Homeowners Are Sharing The Hacks, Tips, And Methods They Use To Maintain A Clean Home, And I'm Taking Some Serious Notes

Maintaining a clean home can surely be a challenge, especially between work and trying to have a social life (not to mention if you have kids and pets). Because of that, I asked the homeowners of the BuzzFeed Community to share the cleaning hacks and methods they have that save them time and energy when it's time to tidy up. Here are some of the best tips you might want to remember for your future or current home:

1. "If you use the vinegar cleaning treatment on your coffee pot, dump a fourth of it down the garbage disposal and the rest in your dishwasher instead of throwing away the solution. You will never have a stinky dishwasher after that."

2. "To wash windows and glass doors, I use a bucket of water with a splash of car washing liquid in it. If it can wash the glass on my car, why not the glass on my house? I put a rag in the bucket and use it to wipe my windows and doors down, then use a squeegee and a dry rag to dry them off. It only takes a few minutes, and clean windows make a big difference!"

—Susan, 42, California

3. "Whenever I walk by the sink, I wash at least five dishes. It keeps things moving without taking a ton of effort. Of course, we still have large loads of dishes at some point during the day, but washing some a bit at a time keeps the pile from getting out of hand."

4. "I always struggled with putting away my clothes after doing laundry, but I've found that putting away a little bit at a time helps it feel less annoying. I don't have to hang my clothes up all at once — just put a bit away each time I walk into the room. Also, I don't know that this saves time, but when I clean my vacuum air filter, I rinse it in Fabuloso and let it dry. Then, when I vacuum again, my house smells amazing!"

— zara_black

5. "I keep a squeegee in our glass shower. Take the water off the glass every time you're done showering, and the next time you deep clean, you'll barely have to scrub at all."

6. "I live in a two-story. If I find something downstairs that belongs upstairs, I set it to the side on the steps, then take it up and put it away the next time I take the stairs. It keeps things from accumulating downstairs and doesn't take extra time running up and down the stairs."

—Anonymous

7. "Have categories for jobs. Daily jobs would be like wiping kitchen worktops, making beds, emptying and reloading the dishwasher, etc. Weekly jobs would be changing towels and bedding, dusting and vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom, and mopping the floors. Monthly jobs would include cleaning the fridge, windows, dishwasher, and washing machine. Doing so is also a kindness to your future self. And if you really find it tough, put a timer on for however many power minutes to get the tasks done."

8. "Using ZEP toilet bowl cleaner to clean hard water stains on glass shower doors. I'd tried everything and, on a whim, decided to give this a try because it was for hard water stains in the toilet. I figured I'd squirt it on a sponge, wipe it on, let it see, and see what would happen. I didn't have to let it sit! 85% of the stains came off with a first swipe! The rest wiped off after a few minutes. It was completely effortless."

—Anonymous

9. "I bought an entry-level Roomba on sale and have it sweep our hardwood floors daily. It keeps the floors pretty clean in between moppings."

10. "The bleach cleaner, Comet, is your best friend . It costs $0.99, and it cleans everything in your bathroom! I usually have to scrub my tub to get it sparkly, but with Comet, I sprinkle it, leave it, wet it, and scrub it off. Be careful with tubs, though, because Comet can scratch fiberglass. But if you're careful, it will leave your tub looking gorgeous. I grew up using it and will use it FOREVER!"

— elissad3

11. "After using the sink, I wipe down my bathroom counter and faucet with a hand towel every time — even if there's just a single drop. It saves me a big headache with hard water marks. Just be sure to change the hand towel frequently."

12. "If you have a two-story home, put a full set of cleaning supplies on each floor. I even have a very cheap vacuum designated for upstairs. That way, if the mood to clean strikes you on one floor or the other, you've got all your supplies at hand. That, and you can't talk yourself out of cleaning with the excuse of not wanting to grab all the cleaning supplies from downstairs or vice versa. And don't feel like you have to clean your entire space at once! I can never find the time or energy to do a huge, long clean. But, in one evening, I know I can dust, get the laundry finished, or get a bathroom done. Cleaning in small chunks works for my schedule and mood, and the cleaning still gets done."

— lbburgess

13. "If you use the tub, rinse down the sides after the water drains. It helps stave off a soap scum ring for longer. My kids are still learning this skill (far too slowly for my sensibilities)."

14. My mother was ruthlessly organized, and 'Everything has a home' was probably the most common phrase said in the house. I didn't see the point as a kid, mainly because it wasn't 'my' space or 'my' organizational system. I didn't have that much stuff to keep track of, so everything in a designated space wasn't that important to me. As an adult, now that I can organize my space in a way that makes sense to me, yes...everything has a home, and it drives me wild when they don't. Also, I heard this on TikTok a few months ago: 'Don't put it down, put it away.' That phrase has been so helpful in preventing clutter that I know will stress me out. It doesn't take much more time to put most things away, and now I don't have to do it later."

— lobster_lemon_lime

15. "Technically, this isn't a hack for cleaning, but for yard work. Whenever I take the trash out, walk in from the car without full hands, or take the dogs out, I pull a few weeds — usually a large handful. My husband does it, too, and we no longer have major weed issues during the summer. It sure beats being bent over in the heat for an hour or more, pulling the weeds out all at once!"

16. "Cheap men's shaving cream from a can will get almost anything out of a carpet. Just don't get the blue stuff — you need the white foaming stuff. I once got orange Kool-Aid out of a carpet that had been there for years, plus a brown mystery stain that looked A LOT like iodine that had been sitting for a while. Let alone thousands of spaghetti, juice, pet, mud, and all sorts of other stains the kids, pets, and messy people produced. Spray on the shaving cream, scrub it in, wait for a bit (about 10 minutes for fresh stains, 30 minutes for old stains), then use clean water on a rag to scrub it up. IT WORKS MIRACLES on a budget."

17. Lastly: "On Fridays, I do my laundry, change the sheets, clean the kitchen and bathrooms, and vacuum. I used to do all my 'reset' tasks on Sundays, but I was sick of feeling like I only had one day on the weekend to relax. After I'm done with work on Fridays, I muster up the energy to do all my household tasks and chores. I set the mood, turn on some music, and just start cleaning. When I'm halfway done, I order some delivery so that by the time everything is finished, I can eat and relax the right of the night — and the rest of the weekend! It's been a game-changer for me and has really improved my mental health."

—Yesenia, 37, Florida

I don't know about you guys, but I'm DEFINITELY going to try doing my cleaning tasks on Friday evening instead of during the weekend and see how it goes! If you have any hacks or tips that you'd like to share, let me know in the comments, or you can anonymously submit them using this form!