10 Cleaning Hacks You'll Wish You Knew Sooner!

If there is one tough thing about home ownership (or having your own apartment), it's keeping up with all the cleaning! Not only do you have to keep the space tidy and organized, but you can't forget the regular vacuuming, mopping, and deep cleaning that you need to do. And then, there are always some spaces or surfaces that never seem to really get clean no matter how hard you try, or a certain smell that lingers that you just can't figure out how to get rid of.

Well, we certainly can't help to solve ALL of your cleaning problems, but we've dug around the internet to find these 10 genius cleaning hacks that will make your life (hopefully) easier and cleaner! Let's get started!

1. Defeat That Stinky Garbage Disposal With Some Lemon!

In case you didn't know (because for years we certainly didn't), you need to actually clean out your garbage disposal! Who knew? While it's easy to get rid of any remaining food scraps that are in the disposal, what's a good way to get rid of the lingering smell? Well, it turns out lemons are just the right guy (or fruit) for the job!

Take a lemon and cut it up into a few small slices, and run those slices through your garbage disposal. This is a great way to battle those stinky smells and give your kitchen a nice, fresh scent! We particularly love to do this little trick before we have guests.

2. Freshen Up Your Couch With Baking Soda

Couches and chairs can often be a source of hidden dirt and smell in your home! They often don't look dirty, but they can be trapping dust and hair and can give off a smell.

This cleaning hack using a common household item that probably EVERYONE has in one of their cabinets or their pantry, baking soda! To start, just brush off the areas of your couch that you want to clean, and then sprinkle on some baking soda. Let it sit for about 20 to 30 minutes, and then vacuum it up! This will help to freshen up just about any couch!

3. Burnt Pan/Pot? No Problem!

Do you have any pots or pans that have burnt food at the bottom that just won't come off with a regular washing or the dishwasher? Have no fear, vinegar and baking soda are here to save the day!

First, fill the pot or pan with water and then add about a cup of white vinegar. Bring it to the boil, and then take it off your stove and add some baking soda, about two tablespoons. Set this aside and let it sit for a minute or two (make sure it cools), then scrub the pan and watch the magic happen!

4. Magic Erasers, Magic Erasers, Magic Erasers

That's right, we LOVE magic erasers! They work to basically clean any surface or mess in the house, just like magic!

They work great in your bathroom on sinks, tubs, and tile (Mr. Clean even makes a specific bathroom magic eraser). Bring them into the kitchen for your sink and stovetop, microwave, and more! We even use them to clean scuff marks off our doors and door trims!

Just make sure that if you are going to use them on your walls, that they can be a bit abrasive, so make sure your paint can hold up!

5. Pet Hair, Meet Your Enemy, The Rubber Glove

While we definitely love our four-legged friends, sometimes their hair can get a little out of control! While vacuuming or trying to pick it off your furniture can be quite the challenge, all you really need is a pair of rubber gloves!

Just equip your gloves, and then run your hands over your soft surfaces in the house. The pet hair will be attracted to the rubber and collect on the gloves and form balls that you can then easily throw away!

6. Red Wine Stains EVERYWHERE

There's nothing we like more than a nice relaxing glass of red wine after a long day. And while you may not have spilled your red wine EVERYWHERE in your home, chances are you have knocked over a glass or two on your carpet at least once! So, what's the best way to get this stain out? Turns out, just club soda!

Just spray the wine stain with some club soda and let it sit for a few seconds. Then just blot the stain with a soft, preferably microfiber, cloth. Repeat until the stain is gone!

7. Use Socks to Clean Blinds?! It's GENIUS!

That's right, the lowly sock is a fantastic tool for cleaning your blinds! Just pop a sock on your hand, spray lightly with water (don't soak your sock), and then just grab each blind and run your covered hand over the length. This is a great way to collect all that dust that is otherwise pretty tricky to get at!

8. Use Baby Wipes to Clean Off Chalkboards!

If you have chalkboard anywhere in your house, whether that be for notes or lists in the kitchen, or in your kid's room, it can sometimes be a bit of a pain to really wipe clean! Well, just break out your trusty baby wipes, and bam! That dust and chalk will be gone in no time! Plus, baby wipes are a relatively cheap cleaning tool that can be used for much more around your house!

9. Stuck on Food is No Match For a Dryer Sheet!

Scrubbing out stubborn or burnt food on your pots and pans is a chore that we all hate, but someone has to do it right? Short of throwing them away and buying brand new pans each time, which, be honest, we've all thought about a few times, there isn't much you can do except put in the hard work! But, it doesn't always have to be hard tedious work. Just fill the pot or pan with warm water and soap, and drop in a dryer sheet! Come back in an hour or two, and see how easily the stuck on food scrubs off!

10. Vegetable Oil + Wood Floors = Clean, Clean, Clean!

Hardwood floors can be a tough surface to keep clean in your house. You have people walking on them all day, maybe pets, and definitely some dirt being trekked in. Hardwood floors are often more sensitive than vinyl as well, so you can't just use any cleaning product on them. But that doesn't mean you have to stress out! Just grab equal parts vegetable oil and vinegar, put in a spray bottle, and spritz the floors. Then, just mop it up and your floors will look shiny and beautiful again!

We hope you find these cleaning hacks useful, what are your favorite unique ways to clean your home? Leave your hacks in the comments!