The A-Z List of Life Changing Cleaning Tips For Every MomMe

A — Alcohol

Most glass cleaner has alcohol in it. It’s what makes it evaporate. So if you run out of glass cleaner mix up a solution of alcohol and dawn dish soap and get after the dirt!

B – Baseboards

Overwhelming evidence says that after cleaning your baseboards rubbing them with a dryer sheet will keep the dist off them. I’m going to assume that the static cling removing elements of the sheet is what repels the dust and dirt.

C — Caddy

With a three story house there is no way to get around not having a cleaning caddy. Keeping everything within reach makes life so much easier!

D — Dawn Dish Soap

This is a miracle cleaner that is so simple it will boggle your mind. From dishes to toilets to glass to clothes. There are a million recipes on how to mix this with other ingredients to clean just about anything under the sun.

E — Essential Oils

I’m one for smelling good and essential oils are a perfect way to get it done. Adding just a few drops to cleaners or using them for air fresheners turns your cleaning experience into something special.

F — Floors

With multiple forms of flooring in our house I feel like I’m forever trying to figure out how to keep them clean. Each has its own properties but the best mop I’ve found for all has been the OCedar Spin Mop. With washable mop heads you can always have a clean mop to start with.

G — Glass Shower Doors

There are two methods that work for glass shower doors: 1) Use dawn dish soap and vinegar. Let soak and wipe off and rinse. 2) for tougher glass use Kaboom. Spray on and leave sit for a little while then come back and rinse off. Make sure you squeegee off the glass for no water marks.

H — Hydrogen Peroxide

Tough laundry stains come out great using: 2 parts hydrogen. 1 part dawn dish soap.

I — Ink

Sharpie marker can be melted away by dry erase marker. Color over it. Wait a moment then wipe clean.

J — Juice

Lemon juice can be used in so many ways. Lemon juice and alcohol can be used as glass cleaner. Lemon juice and water cooked for a minute can be used to clean the inside of your microwave.

K — Kaboom

Kaboom^™ Shower, Tub & Tile is a powerful cleaner designed to safely tackle all your bathroom’s toughest stains. It cleans showers, tile, tubs, grout and sinks. … Soap scum, hard water buildup, calcium, lime stains, grease & grime… they don’t stand a chance. Kaboom^™ Shower, Tub & Tile does the hard work for you!

L — Laundry

Do a load of laundry a day, start to finish to keep on top of the piles around the house. Tip: use only a few table spoons of soap. Most likely you are using too much soap which is ruining your clothes without you knowing it.

M — Murphy’s Oil Soap

The best wood cleaner out there and it smells pretty good too! Mix a fourth cup with water and wash down wood cabinets and floors.

N — Norwex

Norwex EnviroCloth website boasts that their cloths remove dust, dirt and grease from all washable surfaces using only water—no chemicals!

O — Angry Orange

A powerful dog odor eliminator. Been using this for a while and it definitely smells better than pet smells.

P — Paint

50/50 water and liquid dryer softer in a spray bottle takes anything off the walls and doesn’t harm the paint according to one of my favorite Facebook mom groups!

Q — Q-tips

Between qtips and old tooth brushes there isn’t a spot in your house that you shouldn’t be able to clean. Get in the cracks of window sills or into the corners where your brush won’t reach on your mission to clean your grout. Nothing is off limits!

R — Routines

One of the best things that I started doing to keep the house clean every day is to start entering routines into my to do list. In my post How a to do list saved my sanity I set these up to help me not miss out on anything that I need to clean in the house.

S — Swish & Swipe

This is something I learned from The Flylady. If you swish and swipe your bathroom daily your deep cleaning will be so much easier. I like to throw a little dawn dish soap into the bowl, swish it around a bit and flush and a quick swipe across bathroom counters keep everything clean.

T — To Do List

Overwhelm when it comes to cleaning is the number one reason people don’t have clean houses. Use a to do list app like ToDoist to help you. Setting up routines like I did in my post How a to do list saved my sanity can help get through even the toughest house cleaning list!

U — Unclog your drains

Baking soda and vinegar down any drain is great. There are also “snakes” you can buy that will help get hair out of drains. Warning hair removal is totally gross work so grab some gloves before you start and make sure to have the garbage can next to you.

V — Vinegar

This one is another multiple use cleaner. If your coffeemaker seems a little dirty make a mixture of equal parts vinegar and water and run it through the machine with no coffee grounds. Repeat a few more times with just plain water to get rid of all the residual vinegar.

W — Windows

A trick I learned years ago was to wipe windows dry with newspaper. There is no lint on this paper versus paper towels or rags. Whatever you use, don’t skimp on the cleaner. It’s horrible to wash a window and have streaks on it.

X — Rain X

Yes it doesn’t start with X but it’s a great way to help keep your glass clean. Use it on shower doors and windows after deep cleaning to keep them streak free!

Y —Yellow Pillows

I try my hardest to wash my pillows in soap and bleach about once a month. My husband swears I should do it more often but I tend to forget. Definitely need to set a reminder on my todo list.

Z — Zep Stainless Steal Cleaner

This one is great! I haven’t found anything that will make your stainless steel shine the way it does with Zep. It smells like orange oil too which makes the kitchen smell great!