50 Ways to Save Time and Money While Cleaning Your Home

Products Needed: Duct tape, vinegar
What it Does: Strips grime from the inside of the toilet bowl
Cost: $6*

Though duct tape and vinegar might seem like unusual cleaning products, don’t let that discourage you from giving this hack a try. To clean the toilet, cover the siphons with duct tape. Then, put white vinegar into the toilet bowl.Flush. Let the mix sit overnight before you remove the tape from the siphons. Allowing the vinegar to soak will let the substance get into the toilet bowl, clean it thoroughly, and strip away grime. This hack is cheaper than some of the expensive, $10-$15 toilet bowl cleaners on the market today, and you probably already have duct tape and vinegar right in your own home.

Products Needed: Bread
What it Does: Picks up tiny pieces of broken glass
Cost: $4-$6*

If you have kids or pets, then you know that the number-one most stressful thing is breaking a piece of glass around them. There’s always a risk that one of them will try and step in the area before you’ve had a chance to clean up all the glass.The seemingly microscopic pieces of glass can cause a huge injury. You can clean up these small pieces of glass with a piece of bread. After you’ve removed the larger chunks of shattered glass, take a piece of soft bread and press it into the floor. The bread will pick up the glass that you (and maybe even your vacuum) couldn’t reach.

Products Needed: Lint roller
What it Does: Traps and pulls dust and dirt off lampshades
Cost: $4*

Lampshades are a must-have, and you can find them in pretty much every home and office. Unfortunately, these lampshades are a dust and dirt magnet. They tend to trap dust, which could even lead to a fire hazard, depending on how much heat the bulb the lampshade is guarding produces. Not to mention, dust is always a huge allergen trigger.An effective way to clean your lampshade is to use a lint roller. Run the roller around the edges, top, bottom, inside, and outside. Chances are, you’ll be quite shocked (and pleased) with how much dust the roller pulls off the shade.

Products Needed: Hairspray, clean cloth, water
What it Does: Removes lipstick from fabric
Cost: $5-$7*

Lipstick stains are the worst. There’s nothing more ruinous than a bright red lipstick stain on a white blouse. They also are difficult to get off, as just throwing the shirt in the wash won’t be able to get the stain off completely.Try using hairspray. The chemical compounds in hairspray work to remove stains like lipstick. Spray hairspray onto the stain, and allow it to sit for fifteen minutes. Then, dip a clean cloth in warm water. Using the cloth, wipe the remaining hairspray off the lipstick stain. Let dry and repeat if necessary to fully remove the pesky spot.

Products Needed: Grapefruit (cut in half), rock salt
What it Does: Cleans soap scum and bathroom rings from tub/tiles
Cost: $2.50*

As you can see from a lot of items on this list, citrus is a powerful cleaning agent, and it’s also not too expensive. Bathtub rings, along with soap scum, are two major cleanliness issues that you find in bathrooms. They form very easily, so even constant cleaners might find themselves at a loss to prevent stains.Try using a grapefruit. Cut the grapefruit in half, sprinkle rock salt onto the exposed top of the fruit, and then scrub the stain with the grapefruit. The acidic citrus will get your tub sparkling clean, and it will also make your bathroom smell really good.