Whether your floors are covered in carpet, linoleum, tile, or hardwood, they all need to be cleaned from time to time. And while cleaning floors isn’t likely to be anyone’s idea of a good time, that doesn’t mean it has to be torturous work!
Today I’ll be sharing 11 quick and easy home cleaning hacks that can help make cleaning your floors just a little bit quicker, easier, and more effective. With the help of these tips, you’ll be admiring your sparkling clean floors in no time! :-)
Related: 7 Important Things You Should Never Do With A Steam Mop
11 Easy Cleaning Hacks For Floors
1. Fill Buckets With A Noodle
Lifting your empty mop bucket up to the faucet to fill it is easy enough. The hard part is putting the full bucket back on the floor! You can avoid this entirely by using a pool noodle to help fill your bucket. Just slide one end over the faucet, point the other end into the bucket, and turn the water on!
Related: This Is The One Thing That Actually Fixed My Hazy Hardwood Floors
2. Make A Crevice Tool From Cardboard
Even the crevice tool that came with your vacuum may not be narrow enough for ultra tight spaces. But it’s easy to fashion one out of a cardboard tube! Just slide one end into your vacuum hose, and flatten the other end into a narrow slit. Use your cardboard crevice tool to vacuum dirt out of window tracks, under furniture, and other tight spots.
3. Make Your Dustpan Grab More Dirt
Sometimes dirt, hair, and dust just doesn’t seem to want to stay in the dustpan. Turn your dustpan into a dirt magnet by getting it wet before using. The water will grab onto the dirt and help it stay put. Then just wipe the dustpan out with a paper towel when you’re done.
4. Save Small Items
Small items like earrings are easy to lose in carpet or under furniture. But there’s an easy way to get them back! Slip a stocking or tights over your vacuum hose, then secure it in place with a rubber band. Use the stocking-covered hose to vacuum around the area where the item was lost. The vacuum will suck it the item up, and the stocking will trap it so you can grab it easily.
5. Freshen Up Your Vacuum
Sometimes vacuums can put out a musty smell while you’re using them. If the smell is bothering you, just vacuum up some laundry crystals or ground cinnamon! They’ll hang around in the dust cup and help eliminate the musty scent.
6. Clean Out Nooks & Crannies
Sometimes there are areas of your carpet your vacuum just can’t reach, like the crevices along stairs. Use a rubber glove to wipe dust, dirt, and pet hair out of these crevices.
7. Hang Brooms & Mops Easily
Broom and mop handles usually end in a loop so you can hang them up. But what if your hooks and hangers don’t fit into that loop? Add a loosely fastened zip tie to the end of the handle to make them easier to hang.
8. Clean Your Vacuum Brush
Long hair tends to get wrapped around the roller brush of any vacuum. If enough hair builds up, it can prevent the brush from working effectively! Use a seam ripper to quickly cut through all that hair. Cutting it first makes it much easier to pull the hair off of the brush!
9. Freshen Up Carpets
Use baking soda and essential oils to quickly freshen up musty carpets! In a small bowl, mix up one cup of baking soda and 10 drops of your favorite essential oil. Sprinkle the mixture onto your carpets, let sit for one hour, then vacuum the area thoroughly.
10. Hack Your Swiffer
Swiffer tools like the Sweeper and WetJet can be really useful, but those refills can get expensive. You can save money by making your own sweeper pads and cleaning solution! Get all the details by reading the post below.
More Ideas You'll Love
Related: 3 Genius Hacks For Swiffers That Will Save You Money
11. Get Cleaner Grout
If you have tile floors, you may have noticed that the grout lines can get pretty gross over time. Wondering how to clean grout? There are several ways, but one of the easiest (and most surprising) options is to use a carpet cleaning spray!
Spray a foaming carpet cleaner onto dirty grout lines, scrub with a stiff brush, then let it sit for about 10 minutes. Then wipe the cleaner up and mop as usual. Easy! You can also choose to make your own carpet cleaner.
What’s your best tip for cleaning floors?
The Simply Natural <a href=”https://buysimplynatural.com/product/flat-mop-simplynatural/”> Flat Mop</a> is a cleaning tool designed to make floor cleaning more efficient and convenient. This mop features a flat, rectangular head that is covered in a microfiber pad that attracts and traps dirt, dust, and other debris. The mop head can be easily removed and machine-washed, making it a more eco-friendly and cost-effective cleaning solution than disposable mop pads.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thanks for the good ideas you share. What’s the safest way for the wood to clean your wood & laminate floors thoroughly.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I would highly suggest a steam cleaner – I absolutely love mine! You can read all about them here: https://jillee.co/2PbQ9cW
Otherwise, here’s a DIY mopping solution that would work wonderfully on laminate and wood: https://jillee.co/2N9vGUd :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The directions for my new laminate floor by Traffic Master says NOT to use a steam cleaner. although I will use all your other wonderful ideas foe cleaning it. Thank you so much for your posts, I LOVE them.
I have a Shark Scrub and Clean Steam mop. It works great. I have a bad back and all you have to do is guild the mop to where you want it and change the mop heads when they become dirty. I have about 8 mop heads that I bought from Amazon. I didn’t want the duster that comes with the store bought ones. Just make sure they are polyester. It’s much easier to wash them clean.
Avoid using water and vinegar, soap-based cleaners, wax or steam cleaners on your hardwood floor. Vinegar and water will dull the floor’s finish over time, while soap or wax will leave a residue. Steam cleaners put heat and excessive water on your floor, which can lead to cupping and long-term damage.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Caring for Hardwood Floors.
Cheryl is absolutely correct. No steam cleaner on hardwood! I use a mop with a removable pad and bottle attached. when soiled i just toss the pad into the wash. I can put whatever cleaner i wish into the attached bottle so i no longer have to purchase a specific cleaner . i like Stainmaster for hardwood. it doesn’t streak or show footprints like some i’ve used. The pad is not completely smooth like some. It has what I’ll call “little grippy nubs” that clean better than some that seem to just glide across the surface of the floor. Can’t remember if the bop is Bissell or Rubermaid but i bought it at Target.
You are amazing!!!! Thank you for all you do to make our lives a bit easier!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thank you, Ann!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.!!!!!!!!Always so many exclamation points!!!!!!!! What is the point?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thanks Jill for all the wonderful tips and recipes. And also to others who also submit their great suggestions and ideas. Even at my advanced age, I am still learning.
I keep a small spray bottle filled with water in the kitchen. One of the uses is that I use it to lightly spray inside the kitchen trash can before emptying the vacuum cleaner dirt cup or anything else that creates dust. This prevents a dust cloud from flying around the can.
If the trash can is too full to dump the dust/dirt, lightly spray inside a plastic bag and use that to discard the dust/dirt.
I also lightly spray the dust pan plus the bottom of the broom bristles before using.
If you get styrofoam peanuts, used for packing, in a box, spray the peanuts before removing the item. This will limit the static that is created.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.These are great tips, Nana!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I used a broom to apply a bleach and water solution to my 27 year old linoleum floor, then mopped up the dirty water with a towel. It got that ground in dirt out so easily! I’m sure you could do the same with any floor cleaning solution
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Brilliant!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.LOVE the carpet cleaner on grout idea! Have got to try that.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Instead of the seam ripper, I use a letter opener, as it grabs all the hair much easier. Roombas actually come with one of these to clean their brushes, but I use it on my regular vacuum as well.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Clever tip, thanks Brandon!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Love the one about using a cardboard tube. I am going to use it in the tiny spaces in my car.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I tried that before, but the tube must not have been stiff enough because the vacuum just kept sucking the flattened end closed. lol
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Me too!
Add some tape to the end so it doesn’t get sucked closed. Problem solved!
Perfect!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The only cardboard tube I have found that is sturdy enough is the one inside the roll of food saver bags. It’s a little on the small side so it may take some ingenuity to fit it properly.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Some time ago, I read that Scrubbing Bubbles bathroom cleaner will get vinyl flooring very clean. I am about to try it, and will let you all know how it goes.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Sherry please let me know if it worked well
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love these tips, Jillee! Thank you so much. I think the ones I was most blown away by were the pool noodle tip and wetting the dustpan! Awesome!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’ve read that essential oils are not good for pets.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.It depends on the oils. Some are okay for animals. You just have to research it.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I would consider changing the title: 11 Easy Cleaning Hacks That Will Make Your Floors Sparkle. I don’t have carpeting, so if I had known that this article was almost ALL about carpeting and absolutely NOTHING about sparkling floors, I would have saved myself some time.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.But, I do appreciate your articles! :)
wow
Please log in or create a free account to comment.For a stinky vacuum cleaner bag I add about 20 drops of essential oil to a cotton puff and then place it in the bag. There’s no particular scent that I favour. I just use whatever I’m in the mood for at whatever given moment. The scents last for about two to three weeks. Some essential oil scents last longer, such as peppermint.
I find using scissors more efficient at cutting hair and/or thread out of the vacuum cleaner powerhead brush and carpet sweeper.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love lavender & lemon essential oil mixed together on a cotton ball in mine.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Geranium and Lemon too
I love all of these – esp the cardboard for crevices & the nylon over the tube! SO clever! I do the rubber glove one to get cat hair, etc. off my couch. I work amazingly!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thanks for your comment about the couch! That gives me the idea to try it on my vehicle upholstery. I don’t know what fabric my seats are, but I’ve never had a vehicle that had seats that had to be lint rolled to get any speck of lint or dog hair off. The vacuum will get most of the dog hair, but not the fuzzy undercoat pieces & not the lint.
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