34 Lazy Cleaning Shortcuts You'll Wish You'd Known
Real shortcuts for a genuinely cleaner house - no elbow grease required. Every tip below links to the exact product that makes it work.
Kitchen & Appliances
Steam-clean the microwave with lemon water
Microwave a bowl of water with a few lemon slices (or a splash of vinegar) for 3-5 minutes, then leave the door closed for a few extra minutes so the steam can loosen every splatter. Wipe it out and it comes away in seconds.
Shop the fix on Amazon
Powerwash dishes before they even get wet
Spray dried-on, greasy dishes with a dish soap powerwash spray *before* running any water over them. Let it sit for 10 minutes and the gunk wipes away almost by itself.
Shop the fix on Amazon
Line cabinet tops with wax paper
Lay a sheet of wax paper (or paper grocery bags) across the tops of your cabinets and furniture to catch greasy dust. When it's grimy, just swap it out - no scrubbing required.
Shop the fix on Amazon
Add washable liners to fridge shelves
Line refrigerator shelves with absorbent, machine-washable mats so spills soak into the liner instead of drying into a sticky mess on the glass.
Shop the fix on Amazon
Cover stove burners to catch spills
Silicone or reusable burner covers catch boil-overs and grease splatter so you're wiping a liner instead of scrubbing the stovetop itself.
Shop the fix on Amazon
Run a cleaning pod through the Keurig
Drop a Keurig-compatible descaling/cleaning pod in and "brew" it exactly like a regular K-Cup to clear out mineral buildup and old coffee residue.
Shop the fix on Amazon
Fizz away coffee pot stains
Drop fizzing coffee-pot cleaning tablets into your carafe with warm water to break up stubborn, baked-on coffee stains and get it squeaky clean.
Shop the fix on Amazon
Light an odor-neutralizing candle
For pet- or cooking-related smells that linger no matter how much you clean, a candle designed specifically to neutralize odors (not just mask them) does the trick.
Shop the fix on Amazon
Run vent covers through the dishwasher
Light fixture covers, not-too-grimy range hood filters, and AC vent covers can all go through a dishwasher rinse cycle to knock out built-up dust and grease.
Shop the fix on Amazon
Deep-clean the dishwasher itself
Run the empty dishwasher with a cleaning tablet made specifically for the machine to dissolve gunk, hard-water film, and lingering odor.
Shop the fix on Amazon
Deep-clean the washing machine monthly
Run an empty cleaning cycle with a washing-machine cleaning tablet once a month to knock out that sour, musty smell before it starts.
Shop the fix on Amazon
Clean and polish stainless steel in one step
A 2-in-1 stainless steel spray cleans, polishes, and helps resist fingerprints in a single quick wipe - no separate polish step needed.
Shop the fix on Amazon
Skip the fumes with a no-fume oven cleaner
Spray a fume-free, oven-safe cleaner inside, let it sit overnight, and simply wipe away the baked-on grime in the morning.
Shop the fix on AmazonBathroom
Dissolve faucet stains with vinegar wraps
Soak paper towels in vinegar and wrap them around hard-water-stained faucets for about an hour. The mineral buildup wipes right off after.
Shop the fix on Amazon
Reach for an all-purpose miracle paste
A no-streak, no-scratch multi-purpose paste cleaner is the go-to for grime on tile, grout, sinks, tubs, and countless other surfaces around the house.
Shop the fix on Amazon
Foam-clean the garbage disposal
Grind up a garbage disposal cleaning packet - the foam reaches down into the disposal to clean and deodorize spots a sponge can't touch.
Shop the fix on Amazon
Scrub the shower while you shower
Fill a dish wand with vinegar and dish soap, then scrub the shower walls and door while the water's still running. It prevents soap scum and hard-water buildup before it forms.
Shop the fix on Amazon
Mist the shower weekly to skip the deep clean
A quick, once-a-week mist of shower walls, glass, and fixtures right after you turn off the water keeps soap scum and mildew from ever building up.
Shop the fix on Amazon
Dissolve glass door buildup with a stain remover
A hard-water stain dissolver breaks down the cloudy layers of soap scum and mineral deposits on glass shower doors that regular cleaner can't touch.
Shop the fix on Amazon
Banish rust stains with Iron Out
For rust stains in showers, tubs, toilets, and sinks that nothing else touches, a rust-removal gel like Iron Out breaks them down fast.
Shop the fix on Amazon
Add a silicone drain cover
A silicone shower drain cover catches hair before it goes down the pipe, so you're cleaning a cover instead of snaking a clog.
Shop the fix on Amazon
Descale the shower head with a vinegar soak
Fill a plastic bag with vinegar and rubber-band it around the shower head overnight to dissolve mineral buildup and restore full water pressure.
Shop the fix on Amazon
Stamp gel cleaner under the toilet rim
A Scrubbing Bubbles-style gel stamp under the rim keeps the bowl clean for weeks at a time - no daily scrubbing needed.
Shop the fix on Amazon
Erase grout mold with a no-rinse gel
A stick-and-stay mold and mildew remover gel clings to grout and caulk lines so it can actually break down mold instead of running off.
Shop the fix on AmazonDusting, Floors & Everywhere Else
Power through grime with a scrub brush
A stiff-bristled power scrubbing brush (basically a giant toothbrush) tackles stubborn buildup on tile, grout, and tough kitchen or bathroom surfaces.
Shop the fix on Amazon
Attach scrub brushes to a drill
For bigger areas, drill-attachment scrub brushes spin their way through grime on tile, tubs, wheels, and outdoor surfaces in a fraction of the time.
Shop the fix on Amazon
Let a robot vacuum handle floors
A robot vacuum that moves between hard floors and low-pile carpet on its own keeps daily dust and pet hair in check without you lifting a finger.
Shop the fix on Amazon
Spot-clean carpet stains with stomp pads
Press a carpet-stain stomp pad onto a fresh spill and step on it - it pulls the stain up into the pad instead of pushing it deeper into the fibers.
Shop the fix on Amazon
Lint-roll lampshades and pillows
A lint roller picks up built-up dust and pet hair from lampshades, throw pillows, and upholstery with one quick swipe.
Shop the fix on Amazon
Dust everything with a microfiber duster
A microfiber duster attracts and holds onto dust like a magnet instead of just scattering it back into the air, making quick work of shelves and furniture.
Shop the fix on Amazon
Reach ceiling fans with an extendable duster
An extendable duster with reusable microfiber pads knocks out dust on baseboards, ceiling fans, and crown molding in one long swipe.
Shop the fix on Amazon
Rubber-band a cloth to kitchen tongs for blinds
Wrap microfiber cloths around a pair of kitchen tongs and "pinch" each blind slat clean - it grabs both sides of the slat at once.
Shop the fix on Amazon
Or use a slotted blinds duster
A slotted microfiber duster does the same two-sided trick as the tongs method, gliding over two slats at a time for faster blind cleaning.
Shop the fix on Amazon
Keep heavy-duty wipes on hand for the worst jobs
For the big, genuinely gross cleaning jobs, a tub of heavy-duty cleaning wipes handles grease and grime that a regular wipe just smears around.
Shop the fix on AmazonAs an Amazon Associate, this site earns from qualifying purchases. Product links above take you to Amazon search results for the recommended item at no extra cost to you.
