresh flowers around the house inspires me in unexpected ways—it lifts my mood and helps me keep a neater home. Makes sense? Sounds hokey? A little of both? Turns out there’s some science behind this! We’ve included buying flowers in the Cure assignments for years. Maxwell has promoted this simple practice as an easy and affordable way to add beauty to our homes and lift our spirits.

Since moving out to the prairie a few years ago, I’ve had a hard time finding full-time employment. I have, however, taken over our family’s housework almost completely (I do not mow). It seems to take forever because housework is boring, but truthfully, I have no idea how much actual time I contribute to the household each week. So, I decided to find out once and for all how much time I actually spend cooking and cleaning.

Despite all the love we have for beach hair, beachy cocktails, and creating a beach house vibe at home—even in the middle of Denver—the beach needs to stay at the beach. Frolic on the sand all you want, but then try these nine tips for keeping sand out of your home and at the beach where it belongs. The number one thing I came across whilst Googling “how to get sand off feet” was “baby powder.

Have you ever heard of a “sandless” beach blanket? Well, we hadn’t either until recently. When I first introduced the idea, my fellow AT staffers threw out words like “sorcery” and “urban legend” but mostly, it was a barrage of ???s. No one could wrap their head around it, so we had to take it to the test lab (my local beach) and find out if, in fact, someone could stay sand-free on the shoreline while using one.

Abbreviated summer hours are a great perk in any workplace; they offer you the chance to get out of the cubicle and kick off your weekend early to enjoy some of the great weather. Or—hear me out on this—you could take advantage of the extra free time on summer fridays to get a head start on housework.

Nobody likes to throw away money. Even though kitchen sponges are, like, 50¢ a piece, there are still some small, simple habits you can do to squeeze more mileage out of your most hardworking kitchen tool. Ta da! Instantly, your tools last twice as long. Chances are, a smaller sponge can still tackle all your normal use with finesse. In fact, it might make it easier to get into tight nooks. Get yourself a sponge holder that will keep your sponge upright and let air flow all around.

I grew up without a dishwasher in the house, so nobody really ever taught me how the whole thing was supposed to work. After a few years on my own in dishwasher-equipped apartments, I’ve got the big lessons down (it only takes one occurrence of covering your entire kitchen floor in 2-foot-deep suds to know that dish soap and dishwasher detergent are not the same thing). But there are lots of finer points of machine-washing life that even experienced homekeepers might not know.

There’s a reason they call cleaning up a “chore.” Nobody wants housekeeping to take up their whole weekend, so we all go looking for shortcuts to clean house in half the time. But here’s the truth: The secret to a speedy cleaning routine is just that – routine. You need to establish a system of rules that gets the work done not just quickly, but efficiently.

Spring is here! All over the Northern Hemisphere there are telltale signs that spring has sprung: Trees are showing their first green of the year; flowers are appearing in our neighborhood gardens, rooftops, and window sills; and across the lands if you listen carefully you can hear the whirring of vacuum cleaners and the beating of dust from a thousand hallway runners. Yes, for many of us with the season of new life comes the annual chore-fest we’ve come to know as Spring Cleaning.

If I were ever to receive a visit from a Victorian-era time traveler, the first thing I’d show them is the refrigerator. It’s a modern miracle that we can keep milk from turning for nearly a month, but what you might not know is that your fridge and freezer can do so much more. If you have the room to spare, try dropping a few of these non-food items in your fridge or freezer.

You don’t need fancy, expensive tools to keep your home clean. In fact, it turns out you can get a whole lot done with just a toothbrush (preferably not yours… or that of anyone you love).

Kerstin & Andy’s Colorful and Happy Family Home in Australia With snow, salt, mud, and the other sloppy aspects of winter, it’s all too easy for the entryway to become a mess. Whether your door deposits you right into your living space or you’re lucky enough to have a mudroom, there are some things you can do to make your entry as winter-friendly as possible. Handmaid Tales Shoe storage First things first: boots.

Before you mindlessly pack up all of your holidays decorations, and store them out of sight for the year, take a moment to toss things that have no business sticking around. You’ll be happy next December when you don’t have to wade through three storage bins full of glitter and gold. Get rid of these five things, and maybe you can even get it down to one small box. Instead of holding onto lights that no longer light up, get rid of them.

It took me a long time to get here but I finally moved into the tiny apartment of my dreams, and I’ve been enjoying outfitting it with all the perfect things. But my favorite thing that I’ve bought for my home is not my beautiful new velvet sofa or my gorgeous antique Moroccan rug. It is a vacuum cleaner. It might be reaching a bit to say that a handheld vacuum cleaner has changed my life, but it has definitely changed the way I clean — and I’m not going back.

The difference between an organized fridge and a messy, stinky, ugly one is simple: Focus, discipline and a strong foundation of good ideas. We’ve collected ten excellent guiding principles for keeping your refrigerator clean, healthy and happy, and they’re all right here for you to implement at home. Set your refrigerator’s temperature to 40°F (5°C) or below. If it doesn’t come with a label, give it one. Add dates for extra credit.

From the knocker on your front door to the extra-special necklace you brought home from the craft market, brass and copper goods are showing up everywhere. Over time, these shiny treasures will start to tarnish, and we heard that ketchup can help get them back in shape. But does it really work? we gave it a try… Ketchup Small bowl Buffing cloth Small brush 1. For small, dainty pieces of jewelry like chains and earrings, it’s easiest to submerge them and let them sit for a while.

If your furniture is in the same spot it’s been since you moved in, it might be time to shake things up a bit. Rearranging your room’s layout has a way of freshening up a space and giving you new life at home. There’s also a handful of benefits to a layout shake-up that you might not have ever expected… That sofa that hasn’t moved in millennia?

There are two types of people in the world: Shower curtain people and glass door people. No matter which you prefer (which do you prefer?), we can all agree that glass shower doors are kind of a pain to keep clean. Here are 5 tips, products and solutions that make it a cinch to keep your shower door spotless around the clock. Without a doubt, this is the most effective way to keep a clean glass shower, but it’s also the most demanding.

Spring cleaning is overrated, y’all. The best time to purge around the house is right now. The end of carefree summer offers the perfect framework to really re-assess your needs and determine exactly what products, items and pantry staples you want to bring with you into fall. If you need a jump start on the Autumn Ablution (we’re trying to make it happen), here are 10 things around the house you should throw away by the end of summer.

This is a public service announcement: The Halloween stuff is already out at craft stores. And I’m not sure how fall came to have a mascot, but I know that autumn is on its way when I hear people start talking about how much they miss pumpkin spice. While there are still several weeks left to enjoy the summer, it might be a good time to start thinking about the tasks you need to get done before cool weather really sets in.

Want a cleaner home? One that gets cleaner easier, stays cleaner longer, and doesn’t feel like the act of cleaning dominates your life? There are four habits that can be life-changers; could they change yours? We have provided you with a lot of different cleaning schedules over the years. What they’ve all got in common is that at some point in time you’ve got to carve out time where you pull out cleaning supplies and do a little scrubbing.

Are you a robot who is always ready for spur-of-the-moment guests? Good for you! The rest of us humans need to fake it once in a while. Here are twenty easy ways to do just that. Make your home look loads better in a hurry with one or two (or more if you’re feeling motivated!) of these low effort, high-impact (and dirt-hiding) tips. 20. Sweep clutter from all visible surfaces. 19. Make the bed. 18. Clean the bathroom mirror. 17. Light a candle. 16. Putting out a store-bought snack?

Judy & Don’s Treehouse in the City Your home is truly a reflection of yourself, and mine definitely says, “I hate cleaning”… at least it does right this minute. See, I’m more than capable of getting my home totally tidy (and I love it when I do), but keeping up a regular cleaning routine is a tough task for me.

Do you regularly put in real, genuine effort to declutter your home, but still find yourself being overwhelmed by all the stuff? Do you ever wonder where it all comes from? There could be one thing that you’re doing that’s keeping the clutter levels high; see if it’s something you can eliminate from your life to help eliminate your clutter. In other words, you’re keeping things just in case.

Whether you own or rent your home, whether it’s an apartment or a house, it’ll need maintenance this year. Make your life easier and a little less stressful by planning out your home’s maintenance for the whole year all at once, filling out an annual calendar and setting yourself reminders so you stay on track all year long! A yearly calendar (paper or digital) A copy of your lease (if you rent)Your smart phone or computer 1.

Countertop space is precious, and clutter stands in the way of glorious, wide-open spaces that help you function in the kitchen. When stuff is everywhere, you have to move it every time you wipe the counters. You sacrifice precious prep space. And that same stuff subtly clouds your thinking and saps attention from the task at hand. When you banish clutter from the kitchen, you’re more likely to use the room as intended, make dinner, and eat at home.

Simple, understated, and delicious, yellow mustard has its place in the back row on the condiment shelf, pulled out for the occasional cookout or the quickly assembled sandwich. Sure, it’s tasty but is that really it? Have we underestimated yellow mustard all these years? Not just for hot dogs, yellow mustard has quite the list of alternative uses! From skincare to sore throats, it sure can (ahem) cut the mustard. Mild Burn Relief: First, run the burned area under cold water.

Add wax paper to the long list of items with surprising applications and usefulness well beyond their original purpose. Wax paper (as opposed to parchment paper) has a thin layer of wax on each side, and was designed to keep food fresh longer. Its both water resistant and non-stick — two attributes that make this handy item versatile and helpful, even outside the kitchen. Rub a sheet on the teeth of a zipper to discourage snags.

Car wax is designed to fill in scratches, protect paint jobs, and leave a slick shine on metal finishes. Why limit its use to automobiles? Turns out that the substance is good for all types of things at home. Pick up a jar and start using it throughout the house. Here are ten ways you might not know about… You can buy car wax in either paste or liquid form. Applying the wax requires just elbow grease and a clean, dry cloth.

Tea tree oil (or malaleuca if you’re fancy) is widely thought to have antimicrobial and antiseptic properties. While many people use it for health & beauty issues, it’s also quite useful around the house. Unlike other household products, it’s also safe and natural. All-Purpose Cleaner: Fill a spray bottle with water and add a few teaspoons of oil. Shake vigorously and spray to clean and disinfect.

Not having a dishwasher certainly isn’t the worst problem you can have. But if you’re used to having one, switching to only hand-washing can seem like a major inconvenience. Following are some ways to make life without a dishwasher as painless as possible. Soak. To make hand-washing less of a scrub-fest, make every effort to keep food from drying on dishes and pots and pans. If you can’t wash something right away, at least submerge it in or fill it with warm soapy water.

Living in a compact (read: tiny) one bedroom with my fiancé and our two dogs sometimes resembles a giant game of Tetris. When it comes to cramming our lives, complete with hobbies, home cooking and my photography business, into 450 square feet organization is key. Here are a few of the ways that we manage. 1. Build upwards.

If you live in a small space, you know that it’s tough to keep it clean from day to day. Smaller spaces just seem to collect more unwanted clutter, dirt and dust! Why is that? Well if you’re a clean freak like me, take a look at some of these tips to keep your small space sparkling every day… 1. Declutter. This is rule number one for a reason! If you don’t love or use an item—why do you still have it? Ditch the clutter and free up space.

I can get a little ambitious when the weekend comes around sometimes (all the time). It’s easy to say yes to events and parties (or dream about hosting my own), create DIY project lists a mile long, think I’ll finally have time to deep clean every corner of my house and plan on organizing my closet to boot. What I do to avoid weekend burnout? Try and use my home, as it is, as a recharging retreat, so that when Monday rolls around I’m more energized than exhausted.

We’re always on the hunt for the latest and greatest (and easiest) cleaning tools, so when our Apartment Therapy Office Manager Nelly came into work the other day raving about a project that transformed her dingy, rental bathroom grout, our ears perked right up. No doubt it has to do with the fact that she’s expecting, but Nelly’s been doing all sorts of nesting lately.

I’m not usually one for New Year’s resolutions, but I am always interested in rejuvenating my space, work and life in the New Year. January is a great month for cleaning up problem areas, whether they are physical problem areas in your home, or work and financial issues. Here are a few of our top tips for simple tasks to help get your new year get off to a great start! 1. Declutter your desk or work area and go through important papers. Tax time is coming!

Is it completely germophobic to be cleaning your kids’ stuffed toys every month? Of course, I’m asking for a friend of mine (wink)! I completely understand that our kids need to grow their immune system by being exposed to various degrees of bacteria, still, I can’t look at these toys and remain calm. It makes me cringe. Just like that tiny chalk mark the teacher used to forget to erase on the board back in school. Ok, there goes my free-spirit reputation!

All it took was two episodes of “Hoarders” and I knew that the next morning I was going to…had to…go downstairs to clean out our apartment basement storage area. Hidden downstairs was a slowly expanding Jenga pile of boxes, the majority of them empty, but all kept under the presumption I’d need them later for moving or resale. It was time to get serious and clean house for 2012…The biggest source of empty boxes were for electronics and appliances.

White risers can do a lot to brighten a staircase, as evidenced in the entryway above. However, like white floors, pretty and bright doesn’t always equal maintenance-free…but it doesn’t have to equal nightmare either. Here’s how to make them work. I recently completed the risers in our entry hall, and I can tell you first hand that like most painting projects, preparation and the right paint is everything.

Q: Maybe someone can help me with this tragedy? This is my beloved Superflat exhibit print poster. Eight years ago I got it mounted, but when I moved to NY I didn’t ship it out and stored it in my parents’ basement. Now I’ve moved back and discovered they had a flood one year and this poor print got some water damage. Is there any way I can remove the stains without damaging the print? I was thinking of a Mr.

Every well-run home is teeming with tricks and shortcuts to keep it humming along. We’re sharing our best quick tips — for cleaning, organizing and repairing stuff at home — to save you time and money. Click through for today’s helpful hint, and links to tons more… Use regular DISH SOAP!! It has the ability to be gentle on your paint brushes while removing the sticky, slick paint behind.

Cleaning Stainless Steel Sinks has always been a pet peeve. Once it was discovered how clean and shiny they REALLY could be, the OCD about keeping them that clean….hasn’t stopped. And why not when it’s so simple to do? Click through the jump to check out how to use common household items to clean even the dirtiest sink naturally and in under 5 minutes. Stainless Steel sinks always seem to deceive you.

We were recently sent this bit of info by our father, who revelled at the opportunity to contribute to the blog. It’s a great little story about the invention of WD-40, which, it turns out, was never intended for lubrication at all and has, as its basic ingredient, nothing other than fish oil!“I had a neighbor who had bought a new pickup.