If we’re honest, it’s not just kids that try to avoid chores. It’s safe to say that not all of us look forward to cleaning.

How often we clean depends on our lifestyle and whether or not we can afford or willing to dole our money on a house cleaning service. With that said, however, it’s a chore that tends to intimidate us and adds to our stress.

If you’re short on time, works late, or just not looking to get on your knees and do any scrubbing after a long day, then you’ll be looking to find better ways to clean.

The commonly done thing for a lot of us is to push everything to the weekend and just do a big cleaning.

If you still want to keep most of your weekend, however, here are a few hacks to ensure that you get your cleaning done quicker and more comfortable, using things that are usually already around your house or in your kitchen.

1. Buff Surfaces With Olive Oil

Olive oil is a kitchen favorite that has many nutritional benefits, and many experts believe it increases longevity. Along with being an essential product in the kitchen for many people, it turns out it can also help you clean the house.

Olive oil is an excellent option for cleaning stainless steel, such as pots, pans, and various appliances. All you’ll need to do is put olive oil on a soft cloth and rub in a circular motion. This will buff out any dirty spots.

2. Dust Electronics With A Coffee Filter

Another useful item that can do more than you thought is a coffee filter. The fibers that makeup coffee filters are good at trapping material. One such element is dust.

You can, therefore, use coffee filters to clear dust from TV screens, computer monitors, and any other screens around the home. Just wipe the dust away as would with a cloth or towel. Coffee filters won’t leave any of the same fibers or lint around, though.

3. Cleaning Ceiling Fans With A Pillowcase

Cleaning ceiling fans can pose a significant problem. Using a regular piece of cloth or rag will just end up dislodging dust and making it fall all over your floor and furniture. The best hack for this is to use a pillowcase.

Slip it in over the fan blades and swipe one at a time. This will collect all the dust from each blade. The blade will trap any falling dust into the case. Clean ceiling fans, but not to the detriment of the rest of your clean house.

4. Dust Window Blinds With Old Socks

Blinds can come in multiple shapes and can tend to have numerous sides. This makes them a real hassle to clean. The quick and easy fix to this is just to use half vinegar and half water mixture.

You then soak a clean old sock in the mixture then swipe it over each section of the blinds. The mixture will remove all the embedded dust and leave you with blinds that are as good as new.

5. Use A Broom To Reach Those Corners

A broom seems like a prominent tool when it comes to cleaning, but this hack utilizes your trusty broom differently. Your broom can help you get rid of the dust and cobwebs that build up in those hard to reach corners of your house.

You simply wrap and old t-shirt or towel along with the bristles and use it to dust along with those ceiling corners or crown molding.

6. Paintbrush

A paintbrush can work to dust areas in your house that have tight crevices that are hard to reach with a cloth or vacuum. It also works great with the small items or ornaments that tend to collect dust in the house.

You just brush along the surfaces on these items and work the bristles of the paintbrush into the little curves and corners to clean them up.

7. Dust Light-bulbs With Alcohol

If you notice that there isn’t as much light in your rooms as there used to be, your light-bulbs might need to be cleaned. Layers of dust will stop your light-bulbs from giving off as much light. Rubbing alcohol can help you get them shining brightly again.

Dip a cloth into some rubbing alcohol, make sure your light-bulbs are off and cool to the touch, then wipe away the dust with the cloth.

8. Stay Ahead Of Dust  Bunnies

You can limit the dust that accumulates in your home by going on a preemptive offense. Vacuuming and changing your air filters frequently can help combat dust in your home.

You can use the crevice tool on your vacuum to clean corners, baseboards and other hard to reach areas. Changing out your air filters every 90 days can also get your home to an almost dust-free state.

9. Clean Your Vents With Turtle Wax

Vents are oftentimes overlooked during the whole cleaning process. These areas, however, can accumulate a staggering amount of dust and debris that could even affect your health.

The risk of this is unusually high in locations with hot weather or even just during the summer months anywhere. But all you need to get them looking good as new is a little bit of Turtle Wax.

Remove your vents and wash them by filling up your sink with soapy water and do them just like you would the dishes. Once they’re dry, apply the Turtle Wax very liberally to both sides of the vent.

Then get a dry cloth and buff the vents. Doing this will ensure your vents remain clean throughout the year as the wax will repel dust.

10. Sweep Your Baseboards With A Dryer Sheet

No one can say that they enjoy getting on their hands and knees to clean their baseboards. However, there’s a way to both keep them clean and your house smelling fresh with one smart trick.

Attach a dryer sheet to your Swiffer in place of a microfiber cloth. You’ll be able to pick up all the unwanted dust in your house, while at the same time sending out a sweet scent all around.

11. Use Bread To Dust Paintings

If you’re a painting lover, you know it’s essential to clean them, but equally as important to be careful of how and what you use to clean them. To ease this worry, though, the most basic food in your kitchen can save the day.

A piece of bread can help you gently dust the sensitive surfaces of your paintings and even old photographs. The bread will pick up dust without leaving behind residues or scratching the surface.

12. Dust In Tight Spaces With A Ruler

There can be an endless number of tight spaces in and around your house that need cleaning. These areas are especially hard to clean but can trap the most dust. Using a ruler is a great way to reach into these spaces and ensure they’re clean.

Just wrap a clean microfiber cloth around the ruler to help you dust beneath your appliances, in and around your grates, and other narrow spaces.

13. Clean Your Blinds With Your Vacuum

Cleaning blinds is a painstaking and thankless job that tends to take up a lot of your time. You can get through it quicker and easier by making use of the upholstery attachment on your vacuum. Vacuuming the blinds picks up all the dust and leave them clear.

14. Clean Your TV Screen With A Dry Cloth

Your TV screen and other devices with sensitive screens easily collect dust and get dirty. These screens, however, are not like your outdoor windows. Chemicals like Windex can be extremely damaging and should never be used.

Even using water directly onto your sensitive TV screen can have adverse effects. Instead, the best way to clean your TV screen is to wipe it with a dry cloth gently. This will remove dust and other debris. The only precaution is to not press too hard against the screen when cleaning.

15. Swap Out Your Soft Fabrics

Soft fabrics such as some curtains, cushion covers, and throws, are prime dust traps. They can hold on to particles due to the fibers that make them up.

These types of fabrics are usually better hand washed than being cleaned in a machine. One hack to limit the dust in your home is to swap out your soft fabrics for machine-washable options. This will not only help keep the dust at bay but will also keep allergens under control.

This is because volatile organic compounds (VOCs) adhere to dust particles, and are readily absorbed by soft fabrics, which we then breathe in when we use them.

16. Use Tongs To Dust Blinds

Dusting each slat of your window blinds by hand is one of those chores that will take all day long. The process can be made to be a lot quicker. Just use a pair of tongs from your kitchen.

Wrap a clean microfiber cloth around their edges and secure them using rubber bands. This then allows you to use your dusting tongs to dust your blinds twice as fast as before.

17. Get The Fan Going Before Dusting

Dusting comes with the unfortunate hazards of ejecting dust into the air while you’re cleaning. This dust in the air, however, can be easily removed. Before you start dusting, turn on your HVAC system’s fan.

Then as you dust, any particles that get airborne will travel towards the air intake and through your filter. This is where they’ll be trapped.

18. Use A Lint Roller

A lint roller is a really cool tool to have when cleaning. It can be handy for dusting several areas of your home. It’s good to use dust lampshades, upholstery, and curtains. Using a lint roller will also be especially useful if you’re a pet owner.

19. Shine Up Faux Plants With Mayo

If your faux plants have lost their luster due to dust accumulation, you can help them recover their image with the help of some mayo.

You’ll just have to put a small amount of the condiment onto a soft cloth and wipe down the leaves of your faux plant. This will remove all the dust and leave your plant looking renewed.

20. Dust Fans With Compressed Air

The blades of the small fans in your home can collect the right amount of dust over time. The quickest way to get rid of this dust is by using a can of compressed air. You can get one at any of the office supply stores.

To clean them, you first take the fans outside so the dust won’t be blown throughout your home. Then just blow the dust out with the can of compressed air.

Afterward, use a regular duster or vacuum to clean it up. Your fan will be free of all the dust, and you can relax under its fresh, clean air again.

These tips are sure to give you a new take on keeping your home dust-free. You’ll realize the task doesn’t have to be as grueling as you think, so give the hacks a try. Let me know what you think in the comments!

If you have any hacks of your own, you can go ahead and share those too!