Whether you dislike household chores in general, there will always be those specific ones that you ‘dislike’ the most! Yes, we’re talking about those house cleaning tasks that are time-consuming, tiring, and rather unpleasant to do, too. If you’re thinking there are quite a few of them, you’re not wrong; but if you think they can’t be made simpler, quicker, and less ‘icky’, then you’re wrong again!

Nowadays, very few people attempt household chores without looking up cleaning hacks that enable one to do them more efficiently and conveniently. Luckily, there are plenty of home cleaning shortcuts you can use to make those tough chores less dreadful. 

Today, we’re sharing some of the most disliked house cleaning tasks of all time and how you can eliminate the struggle of getting them done. Read on!

1. Window Cleaning 

One of the reasons why cleaning windows is not a favoured task is due to the level of scrubbing required to remove stubborn stains. Cleaning the rest of the glass pane, on the other hand, is pretty simple, and only takes 2-3 minutes to complete. 

Check out our quick window cleaning guide below:

1. 1. 1. Remove dust from the windowpane with a cloth.
      2. Spot clean stubborn dirt and stains with rubbing alcohol and a microfibre dust cloth or sponge.
      3. Spray over the glass with window cleaner or a vinegar + water solution and wipe clean with coffee filters or crushed newspaper sheets.

TIP: Wipe in circular motions and clean during the cool of the evening or a dull day to avoid streaks. 

2. Microwave Interior Cleaning 

The inside of a microwave goes from clean to greasy and stained real quick. This is particularly true in households where the appliance is used multiple times in a day and/or to prepare meals.

If your microwave does not include a self-cleaning option, you can still clean it in minutes using this step-by-step guide below:

1. 1. 1. Use a damp sponge to wipe out food crumbs or bits of charred debris.
      2. In a glass bowl, pour in 1 cup of water and 1/2 cup of vinegar; place it in the microwave and heat for 3-4 minutes or until the interiors start to steam/fog up. 
      3. When the interiors are cool enough to touch, dip a clean sponge in the water-vinegar solution, squeeze out excess water, and wipe away all the loosened grease and grime. 
      4. For stubborn spots, a clean old toothbrush and a little elbow grease should be enough to get rid of them using the same cleaning solution.

3. Toilet Bowl Cleaning

If you’re on a diet, Coca Cola is not your friend, but if you’re cleaning your toilet bowl, consider it one of your best buds! This fizzy pop can be used to remove hard water stains and discolouration from a toilet bowl by simply pouring the drink around the interiors. Alternatively, you can transfer the contents of the can into a spray bottle and target specific areas of your toilet bowl that are stained.

Once the Coca Cola is applied to the bowl, allow it to sit for at least 4 hours before scrubbing lightly with a damp toilet brush. By now, the soda content will have eaten at most of the stains and discolouration, hence, minimal effort will be required to clean the bowl interior. Finish off by pulling the flush to rinse the cleaner and scrubbed dirt away.

4. Stovetop Cleaning

As careful as you might be, a messy stovetop is inevitable. Accidents happen, spills and splatters occur, and the only thing you can do about it is to clean them up! Fortunately, we’ve got a super, effective stovetop cleaning method that is suitable for all types of cooktop materials including glass, ceramic, and stainless steel. Just follow the steps below to clean up grease, grime, and stains from your stove without a struggle:

1. 1. 1. Make a paste of white vinegar and baking soda.
      2. Apply a generous amount of the paste over the stovetop to cover the entire surface or specific greasy areas that you’d like to clean off.
      3. After allowing 5 minutes of sitting time, take a microfibre cloth or a scrubbing pad, dampen it, and wipe off the cleaning solution. 
      4. Rinse the cleaning tool and scrub areas that require a little elbow grease to remove leftover grime and stains. 
      5. Finish off by wiping over the surface with a clean damp cloth, followed by a dry cloth to prevent water spots.

5. Dusting Household Surfaces/Items

For this cleaning task, we’ve got some dusting hacks + tips to share with you but first, let’s briefly explain why dusting furniture and household objects are such a dreadful task – 1) it’s time-consuming; 2) Dust flies everywhere; 3) it’s frustrating with knickknacks getting in the way which also require dusting. 

Nevertheless, you can make dusting a smooth, efficient, and quick affair using the tips and hacks below:

• • • Clear shelves/tabletops to dust the surface in one quick swipe
    • Use dusting gloves to quickly wipe knickknacks and objects; a large, slightly damp paintbrush is also a good alternative to regular dust cloths
    • A microfibre cloth wrapped and secured around a flexible ruler with a rubber band is great for dusting narrow spaces
    • If the dusting tool is not static or made from a material wherein dust clings to it (such as microfibre cloths), dampen it to pick up dust efficiently
    • Clean window blinds quickly with tongs by pulling a pair of socks over each side
    • Remove dust from screens using coffee filters or used (and dried) dryer sheets

6. Kitchen Sink Cleaning

Stainless steel sinks are prone to grease and grime which can be rather disgusting to clean up. The good news, however, is that this cleaning task can be completed in a matter of 2-3 minutes without getting your hands dirty. 

Once again, baking soda and white vinegar come to the rescue in this quick, simple kitchen sink cleaning guide below:

1. 1. 1. Sprinkle baking soda around the sink.
      2. Lightly scrub with a handheld kitchen brush (preferably a flexible one for more convenience).
      3. Pour some white vinegar around the sink and give the interiors a final scrubbing.
      4. Rinse thoroughly and wipe dry to prevent water spots.

7. Washing the Trash Can

Yet another cleaning task that no one likes and struggles to get through! It always seems like there’s so much to do in order to get the trash can clean, sanitary, and smelling good. Well, just like every other home cleaning task on this list, we’ve got a shortcut to achieve all those things!

1. 1. 1. Take your empty trash can and spray the interior and exterior with a multi-purpose cleaner until they are fully soaked. You can make a DIY all-purpose cleaner with liquid dish detergent and warm water for this.
      2. While the trash can is wet, sprinkle baking soda around the interior walls and bottom. There are a lot of things you can clean with baking soda, and in this case, it acts as a cleaning agent and deodoriser.
      3. If you’ve got the time, leave it to sit for 15 minutes, if not, 5 minutes is typically enough sitting time to tackle light grime and stains.
      4. Wipe down the exterior while the interior is soaking. Use a clean, damp cloth for this.
      5. For the inside, a scrub brush with a long handle is a convenient and effective cleaning tool to use. If the interior has dried up, re-spray it with your all-purpose cleaner and scrub.
      6. Finally, rinse off the trash can to remove all traces of the cleaning solution, and spray it with a disinfectant. 

8. Washing Dishes

One of the most frustrating parts about washing dishes by hand is dried up food stains and bits that cling to the dish. This makes the job a lot harder, time-consuming, and tiring, especially when it could have been avoided. How? Simply by rinsing and soaking the dishes prior to washing!

Yes, cleaning dishes needn’t be a struggle or a dreaded task when all they require is minimal scrubbing and rinsing before they’re all cleaned up. If you don’t want to plug your kitchen sink and soak the dishes in there, perhaps, a large enough basin to accommodate some plates, cutlery, and dishes will suffice.

TIP: While plain water is typically enough to soak dishes to loosen up stuck-on foods, soapy water will effectively cut through grease and gravy stains.

9. Vacuuming Carpets

First of all, it should be noted that there are certain measures one must take in order to get the most out of a vacuum cleaner. For example, if the bag has reached more than 50% of its capacity, the suction power will start to drop. A full bag, on the other hand, makes your vacuum cleaner pretty much useless to the point where you end up spending way more time cleaning your carpets than you should.

Other than that, there are definitely some vacuum cleaning hacks you can use to get the job done faster and more efficiently. Find them below:

• • • Pull an empty toilet roll halfway over the hose and pinch the end to make it narrow enough to clean tight spaces
    • Put 1 or 2 dryer sheets inside an empty vacuum cleaner bag for a fresh smell
    • Instead of a back and forth motion, manoeuvre the head in different angles over a specific area for a thorough clean
    • Vacuum carpet corners and edge with the hose or a suitable attachment head to remove dust and dirt

While you could always outsource these “dreaded” tasks along with other household cleaning needs to a professional cleaning service, doing them yourself will no longer be a struggle thanks to the useful cleaning hacks above!

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Karen Saunders

Content Manager at Simply Maid

Karen Saunders is a full-time Content Manager at Simply Maid. Her 8+ years of writing experience spans the fields of copywriting, sales copy, blogging, editing and paraphrasing. Some of her areas of expertise include house cleaning, health and fitness, lifestyle topics, home décor and interior designing, travel tips, dog-related articles, and product descriptions and reviews.

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