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Last year, one of my New Year's resolutions was to overhaul my apartment and turn it into a cleaner, more comfortable, more organized, and more efficient space. Knowing that a messy space can negatively impact your productivity and overall mental health, I reasoned that this would actually serve the purpose of making me a more efficient, peaceful person, so I took it seriously. One major issue was quickly apparent: My kitchen is tiny, which meant it was disorganized and more or less useless when it came to its primary function, which is to facilitate my cooking. It took some creativity (and money), but I figured out what to do—and now I'm learning to cook and bake better for one of this year's resolutions.

The improvements I made to the kitchen

My kitchen is a little over three feet wide and five feet long. (I live in NYC, where this is the norm.) There is no counter space; all there is along one side is a sink and an oven. The first thing I had to do was manufacture counter space, which I did by adding cubed storage shelving. (I did this years ago, but only truly organized the cubes last year. We're getting to that.) It looks like this:

Credit: Lindsey Ellefson

The main things I thought of, besides organizing the cubed storage, were how I could better utilize what space I did have, which is why anything and everything possible is now hanging vertically on under-cabinet wine glass racks, utensil holders, or a towel rack, plus hooks all over. What I'm most excited for is the impending delivery of this big peg board, which is going to allow me to hang more utensils and cookware on the wall.

VUSIGN Pegboard Combination Wall Organizer Kit

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Other, smaller improvements became more obvious to me as I worked through organizing the big stuff. Once I cleared out and designated a suitable spot for my Nespresso, I figured out I needed a vertical, adhesive-backed holder for the pods, since there wasn't enough room in the cubes to hold them in their retail boxes. I finally bought a big ladder so I could actually use my cupboards. I then set about organizing the cupboards with acrylic risers, the same way I organized my perfume and makeup. For the area under the sink, I bought a pull-out shelf to give me easy access to cleaning materials. The boxes containing my various grains and oats were too unwieldy to keep in my cupboards, which led me to a rotating rice dispenser. It went on that way for a while, with me paying tribute to the Amazon gods every few days, but it was all because I had a bigger plan.

The organizing rules that guided me (and can help you, too)

You may not want a giant peg board or need to hang all your spatulas upside-down. Maybe you have lots of drawers. That's cool. You still need a plan for organizing whatever you've got and a plan for figuring out what you, specifically, need.

Throughout the organizing process, I kept a key principle in mind. It's called the Organizational Triangle and it's a set of three rules: Everything needs a place, similar items must be stored together, and for every new thing that comes in, one should go out. I ignored the last rule, for the most part, because what I was bringing in was meant to store what was already there better, but those first two were crucial. Prior to using the OT, not everything had a place. Some bowls and mugs lived in the sink. Not everything was stored together, either, which made it a pain to attempt to cook. By grouping similar items and designating each of them a spot, I could assess the volume of each category, get rid of what I didn't need, and better organize everything. By organizing smaller batches of things that would fit into one cube or on one hanging rack, I ended up organizing the whole thing, big-picture-style.

Other cleaning and organizing techniques, like SIMPLE and Core 4, were also instrumental. Both of these advise that you need containers for your things. Again, this helps you assess actual volume and make sharper decluttering choices, but it also keeps everything neat. I got a little abstract in my interpretation, considering my hanging organizers "containers," but also used boxes and the aforementioned grain dispenser to meet those requirements.

By following strict, pre-identified cleaning and organizing rules, I was able to more effectively turn the space into something usable. The guidelines helped me make a plan, even if I was redoing and correcting it as I went along, so I wasn't just hanging myself out to dry. Now, when I need a spatula or whatever you call that special tool that breaks up ground beef, I know where they are, they're easy to reach, and I feel good about how everything looks before, during, and after a cook session.

Home is meant to be a refuge, the place where we relax and feel safe from the outside world (and play video games). Your house or apartment keeps the sun and rain from making you miserable, keeps you warm in the winter, and protects you from storms and other calamities.

It’s also protecting you in other ways—or should be. The water that gets pumped into our homes and the air that comes in from the outside aren’t always as pure and clean as we’d like. Air quality can be affected by any number of factors, from distant wildfires to natural allergens, and the water that comes out of our faucets can be filled with contaminants you might not want in your body. One way to address these issues is filters—and a lot of them. In fact, it’s a good bet you’re not changing the filters in your home often enough—and there might even be a few you don’t even know are there.

Dryer lint filters

Your dryer collects a lot of lint when you dry your laundry, and that lint can clog up the exhaust vent and other parts of the appliance. Dryer lint doesn’t just reduce your dryer’s efficiency, making it harder to get your clothes dry: It's potentially dangerous. Dryer lint is incredibly flammable, and thousands of house fires are attributed to clothes dryers every year.

When to change: Most dryers are equipped with a reusable mesh filter, so it’s a matter of cleaning it rather than replacing it. You should do a basic cleanout after every load of laundry, and a deep clean every six months or so. And don’t forget the dryer vent—despite the filter, it can become clogged up and should be inspected and cleaned annually.

Air purifier filters

Typically, air purifiers have two filters: A pre-filter and a main HEPA filter that does the heavy lifting. Depending on what’s going on inside and outside your home, those filters can get gunked up pretty quickly, reducing the efficacy of the appliance.

When to change: Check the manual for specific filter maintenance instructions. In general, the pre-filter should be wiped down every few weeks, more often if you can see visible dirt on it. The HEPA filter should be changed twice a year unless the manual states otherwise—more often if you see it becoming clogged up more quickly.

Oven range filters

People often forget that the hood over your range has an air filter—and that air filter can become a nightmare of greasy dirt. When it gets clogged up, your hood won’t do a great job of sucking all those cooking odors out of the house, which will make your hood work harder and can shorten its lifespan.

When to change: This depends on how often you cook and run the range hood. If you’re a bit of a chef, soaking the filter and sponging off grease and dirt once a month is a good idea. If you cook less frequently, you can get away with every three months or so. If you can’t get it clean with a soak and scrub, it’s time for a complete replacement.

Dehumidifier filters

A dehumidifier in your basement, crawl space, or a specific room of the house is a key tool in the war against mold. If you don’t clean the filter, however, it won’t work well and the damp will start getting the upper hand. Since basement dehumidifiers are often “out of sight, out of mind,” it’s a good idea to have a regular schedule reminding you to change them out.

When to change: Unless the manual instructs otherwise, cleaning the filter every month and replacing it entirely every three months is a good practice. However, if humidity levels are high, you might consider doing it more often. And when you check the filter, look for mold or mildew growing on the filter—if you see any, the whole unit probably needs to be replaced.

Vacuum filters

You know when your vacuum filter is clogged, because the vacuum stops working well. It might even start reversing the flow of dirt and make the house dirtier as it coughs and wheezes through a dirty filter.

When to change: Most bagless vacuums have filters that can be rinsed out with water, dried, and reused, which you should do every few months (and any time you notice a drop in the vacuum’s effectiveness). You should replace it entirely once a year, as a rule, especially if you’re sensitive to allergens and other air contaminants.

Air conditioner filters

Whether your air conditioning is managed by central air, a mini-split system, or window units, there are filters involved. A/C works by circulating air through a cooling system, so filters are essential to keeping the unit in good working order and keeping the air in your home nice and clear. Clogged, dirty filters will make your house hotter and shorten the lifespan of some very expensive equipment.

When to change: You should always follow the manufacturer’s recommendations, but in general, window unit filters should be cleaned monthly with a vacuum and a gentle scrubbing. Mini-split filters should also be cleaned every month. HVAC filters are usually more robust and specific, and how often they need replacing depends on the type of filter used. In general, fiberglass and pleated filters should be replaced every 2 to 3 months, electrostatic filters every 6 months, and HEPA filters once or twice a year.

Water filters

Whether it’s a whole-house water filter, a filter installed at the tap, or a filtered pitcher in your fridge, water filters don’t last forever. In fact, a water filter past its useful life can actually make your water worse than if you had no filter at all, because old filters can break down and become anti-filters, breeding bacteria and releasing contaminants into the water.

When to change: Consult your owner’s manual for any water filtering product you’re using for specifics, but in general, a pitcher of water in the refrigerator should see a filter change every 40 gallons or so, and faucet- or under sink-mounted filters should be changed every 100 gallons at minimum. If you notice grit in the water or a change of taste, change the filter even if it’s not that old. And if you have a whole-house filtration system, the filter probably needs to be changed every 3 to 6 months depending on how horrific the water coming into your house is.

Furnace filters

If your home is heated by a gas furnace, there’s an air filter that needs to be changed out regularly. An old filter means a cold house and a furnace that has to be replaced much sooner than it should. As a matter of fact, you should probably buy a pack of these filters from your local hardware store and just have them on hand.

When to change: Depending on the model and the recommendations of the manufacturer, furnace filters need to be changed anywhere from once to four times a year. It’s a good idea to monitor them and change them on an as-needed basis, however, as they can get dirty quickly, especially if your furnace is located in an area prone to dust and other debris, like a basement. Make sure you insert the new filter correctly—it’s surprisingly easy to put them in backwards.

Microwave filters

Perhaps the best-hidden secret of the modern world is the filter in your over-the-range microwave (countertop versions don’t have filters). Check your product manual: Some microwaves will have a grease filter and a charcoal air filter, and some will only have the former.

When to change: Depending on how often you use the appliance, clean the grease filters every month or so with some soap and water. You can’t wash a charcoal filter, so you’ll need to replace it every six months or so. Or, if you’re like everyone else, you should replace it right now because it’s the same one that’s been in there for years.

Refrigerator water filter

If your refrigerator dispenses cold water and/or ice, it’s a nice convenience—and there are filters in there that keep that water and ice clean and free from bad tastes and nasty odors. There may be more than one filter in the system, so make sure you check the owner’s manual to make sure you know where they are.

When to change: Unless the product manual specifies otherwise, you should replace all filters in your fridge twice a year to ensure you’re not getting any impurities in your water and ice, that everything smells good, and there’s no mold growth.

Dishwasher filter

Dishwashers are swamps of food particles and other ghosts of meals past—no matter how well you pre-rinse your dishes (and these days we’re often told not to bother doing that at all), the filter in your dishwasher will catch a lot of stuff. These filters are designed for the purpose, and some dishwashers even have a “grinding” filter that reduces those particles to mush anyway, but the filter can still get clogged up.

When to change: Every three months, unless your dishwasher gets a real workout in your house and is run more than once a day. These filters are designed to be easily removed and washed out in the sink, so it’s not a huge job. Pro tip: Learn the error codes for your model of dishwasher—a lot of them can be resolved by cleaning out the filter.

Keeping your house clean is like a second job—most people spend at least two hours a week cleaning, with some putting in nine hours or more. But no matter how much time you spend scrubbing, mopping, and dusting, there’s a good chance you missed a spot. Several spots, actually, because your home is a minefield of hidden filth, lurking mold, and forgotten crud in the form of items that need to be replaced more often than you might think.

These 10 household items might look superficially clean, or they might be hidden from view, or you might simply have grown blind to how dirty they are—but replacing them regularly is the only way to ensure your home is really clean.

Shower curtains

How often to replace: Twice a year.

Bathrooms are natural breeding grounds for mold due to the damp environment, and the spot in your bathroom most prone to growing mold might surprise you: It’s your shower curtain (and your curtain liner, if you use one). You've probably already encountered at least one shower curtain that was more mold than curtain in your life, but you shouldn’t wait until yours resembles a Petri dish before replacing it—you should swap out the liner twice a year, and if you use a fabric curtain, make sure you’re washing it regularly as well.

Mattresses

How often to replace: Every 10 years

Your mattress is probably not very supportive—or comfortable—after a decade anyway, but if you’re not worried about your overall sleep experience on it, you should be worried about a decade’s worth of skin flakes, saliva, sweat, dust, and other stuff it has been collecting. Even if you clean and flip your mattress religiously, you should still replace it at least once a decade to prevent a buildup of dust mites, fungus, or even mold.

Pillows

How often to replace: Every two years

Like our mattresses, we tend to hang onto our pillows for way too long. In part, this is because we discount the sheer amount of saliva and skin flakes we’re pumping into them as we sleep. Even if you still love your pillows and clean them regularly, you should replace them about every two years. If you use a pillow protector, you can probably squeeze an extra year or two out of them, however.

Toilet seats

How often to replace: Every five years

A properly cleaned and maintained toilet seat doesn’t pose much of a health hazard, but most toilet seats will show significant wear and tear within 5-10 years, depending on use. Once the seat gets stained, shows cracks, or begins shifting around when you sit on it, it’s time to swap in a new one—plus, it’s a chance for a quick and easy upgrade for your bathroom.

Toilet brushes

How often to replace: Every six months

A toilet brush can last longer than six months if you actually clean it and store it properly, but very few people do that, preferring to get it out of sight as quickly as possible after cleaning the toilet. If that’s you, then you’ve probably got plenty of mold and bacteria growing in the brush holder right now. Twice a year you should just get a new one—sooner if it starts to smell bad or show visible staining

Sponges

How often to replace: Twice a month

It shouldn’t be a surprise that sponges you use to scrape grime and bacteria off your dishes and counters are disgusting breeding grounds for bacteria. Even if you keep them dry or microwave them frequently, that kitchen sponge is going to become a health hazard within a few weeks. It’s best to have a supply on hand and swap in a fresh one every two weeks or so.

Mop heads

How often to replace: Every 2-6 months

Mops are essential cleaning tools, but they are not self-cleaning. Sure, you dunk them in soapy water and rinse them out, but mops are designed to absorb and hold dirt, so you’ll never get a used mop head totally clean, and over time they’ll become pretty filthy. A string mop should be replaced every 2-3 months depending on use. A microfiber mop head can last twice as long if you wash them regularly.

Aside from the germ factor, your mop heads will be less effective over time as they wear out. So even if your mop head looks pretty clean, you should replace it anyway if you want to keep your floors clean.

Brooms

How often to replace: Every two years

Like mops, brooms work by transferring dirt from your home’s floors to themselves. You can (and should!) clean your brooms about once a month—a brisk rinse with soapy water is all it takes—but even so, your broom will show real wear and tear within a few years. Broken bristles or bristles falling out is usually the sign that you’ve waited too long to replace it.

Cutting boards

How often to replace: Annually

Cutting boards, whether plastic or wood, need to be replaced—or significantly refurbished—every year. No matter how thoroughly you clean them, your knives are slashing deep grooves into the material where bacteria can evade your cleaning efforts, proliferate, and potentially make you sick. And the cutting board will eventually stain, and no one wants to think about what caused that stain while they’re chopping fresh veggies.

Plastic storage containers

How often to replace: Every 1-3 months

Even though you wash your plastic food storage containers after every use, you still need to ditch them pretty often. Over time, plastic degrades (creating microplastics), and every time you thrust a fork or knife in there you’re probably creating a tiny slice. This all combines to eventually make those storage containers little bacteria farms. Consider replacing them with glass containers: They’re chemically inert, so they will last longer and pose much less of a health risk over time.

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Having a pool is awesome when it comes to summertime dips and backyard parties, but creating a smashing vibe—and keeping your pool sparkling clean—can be a lot of work. And who wants to work when it’s scorching hot and you have a pool? Nobody.

These simple tips will help you dial in your poolside game and get you ready for all the hangs and Marco Polo games ahead. 

Make some shade

The sun’s rays are no joke and it’s important to set up a UV-resistant patio umbrella (or two) for those all-day hangs. If you have a patio table, it likely already has a hole in the middle for an umbrella. A stand-alone cantilevered umbrella also works well if you want to throw shade over a couple of chaises. Look for a sturdy, heavy base and crank-and-tilt mechanisms, so that you can move the umbrella with the sun. 

Let the robots do the dirty work

Credit: Beatbot

Nobody wants to swim in a dirty pool, so why not let an AI-powered cleaning robot, like the Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra, keep it clean for you? 

The cordless Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra not only looks slick, but it’s the only robotic pool cleaner with HybridSense Pool Mapping. This advanced system utilizes 27 sensors—including an AI camera and ultrasonic and infrared sensors—to map your pool’s unique layout, scan for debris, and clean like a champ.

The Beatbot slays at surface skimming, waterline scrubbing, floor cleaning, wall scrubbing, and keeping your pool cannonball-ready. Basically, this busy bot and its handy mobile app will keep your pool clean without the cords, hassle, or time suck.

AquaSense 2 Ultra

at Beatbot

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Just drop it in and it cleans for up to 10 hours on one charge. Once it’s finished, it returns to the surface near your pool’s edge and releases water in order to float. It’s a cinch to retrieve. 

Keep your water sparkling

Yet another perk of the Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra: It features an exclusive ClearWater Clarification System that automatically dispenses an eco-friendly water clarifier made from recycled crab shells. The natural solution binds gunk into larger clumps, allowing it to sink to the bottom of your pool, where it’s detected and sucked up by the Beatbot. 

Water wings for all your friends

Keep your pool party-ready by assembling a toy collection that includes big, colorful beach balls, a floating mattress or inflatable chair for lazy lounging, and why not throw in a sparkly unicorn floatie? Water wings are a smart idea if you plan on having kids over at any point. Bendable pool noodles are awesome, too, as you can float on them, use them in your water-aerobics workout, and more.

Balance your levels

Keeping your pool’s chlorine and pH levels balanced is essential, especially if you have kids and lots of friends using your pool. If the acidity or alkaline level is too high or low, it can cause nasty skin irritations and decrease the effectiveness of the chlorine, which is a pool-party foul. 

Keeping the balance in check is easy. Just use a pool kit or strip that measures both the chlorine and pH levels. Test your water every day at the beginning of summer, and once you get the numbers where you want them (pH levels should land between 7.2 and 7.8 and chlorine between 1.0 and 3.0 parts per million), a quick test twice a week is all you need. 

Stock up on snacks and bevs 

Because you never know when thirsty friends are going to drop in for a dip, you want to always have light refreshments on hand. Keep a separate minifridge somewhere near the pool, if possible, and keep it stocked with frosty beverages for all ages. It’s also a good idea to have chips, crackers, and other hunger-busters ready. 

Summer’s here, and it’s time to prep for the poolside hangs and pool parties ahead. Keep calm and splash on by utilizing a stress-free routine that includes the Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra, and spend your summer enjoying your pool, instead of maintaining it.

Spring cleaning time is here, and even if you have your cleaning all planned out, there are a few things you might be overlooking—we all have blind spots, after all. Let’s go over a few of the places you are likely to forget about so you can add them into your cleaning routine.

Once you familiarize yourself with these suggestions and tips, you can use this checklist I created in Google Sheets to help remind you about what you might have missed. You can make your own copy out of this doc and revisit it every couple of months to check off each of the tasks as you work through them.

Most overlooked spots in your bathroom

You already know to clean your toilet (and how not to do it) and your tub. You have no water stains and your tile is pristine. Forgetting anything? It might be these:

• Clean and unclog the overflow holes in your sink, if you have them.

• Clean and disinfect high-touch but rarely-noticed surfaces like your shower head handle, toilet flusher, and drawer pulls. (Familiarize yourself with the difference between disinfecting, sanitizing, and cleaning while you're at it.)

• Dust and wipe down any vents.

• Wash your shower curtain.

• Clean your shower head thoroughly, as well as the sink faucet's aerator, which can get gunky over time.

• Wipe down the inside your medicine cabinet (and maybe take some time to declutter it).

• Wipe down the outside of your toilet, including the sides.

• Do the same for the exterior of your garbage can.

• Clean any dusty light fixtures.

• Finish up with the baseboards, then mop.

What you're forgetting to clean in your kitchen

The kitchen experiences a fresh mess every day (multiple times a day, even), so while you're spending all that time wiping down the counters and loading the dishwasher, it's easy to miss the grime that is building up over time in less-noticed spots. Periodically, you should:

• Clean under and behind your major appliances (which you can actually do without moving them).

• Dust and wipe down the top of your refrigerator, not just inside and under it.

• ...but empty out and clean your fridge, including the shelves, too. (When you're putting everything back inside is a great time to reorganize the contents.)

• When you’re tackling the oven, don’t forget the warming drawer, plus the vent, hood, and knobs.

• Scrub down your backsplash.

• Clean out your toaster's crumb tray.

• Wipe down the outer surface of your garbage can.

• Clean and disinfect your drawer pulls and the handles on your cabinets, fridge, and microwave.

• Disinfect the light-switches (and any other switches in the room).

• Spruce up your light fixtures.

• Wipe down the tops and undersides of your cabinets, especially the ones up top that have exposed space under the ceiling.

• Thoroughly dust and clean all the baseboards before you sweep and mop the floor.

What to clean in your living room

You pay attention to cleaning your kitchen and bathroom for sanitary reasons, which makes sense, but the living room? That’s all about aesthetics, baby. You want to impress your guests, after all. Impress them even more by remembering to:

• Dust your plants (even your fake ones).

• Dust your candles.

• Clean and disinfect high-touch items like remotes and coasters (plus those light switches).

• Dust picture frames and any other knick-knacks.

• Remove couch and chair cushions and vacuum underneath them for a horrifying surprise.

• Clean window blinds and curtains. (Blinds are easy: There's a hack.)

• Dust and wipe down your windowsills, too.

• Clean the undersides of coffee tables, side tables, and ottomans.

• Clean your light fixtures.

• End with the baseboards again before sweeping, vacuuming, and/or mopping.

What needs to be cleaned in the bedrooms

Your bedroom is the one area that is all about you—so treat yourself to an extra clean one. Try cleaning these for some bonus points:

• Wipe your curtain rods and windowsills when you toss your curtains in the wash. (If you have blinds, clean those instead.)

• Clean and disinfect high-touch items like alarm clocks, drawer pulls, door knobs, and light switches.

• Clean your ceiling fan (but make sure to do that before you vacuum).

• Dust the top of your headboard.

• Dust plants, candles, picture frames, and knick-knacks.

• As usual, finish up with those baseboards before cleaning the floor.

With all this talk about spring cleaning, you could be forgiven if you focused on, well, just cleaning in the spring. But the real beauty of spring cleaning is that it can be a jumping-off point for a clean year. Yes, you can put in extra effort right now, restocking and upgrading your cleaning supplies and doing all those intense annual tasks, but if you don't keep up with your tidying all year round, you'll be stuck doing another exhausting round next spring. Use this as a starting point for a big year of your cleanest home ever.

First, commit to a cleaning schedule

While you're undertaking spring cleaning this year, keep track of what tasks you enjoy (or just hate less than the others), what takes the most time, and when you feel most motivated. You're going to want to know all of that as you set out to create a manageable and personalized schedule for the rest of the year.

There are a lot of ways you can structure your schedule, but what's most important here is finding a time that really works for you, whether it's the morning, afternoon, or evening. It will depend on your existing schedule of work and responsibilities, plus when you feel most motivated and how you choose to approach cleaning.

I recommend only cleaning in 15-minute chunks each day to keep the whole endeavor manageable and stop it from getting overwhelming, but you can divide those up however you like. Micro-cleaning and -decluttering are a great option, as they ask you to pick a small space every day (think: a cabinet or a tabletop, not a whole room or even a whole closet) and focus on that. Over time, cleaning every small space will result in a cleaner home, but there will still be times you need to call in the big guns and tackle a large project, like a kid's room or a kitchen that's seen better days. Block out a day every month to do a whole-house tidying.

Otherwise, really stick to your scheduled 15 minutes every day. If you're finding that, after a few weeks, the time you selected doesn't work, switch it up. It's better to make some adjustments early on than to fall behind because you're determined to stick with something that's not working.

Pick cleaning approaches that work for you

Once you get a handle on the times you commit to cleaning, you need to figure out what you're going to do and how you're going to do it. The micro-cleaning approach of picking a small space every day works well, but you still need a plan for what you're doing to that micro-space.

There are a few techniques out there that lend themselves to long-term home maintenance more than others, like 365 Less Things and the "calendar" method. Both of those are centered on decluttering, but can be modified for general cleaning tasks, too. With 365 Less Things, you commit to throwing away or donating one piece of clutter every day; with the calendar approach, you toss or donate one thing on the first of the month, two things on the second, and so on until you are up to 30 things on the 30th and 31 on the 31st. These are great for decluttering and habit-building, so use them as intended at first, but feel free to switch it up. Instead of getting rid of six things on the sixth, think of something you could clean six of, like the six upholstered chairs around your dining table or the six mirrors on the upstairs landing.

Here is a list of my favorite decluttering techniques and here are my favorite cleaning techniques. There are a ton out there, from books by cleaning gurus to methods discovered and disseminated by regular people on social media, and trying them out during your scheduled cleaning time can keep you engaged and help you find the approach that works best for your home.

Adjust as necessary

Like I said, you should be keeping track of how this goes. You don't have to keep hyper-detailed data, but it's helpful to make note of what's working and what isn't. Changing the time you typically clean, trying a new technique, or playing around with the rewards system you want to use for yourself are all fine and even good. It takes a long time to build a habit and sink into a quality routine, but the goal should be to use spring cleaning as an opportunity to see how great your home can look and spend the next 11 months keeping it that way.

One thing that is pretty helpful here, at least for me, is calling in reinforcements. I don't mean a professional cleaner—although I have found that hiring one every month or two is super helpful, as they notice spots that need attention that you may overlook, plus I counterintuitively clean extra well before one comes out of fear of being embarrassed. I mean using an app. There are a handful of apps out there that can help you build the perfect cleaning schedule, keep tabs on what's been tended to and what hasn't, and even send you push notifications reminding you when a certain area needs your attention. Apps, cleaning pros' books, and CleanTok influencers' posts can all help guide you, motivate you, inspire you, and altogether push you toward getting better at keeping up with your cleaning.

Then again, you can read, watch, and log in to as much as you want, but none of it matters unless you get after it in real life, so start building your schedule, download my checklists, and prepare for spring, summer, fall, and winter cleaning now.

It's spring again: The time of renewal, rebirth, and cleaning your damn house. I mean really cleaning—not just picking up a little, but moving the couch, wiping the blades of the ceiling fan, and getting behind the fridge. Spring cleaning.

If you’re putting effort into it, you can make both the returning Messiah and the Easter Bunny proud, but you'll need to avoid these common spring cleaning mistakes.

Doing all the heavy lifting yourself

I’m putting this one first because moving the furniture is what separates spring cleaning from regular cleaning. That said, a spotless home is not worth screwing up your back. Like anything else, there’s technique to moving furniture: keep heavy objects close to your body, don’t bend at the waist, lift with your legs. Remember to breathe. Improper technique leads to injury. For a deeper dive on injury-free furniture moving, check out our guide—but the best advice, is “if you think it’s too heavy, get some help.”

Mixing cleaning products

Personally, I can’t understand people who prefer to clean with vinegar, lemon juice, or other wimpy options. It’s not really clean to me unless dangerous chemicals are involved. But dangerous chemicals demand respect: cleaners like ammonia, bleach, and oven cleaners are probably going to be caustic, poisonous, fume-releasing, and otherwise capable of killing you, your pets, or your loved ones if used (or mixed) incorrectly. So read the warning labels carefully, actually follow their guidelines, and have the number of poison control on hand.

Trying to do it all at once (or without a plan)

Honor your moment of sudden motivation, but instead of an “I’m cleaning everything right now” vibe, use your energy to plan first. Break your spring clean into smaller, manageable tasks, or you’ll end the day with all the furniture moved and everything in disarray. Spring cleaning is a project, and like any project, it will come out better if you make a realistic plan. For the specifics, start with taking the advice of professional housekeepers.

Cleaning before decluttering

When I’m cleaning, there’s little worse than spending all day scrubbing, only to have my place still look cluttered. Too much crap around makes me feel like my whole life is disorganized, so I use deep cleaning days as “getting rid of things” days, too. If I haven’t used it since the last time I cleaned, I seriously consider a trip to the local thrift store. Lifehacker's decluttering queen Lindsey Ellefson has many more tips to get you started.

Forgetting the mattress (and garbage cans)

Even if it isn’t stained and smelly, your mattress is probably disgusting. You spend eight hours a night there sweating, drooling, and shedding dead skin cells. You probably let your dog up there, too. It’s a hassle, but there are a lot of ways to clean a mattress. Don’t forget the inside of your garbage cans either. And the inside of your refrigerator. And your remote controls. I could go on all day—you're probably forgetting a lot of places you should be cleaning.

Not having the right cleaning supplies

You don’t need a ton of gear to deep clean, but you can’t clean your house with a single old rag either. A basic surface cleaning kit should include all-purpose cleaning liquid, window cleaning liquid, cloth (microfiber, if possible), a scrub-brush, and a hand duster. You also need a mop and bucket, a broom, more garbage bags than usual, and a vacuum with attachments. Optional are things like ivory polish, guitar wax, and other specialized-to-you cleaning supplies.

Want a clear rundown of what you need to take on this annual task and keep your home clean all year long? Here's a guide.

Relying on a moment of inspiration

I always mean to clean my house. I have the best intentions, but then there’s something to watch on TV or I decide to get some empanadas, and before I realize it, the day is over. But if I’ve invited people over, I’m going to clean, because I don’t want other people to see how I live. Perhaps you can relate. If you’re having motivation problems, nothing solves them like fear of other people judging you. So throw a springtime party. If your house really sparkles, all your friends will silently feel shame for their own slovenliness, and that’s a win-win.

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The urge to spring clean your home is a strong one. You know warmer months are coming, things are about to look up, and you want to enjoy all of that in a fresh, revitalized environment. Typically, that involves your standard cleaning, but what if you shook it up this year? Try a spring decluttering approach instead, getting rid of what no longer serves you so you can really enjoy your space. Here's how to do it.

Assess your space

This is something I practice a lot, especially since I started heavily decluttering about two years ago: I stand in a room and look at it as objectively as I can. When you get used to things—a bunch of stuff piled on a side table, an old box you don't really use, a Swiffer that has somehow been propped on the same wall for weeks—you don't really notice how cluttered it all looks anymore, let alone how little you really use or need all that junk.

It is difficult to do, but try looking around as if you didn't live there and really noticing what is all over the place. If you're really struggling, call a friend over to give an assessment or take a picture of the room. Somehow, looking at a photo of the space, not the space itself, really helps me see how it truly looks.

Choose a decluttering method to follow

Before you choose a method to follow (and there are many), make a commitment to stick with your decision and get rid of a lot of things. In general, no matter which approach you're following, you'll be sorting items into one of four categories: Keep, throw, donate, and sell. In fact, many decluttering gurus don't even acknowledge "sell" as an option, choosing to focus instead of keep, throw, and donate, but I find that selling things has been helpful for me not only financially, but because I end up absolutely sure that someone else is getting use out of them.

It can be helpful, especially if you're not in the habit of decluttering, to actually set out four boxes and manually sort everything into them. One piece of advice: When a box is full, take it immediately where it needs to go. The trash box goes straight to the trash. The donation box goes into your car or, better yet, right to the drop-off center. Getting into the habit of being actionable about clutter starts with doing what you say you're going to do with each category of items.

As for what kind of approach to take, you have options. I suggest starting your spring decluttering with a bang rather than a bit-by-bit method, only because that's the point of spring cleaning. You can downshift into a more measured approach to keep the party going all year long later. For now, try your hand at getting rid of as much as you can. Some good options here are the "move-out" method and the Peter Walsh method.

The move-out method comes from Katie Holdefehr, author of Embrace Your Space and associate editorial director at Real Simple. It will put a bit of a push behind your efforts, which is just right for spring cleaning season: You act as if you're actually moving out of your home and into a new one, except the "new" home is actually the one you already have, just cleaner and better. You set a "move-out" date and box up everything in the room, categorizing it like you would if you were actually leaving, but asking yourself, "If I really moved, would I want to take this with me? Would there be a place for it in my new home?" When everything is boxed up and you've gotten rid of all the stuff that didn't elicit a "yes" to those questions, clean the room thoroughly, then unpack. You may find even more things that you don't want to keep, so get rid of those, too.

Peter Walsh's method is also pretty harsh: Empty the space entirely and then set a vision for it. If you're decluttering your living room, for instance, spend some time imagining how you really want to live in there, whether it's turning it into a place to get your work done or spend cozy nights watching movies. Really focus on the vision for what you want that room to be, then sort everything you moved out of it into two piles: Things that serve that vision and things that don't. Get rid of what doesn't, then put everything else away.

What to do when you get stuck

This isn't easy, primarily because we all have a tendency to justify keeping things we don't really need, whether for sentimental reasons or because we're worried we might somehow need them one day. The reality is that you probably won't need a lot of your clutter and, in the event you do, it can be replaced rather than taking up space in the meantime. To work through these mental roadblocks, there are questions you can ask yourself as you declutter. Here's a list of my favorites, which includes questions like these:

• "When was the last time I used this?" This can help you determine if you even actually use the thing you're considering getting rid of.

• "Do I want the job of managing this item?" This helps you realistically frame the commitment and responsibility that holding onto something will demand of you.

• "Would I know I had this if I needed it?" This is useful for cleaning spaces like junk drawers, which are full of those items you make excuses to hold onto "just in case."

What happens when spring is over

I don't always recommend ripping off the Band-Aid and starting with a technique as hardcore as the move-out or Peter Walsh methods, but they work well if you're trying to jump start a new, clutter-free lifestyle, which makes them a great fit for spring cleaning season. It might be difficult and you might end up keeping a lot of things you don't need, but the bigger the jump start, the better the results. To maintain and enhance those results, you need to keep going, decluttering all the time. I've been doing it for two years now and I'm still nowhere near a minimalist, but there are some excellent long-term approaches you can follow to keep this energy going.

First, build micro-decluttering into your existing cleaning schedule. (No existing cleaning schedule? Here's how to build one.) Micro-decluttering involves picking a tiny space and focusing only on that, rather than on a whole room or even the whole house. You're not decluttering the bathroom, but the medicine cabinet. You're not decluttering your living room, but one shelving unit in it. Picking a tiny space every day stops you from getting overwhelmed and, over time, creates a much more manageable home.

The same is true for methods like 12-12-12 and 365 Less Things. With 12-12-12, you find 12 items to donate, 12 items to throw, and 12 items to put away every single day, but it's easier than it sounds. If you threw your junk mail on the table by the front door or find a Starbucks straw wrapper in your purse, those count as what you can throw away just as much as a broken appliance does. A blanket on the couch that really belongs in a basket counts for something to put away just as much as a whole load of clean laundry does. Again, take this in small increments to build a habit. With 365 Less Things, you're dedicating yourself to getting rid of one thing every day over the course of a year. It's the perfect way to follow up on a major round of spring decluttering because it slows down the process in a way that's totally manageable. It might not seem like much, but after a full year of doing it—when you'll end up back at spring cleaning!—you'll be down a significant amount of junk and your home will be better off long-term.

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Today, I'm throwing a lot of spring cleaning content at you, from checklists that can help you remember every spot that needs sprucing up, to suggestions for products that can make it all easier, but I am just one person who, for better or worse, cleans my house in a specific way. To make this series on spring cleaning more comprehensive, I decided to ask some pros for their advice and share expert tips I've received.

Speed up drying time on your laundry

When you're reading through my spring cleaning checklists today, you'll notice that the step-by-step guide for each room starts by suggesting you put the linens, fabrics, and clothes associated with that room in the laundry. You want them washing and drying while you clean the rest of the space, so on a spring cleaning day, you'll be laundering a lot of textiles. That doesn't have to take all day, though: Michelle Piombino, Principal Scientist at Purex, says you can toss a clean, dry towel in the dryer with a wet load; take it out after 15 or 20 minutes, "once it absorbs most of the water." Let it air dry while the remaining garments finish up in the machine. The fresh towel will absorb excess water and humidity in the dryer, saving you time and energy costs.

Address stains first

Before you start your first load of laundry on a spring cleaning day, go through all of it and pull out anything with a stain. I'm guilty of just tossing everything into the wash and vaguely hoping stains magically come out, which has a mixed success rate, but on a day when you're focused entirely on cleaning, you should really give those garments attention. Separate anything with a stain, then pre-treat those items while other fabrics go in the machine. Jennifer Rivera, Henkel Research and Development Director and laundry expert at Persil, suggests looking for detergents that have enzymes formulated to break down stains and following their directions. (Naturally, she recommends Persil Original Everyday Clean.)

Tackle overlooked spots

Take a second to look around at your space and consider it from an outsider's perspective so you can find areas that need attention you wouldn't normally notice. I have two ways of doing this: I either take a photo of my space and examine it, which helps me compartmentalize my familiarity with the room and assess it objectively, or I call a friend over to help identify problem areas I've gone blind to. Spring cleaning is the best time to hit the spots you normally skip over.

For Rosa Picosa, a CleanTokker with nearly 900,000 followers and a cleaning expert with Fabuloso, for instance, that means tackling the baseboards: "Honestly, they can be easily overlooked and I don't think any guests in my home are inspecting my baseboards," she says. But even so, eventually, it must be done. It can be as easy as using the mop to run over them when you're mopping your floor (which is one of the final steps on all of my room-by-room cleaning checklists). Naturally, she suggests double-concentrated Fabuloso for this, but so do I. Read my review of it here (in which I actually use it to clean my baseboards).

Think prevention when you're cleaning

Handling existing messes is primarily what tidying up is all about, but the beauty of spring cleaning is that you're starting over, in a sense, and preparing for the future. This year, instead of just addressing the problem areas you already have, think about how you can prevent future ones. For instance, my building's exterminator Xavier Maldonado gave me a great tip the last time he was in my apartment for my monthly service: Mixing one part ammonia with 24 parts water and wiping it across areas like your baseboards and behind your shelves and appliances will easily repel pests. It's something simple you can do in the course of your spring cleaning that will preemptively stop any bug-related issues from arising as they come out for the summer season. Remember, though, to not ever mix chemicals, and make sure your ammonia is sufficiently diluted.

I also use this set of coatings from spotLESS. The set comes with spray-on coatings for for glass and mirrors, toilets, and sinks and fixtures. When you spray them on their respective surfaces, they prolong the time between cleanings by repelling dust and grime—plus they make it easier to wipe all that off when the surfaces do get dirty.

Don't forget your car

When you think "spring cleaning," you probably think of major household tasks like moving the fridge to clean underneath it or swapping all your heavy winter linens for lighter ones. But you should think outside the house, too. Amy Brooks, National Sales Executive at Chase Auto, reminds us that cleaning your vehicle can extend its longevity and keep it in top condition.

Start by vacuuming in and around your seats, as dirt and debris can scratch and damage the surfaces. To get rid of smells, she suggests sprinkling baking soda on the seats, letting it sit overnight, then vacuuming it up. Wipe down your seat surfaces using a leather or cloth cleaner and a microfiber cloth. (I don't have a car with leather seats, but I do have a lot of leather boots. I use the Chemical Guys' Quick Detailer wipes, $8.99, and recommend them for a fast and easy fix.) Wipe down all your surfaces, use a steam cleaner to get deep into the seats if you need to, and wipe down your windows with glass cleaner.

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As you embark on this year's spring cleaning, take it seriously. Upgrade your supplies and tools so you can do the best possible job. Some of the tools I've featured here save you time, some of these get your stuff even cleaner, and some of them will save you money by reducing the single-use products you rely on. When it's time for spring cleaning, these are a good jumping-off point to get your home in order and keep it in order.

Upgraded cleaning tools for the kitchen

O-Cedar EasyWring Microfiber Spin Mop, Bucket Floor Cleaning System

$34.96 at Amazon

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$34.96 at Amazon

JOYMOOP Mop and Bucket with Wringer

$39.99 at Amazon

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Swiffer WetJet starter kit

$24.94 at Amazon

$28.99 Save $4.05

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Yicotira reusable microfiber mop pads

$9.99 at Amazon

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Helio Air Broom three-piece kit

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Bissell CrossWave OmniForce

$368.99 at Amazon

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Around your kitchen, it might be time to replace the tools that will help you clean everything from the floor to the countertops. In this room, everything gets dirty way faster than you expect it, so it's important to have the tools to help you keep the mess at bay. Regular old brooms and mops are fine, but a little upgrade can make a big difference as you're following my room-by-room cleaning checklist.

• It’s time to invest in a mop bucket with a wringing attachment, but as it turns out, it’s not a huge investment at all: The O-Cedar set is reasonably priced (and includes a cloth mop and refill head, too). You can also use the wringer on washcloths before you clean with them so you’re not getting your granite or hardwood too wet. 

• Or check out this mop option that combines old-school techniques with a modern, eco-friendly approach: The Joymoop mop and bucket set features a flat head similar to the Swiffer, but you put reusable fabric pads on it and wring them out in the accompanying bucket. The bucket has a wet and dry chamber so you can squeeze dirty water out away from the clean stuff. 

• While you're at it, upgrade your Swiffer, too. I recommend the WetJet over the PowerMop, but take your time considering the two options, both of which include built-in bottles of spray solution that make mopping absurdly easy.

• If you're using a Swiffer, this is the perfect time to invest in some reusable Swiffer pads so you have something dependable for spring cleaning and are set up all year. There are a few third-party options on the market, but your best bet is this set of four microfiber mop heads with an elastic band that helps them stay snug around the head of the device.

• Another superior broom swap is the silicone sweeper set from Helio Air. You get a long-handled and handheld broom, but instead of bristles, these have silicone wipers similar to squeegees, making it easy to sweep up everything from debris to liquid.

• If you really want to upgrade your cleaning—not only in the kitchen, but everywhere in your home—I can't say enough good things about the Bissell CrossWave OmniForce, a multi-surface wet/dry vacuum that has revolutionized how I clean my floors. You can use it just as a powerful vacuum or with the mop function, which also still features suction, and with its decently long-lasting charge of half an hour or so, it speeds up the process of managing carpets, rugs, and hardwood tremendously. I always get all my surfaces done in well under the 30 minutes.

Upgraded cleaning tools for the living room

Handheld blinds cleaner

$10.35 at Amazon

$12.90 Save $2.55

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$12.90 Save $2.55

Chom Chom pet hair remover

$24.99 at Amazon

$27.99 Save $3.00

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$27.99 Save $3.00

OKP K5 Pro Robot Vacuum and Mop

$129.99 at Amazon

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The living room presents its own set of cleaning challenges, ones that require all kinds of cleaning tools and techniques to keep it looking presentable. Your spring cleaning here is going to involve a lot of vacuuming, dusting, and refreshing of upholstery, which is all pretty basic, but to kick it up a notch, try these:

• Pick up a blinds cleaner to easily clean between individual blinds on your window. You can also use tongs with microfiber cloths rubberbanded around the sides, but isn’t having a specific device a little more elegant? 

• Upgrade your lint roller to the Chom Chom roller, which captures hair and lint in an internal chamber, making it easy to clean out like a vacuum. It never needs refills and can be used over and over again.

• This is also where I'm going to make yet another vacuum suggestion: If you don't have a robot vacuum, get one now in honor of spring cleaning. You have a lot of options here that run across a spectrum of prices well into $1,000+ territory, but I've had an OKP robot vacuum for two years and love it. The brand usually charges between $125 and $150 for its devices, they connect to your phone with an app, and they work just right. I let mine roam around while I clean other things and it makes life a lot simpler by capturing dirt and dust and minimizing the effort I need to use when I pull out my Bissell.

Upgraded cleaning tools for the bathroom

Groove gap cleaning tool

$4.99 at Amazon

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$4.99 at Amazon

Leebein electric spin scrubber

$39.98 at Amazon

$59.99 Save $20.01

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Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Ultra Foamy

$8.18 at Amazon

$8.99 Save $0.81

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Pine-Sol 2x concentrated formula

$16.99 at Amazon

$19.49 Save $2.50

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Fabuloso 2x concentrated cleaner

$4.47 at Amazon

$5.49 Save $1.02

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Bathrooms are the dirtiest rooms in the home, so they require the most work to clean. You have plenty of tools for the task, but some could probably use a little update. 

• Stop using an old toothbrush to scrub nooks and crannies when you could be using a special gap-cleaning brush, like this one from Rienar. Unlike the poor old toothbrush that’s become your go-to scrubber, the handle on this is actually designed for you to scrub things, plus the bristles are really long, so you can get into cracks more easily. 

• Upgrade how you clean the shower altogether with a cordless spin scrubber that revolves 500 times per minute and features a long pole that will stop you from ever needing to crouch down and try to scrub the inside of your shower again. It has brush heads to clean everything from tile to windows. 

• Leave streaky glass cleaner behind with the cordless window vacuum from Sharper Image. You fill it with water, spray that water onto your glass, then suck it into a separate reservoir for dirty water. It comes with a removable, washable filter and an extension handle for larger surfaces. 

• Since upgrading my regular old melamine sponge to the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Ultra Foamy, I've been consistently impressed with how much faster and more efficiently I can scrub. I use it to remove sticky adhesive, tub rings, and basically any mess I come across. Obviously, it's ideal for the bathroom, but works well in kitchen situations, too, so it's a lucky thing you get five in a pack.

• Finally, consider some double-concentrated cleaner. I love my 2x-concentrated Pine Sol and Fabuloso because they reduce the effort I need to use when I'm scrubbing. I've tested them out on all kinds of grime, comparing them to the standard versions (which don't actually cost significantly less!) and can say with confidence they really do bust through messes quicker.

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In addition to checklists, tips, and tricks that can elevate your tidying game this spring, you're going to need products. It's a good idea to stock up so that once you get going, you know you won't have to take any breaks to gather missing reinforcements.

The products can help you do more than clean, though—they can even make cleaning easier and more fun, which is good news for those of us who don't love cleaning up. If you’re like me and find cleaning more monotonous than fulfilling, why not use some tools that can make the endeavor easier?

Spring cleaning tools for the kitchen

OKP Robot Vacuum

$119.99 at Amazon

$149.99 Save $30.00

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$119.99 at Amazon

$149.99 Save $30.00

Bissell CrossWave OmniForce

$368.99 at Amazon

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$368.99 at Amazon

TOPIST Angry Mama microwave cleaner

$8.89 at Amazon

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EyeVac Home touchless vacuum

$149.00 at Amazon

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$149.00 at Amazon

Broombi silicone broom

$34.95 at Amazon

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$34.95 at Amazon

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Cleaning the kitchen can be more daunting than other spots around the house because not doing it well it can have real effects on your health. That doesn’t mean, however, that it has to be a slog. There are some creative tools out there that can help you whip your kitchen into shape in no time. 

Kick off the entire spring cleaning season by upgrading your vacuum, which will come in handy around the kitchen, yes, but the whole house, too. I have two suggestions: First, you can't go wrong with a robot vacuum, which can end up doing a huge chunk of the floor-cleaning work for you while you focus on other things. I have one from OKP that works just fine, but you also have the option to really level up with automatic devices that can both vacuum and mop, like the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra.

That leads me to your second option, which costs significantly less than the $1,700 you'd spend on the above. The Bissell CrossWave OmniForce is a dual vacuum/mop that, yes, you have to operate yourself, but it will clean the hell out of your floor. This is what I use when I'm cleaning my own home and since I started being able to mop and vacuum at the same time, I'll never go back to the old way. Devices like this might cost more than your standard broom or Swiffer, but they're innovative, easy to use, and more effective, too—which is what you need for spring cleaning.

For more innovation, ease of use, and efficiency in your kitchen, consider these other tools and gadgets:

• The Topist Angry Mama microwave cleaner is a fun device that steams your microwave for you. Just fill it with vinegar and water and nuke it for seven minutes to let it do the dirty work on your behalf. It's shaped like an angry lady, which is whimsical, and handles the job of getting stuck-on gunk un-stuck while you work on something else. 

• The EyeVac Home touchless stationary vacuum is like a dust pan, but way cooler. You sweep all your crumbs, dirt, debris, and junk over to the suction device and it sucks it up with 1,000 watts of power. Check out this video for a review and to see it in action. Keep in mind that you do need to clean the filters pretty regularly. An investment like this can be helpful in a garage or storage space, too, making it an all-around spring cleaning win.

• To use the above, you’ll need a good broom, but you should get a cool, multifunction one, like the TikTok-famous, fan-favorite Broombi, a long-handled squeegee that makes quick work of pet hair, dust, and grime in a way traditional bristles can’t. This is a better option than bulkier brooms on the market because it can serve more purposes: It can more effectively corral wet or gooey messes on hard floors, in addition to dry ones, and can also fit more easily under appliances.

Spring cleaning tools for the bathroom

Holikme drill brush attachment set

$19.99 at Amazon

$24.00 Save $4.01

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$19.99 at Amazon

$24.00 Save $4.01

Ariant electric spin scrubber

$33.99 at Amazon

$49.99 Save $16.00

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$33.99 at Amazon

$49.99 Save $16.00

FMART T9Pro window cleaning robot

$159.79 at Amazon

$169.79 Save $10.00

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$159.79 at Amazon

$169.79 Save $10.00

Ecovacs Winbot W1 Pro Window Cleaning Robot

$399.99 at Amazon

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$399.99 at Amazon

Toilet gel stamp

$14.99 at Amazon

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$14.99 at Amazon

Cleancult toilet bowl cleaner sheets

$7.49 at Amazon

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The bathroom can get truly filthy, so it’s also where you’ll really need to get creative. No worries: There are plenty of cool tools out there to help you get this done. 

• Stop hand-scrubbing everything—you have better options. For one, you can get a 20-pack of these drill brush attachments, which attach directly to your electric drill and can buff, brush, scour, and polish using the drill's power instead of your own.

• Or try a designated electric scrubber brush, a long-handled scrubber that is always going viral on TikTok for its ease of use in getting the grime out of grout, tile, and more.  

• Another popular tool on TikTok is the robot window-cleaning vacuum, which sticks to windows and mirrors and mimics the motions of a human hand. Your shower doors, mirrors, and windows all around the house will thank you. Try the FMART T9pro as a cheaper gateway to the world of robot glass cleaning, but know you may eventually love it so much you level up to more expensive ones, like the EVOVACS Winbot W1 Pro, which has quick cleaning, deep cleaning, and spot-stain removal modes. 

• Make cleaning your toilet quicker and, if you can believe it, cuter with this stamp-on deodorizing gel. Stick a flower-shaped stamp to the side of the toilet bowl and every time you flush, it’ll clean a little bit and release a nice scent. You can even put stamps in your sinks to keep them smelling fresh, too. I've used these a few times and find them helpful, but for what it's worth, ahead of my spring cleaning, I'm waiting on some dissolvable toilet-cleaning sheets to see if I like them better. Again, they're a lot easier to use than a big scrubbing brush. All you have to do is flush.

Spring cleaning tools for the living room

Furemover pet hair broom

$19.31 at Amazon

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$19.31 at Amazon

Microfiber mop slippers

$15.99 at Amazon

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$15.99 at Amazon

KIDSCLEANCAR ride-on cleaning cart

$139.99 at Amazon

$179.99 Save $40.00

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$179.99 Save $40.00

Hiware blind cleaner

$6.99 at Amazon

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$6.99 at Amazon

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Cleaning the living room might be the most fulfilling, since you get to chill there and enjoy the fruits of your labor afterward. Double that fulfillment by making it fun with these tools. 

• The FURemover pet hair broom is described by its fans as a “life changer” and if you watch some demos, you’ll see why: It acts like an indoor rake, easily pulling pet fur and human hair out of carpets and upholstery so you can finally get rid of it.

• To quickly clean hard floors and have some fun doing it (or at least more fun than you do with your regular mop), try mopping slippers that allow you to glide or shuffle around, using the microfiber soles to scrub and dry your floor as you go. 

• Your kids can get in on the action (and stay distracted while you clean) with the KIDSCLEANCAR, a little go-kart that uses paper towels to mop or dry as kids scoot around. I don't have any kids, but if I did, I'd put them to work like this. In demos, reviewers call it “genius.”

• To tackle your window blinds, grab the Hiware duster brush, a zany-looking device that uses multiple prongs and speciallydesigned microfiber covers to get into all the cracks that normally take forever to clear out by hand. 

General spring-cleaning product upgrades

Pine-Sol 2x concentrated formula

$16.99 at Amazon

$19.49 Save $2.50

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$16.99 at Amazon

$19.49 Save $2.50

Fabuloso 2x concentrated formula

$4.47 at Amazon

$5.49 Save $1.02

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$4.47 at Amazon

$5.49 Save $1.02

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Ultra Foamy

$8.18 at Amazon

$8.99 Save $0.81

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$8.18 at Amazon

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There are some innovative cleaning products out there that are just, well, cleaning products. They're not necessarily as amusing to look at or use as the Angry Mama, nor are they as genius as a go-kart that puts your kids to work, but they work better, faster, or harder than other products, which can cut down the time you have to devote to this whole endeavor. After some rigorous testing, I recommend all-purpose cleaner that is labeled "2x concentrated," especially Pine Sol and Fabuloso. These cut through dirt a lot faster than the regular formulations, smell just as good, and, typically don't cost much more (if any more) money.

If you read enough of my cleaning content, you'll also soon come to find I am a big fan of the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Ultra Foamy, which is a melamine sponge like the regular Magic Eraser, except it has pods of soap inside. I use this for everything. I have used it to power through adhesive and goo, clean under my appliances, and so much more.

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Lifehacker's Ultimate Spring Cleaning Guide aims to bring you all the best spring cleaning ideas, but I won't lie: Some of them are pretty labor intensive. But whether you don't have the time for a major undertaking or you're just feeling a little lazy this year, there are still ways you can spring clean your home to get it in shape for the months ahead.

Clean your microwave the easy way

A microwave is supposed to be cleaned every two weeks, but if that's too often for you (it's OK to be honest), you're probably looking at some serious grime in there. Cleaning it is actually remarkably easy, though, and you can make a big improvement on the mess with just a little effort.

Here's my big how-to on cleaning the microwave, but the basic gist involves quartering a lemon and putting two slices into a microwave-safe bowl or mug full of water, then nuking them on high for at least three minutes, until you start to see steam forming in the window. Once it's nice and steamy, don't open the door. Instead, let it sit for five minutes. When you do open the door, you'll have a wet microwave interior you can clean with a sponge. The citrusy steam will have loosened any stuck-on gunk, and you can hopefully wipe it right out. Take the turntable out and soak it in the sink, then clear any crumbs or goo from the bottom of the machine. Just like that, what was once a gross microwave is a sparkling-clean appliance—and all you did was heat up a lemon.

Take the easy way out with your oven too

While you're at it, you can do something similar to your oven: Heat it to 150 degrees, shut it off, then put a pot of water on the bottom rack and an oven-safe container of ammonia on the top rack. Close the door and let the two sit overnight. In the morning, open the door for at least 15 minutes to air the oven out, then add a few drops of dish soap to the ammonia, dip in a wash rag and scrubbing sponge, and use them to wipe away the softened grease and grime.

Put your bathtub and dishwasher to work

One of my favorite lazy cleaning hacks involves looking at the bathtub not just as a place to clean your body, but a place to clean all kinds of stuff from around your house. I'm not someone who throws a lot of dinner parties, but I've heard great things from people who've tossed an abundance of dirty dishes into the bathtub for a good soak. I have used mine for is cleaning things like oven racks and my broom, plus my synthetic rugs. Fridge shelves, purifier filters, plant pots—think of all those big, unwieldy items that are a pain to wipe down. Running a bath with some gentle dish soap and plopping them in for a soak saves a whole lot of time and effort.

The same goes for your dishwasher. It's easy to overlook its potential for cleaning non-dish things, but most small plastic or metal items like stove knobs, dustpans, and toothbrush holders can go in there for a washing up, which leaves you with more time to clean other things with your own two hands.

Set it and forget it in the bathroom

Before bed one night, you can knock out two major tasks in the bathroom and let your cleaning supplies do the real work while you sleep. First, I have been obsessed with these toilet-cleaning sheets for a few days now. They're dissolvable papers covered in cleaning product, so you just toss them into the toilet and let them disappear. Put one of these in there before bed and, if necessary, give it all a good scrub with your toilet brush before flushing.

Second, descale and de-gunk your shower head overnight by tying a sandwich bag full of vinegar around it. This is one of those age-old, tried-and-true hacks that really works. When you remove the bag in the morning, scrub the shower head with an old toothbrush to make sure all the blockages are out of the holes, then run it for a minute or two.

Clean your ceiling fan without making a mess

You need to clean your ceiling fan so it's not littering dust all around your room, but usually that means you have to litter dust all around the room by brushing it off, then vacuuming it all up. That's a lot of work, but this hack isn't: Grab an old pillowcase and slide it over each blade, one at a time. Pull the pillowcase back toward yourself, with the top dragging across the top of the blade. All of the dust will come off with it and land in the case. You can just dump it out, then toss the pillowcase in the wash.

Clean the washing machine without climbing inside of it

You do need to clean your washing machine once in a while, but you don't have to put your whole torso into that small drum to maneuver around in there with a sponge. I've tried a few different methods, usually just involving vinegar, and they've all required no real work on my part. I either dump a cup of vinegar straight into the drum or in the detergent slot, and run the machine through a hot cycle with no clothes inside. The vinegar really helps with de-stinking the device and, in turn, de-stinking the clothes you wash in it. And don't have to do anything but dump a little in there and let the machine run.

Clean under big appliances in seconds

One task I always associate with spring cleaning is the annual hauling-out of major appliances like the fridge and oven. (Do I ever actually do that? Not really, but I associate it with spring cleaning because I know I'm supposed to.) You can make this less taxing with a very simple hack: Cut a hole in a sponge, stick a long-handled tool like a spatula or broom handle into the hole, and shove it as far as you can under each appliance. Scrub back and forth as best you can. I have a more in-depth tutorial here, but it really is as easy as it sounds. It doesn't preclude you from ever having to pull those appliances all the way out, but doing it regularly means it will be a lot less gross when you do.

Sometimes the trickiest part of cleaning is knowing where to start—and, once you've started, where to go from there. A handy checklist can help you move through the task systematically and easily.

That's where these room-by-room checklists can help. Below, you'll find links to advice on how to complete many of the tasks you'll be facing. I've also turned the cleaning checklists into a downloadable spreadsheet you can print out, so you can mark off each chore as you go.

Your kitchen spring cleaning checklist 

Before you start cleaning, take a minute to make sure you have everything you need. Nothing saps your mojo quite like having to leave the house to buy supplies, so make sure you have these basics on hand:

• Plain dish soap

• A good brush set

• A basic scrubbing sponge

• A heavy-duty melamine sponge

• Baking soda

• White vinegar

• Easy Off Heavy Duty oven cleaner

• Lysol All-Purpose Cleaner

• A good broom

• A mop

• A scrubbing cleaner for metal, like Brasso

Now it’s time to move on to the various things you need to actually clean. Start from the top and make your way down, so you clean all the dirt you’ve knocked to the floor at the very end.

• Start by removing your oven racks and putting them in the bathtub with dish soap and water to clean them. They should be soaking while you do everything else.

• Steam your microwave by nuking a quartered lemon in a bowl with a cup of water for three minutes. Since it has to sit in there for five minutes after that, move on to cleaning the exterior with a mixture of one part vinegar to one part water. Once the five minutes is up, wipe the steam from inside the microwave. 

• Move on to the fridge. Remove all the food and wipe down your shelving and interior with soapy water, then make sure you dry it with paper towels or a clean rag. You can also pop your fridge shelves in the bathtub with the oven racks if they’re really dirty, but that may hold up part of your other cleaning efforts, since you’ll have food all over your counter while your shelves soak. Try to attempt this when you’re low on food, so you don’t have as much to deal with, or put your food back along the bottom of the fridge after you've wiped down the shelf-less interior with a mixture of one cup of baking soda and a gallon of water. 

• Clean your upper kitchen cabinets, removing everything inside. And don’t forget to clean the tops of them, either, with a sponge and soapy water. 

• Do the lower kitchen cabinets now, using the same methods: Pull everything out and clean inside with the crevice tool on the OXO brush set, then soapy water. 

• While all the appliances are out on the counter, clean them one by one. There are detailed ways to clean everything from toasters to coffee machines and grinders to air fryers, so do each one before putting it away. Use this time to clean anything that is a small appliance, is constantly sitting on your countertops, or both. A blender gets cleaned during this part, as do things like your coffee machine accessories. Make sure the cupboards and appliances are all dry before putting anything back.

• Next, move straight to the stovetop. Use baking soda to clean the burners by slowly adding some to a cup of water and mixing until it forms a paste you can coat the burners with. With your racks still in the bathtub, you can scrub the interior of your oven with oven cleaner. After 20 minutes, remove the baking soda paste from the burners with a damp cloth.

• Once you've used the sink to clean your appliances, you have to clean the sink itself. If it's stainless steel, use an abrasive cleaner, like Bar Keepers Friend ($11.89 for a pack of two canisters) and a scouring pad. For anything else, a soft cloth and soapy water will work. (One extra step you can take is to polish your chrome fixtures with baby oil, which makes them look super sparkly.)

• This is a good time to clean the walls between your cabinets and your back splash. Dish soap and water will work, as will the Magic Eraser, but if you have cooking grease splatters to deal with, try mixing salt and vinegar to make a DIY grease-busting solution.

• You’ve cleared the countertops of the appliances from the cupboard and likely gotten crud from the stovetop all over them, so it’s time to tackle those now. Remove anything that might be on them, use the crevice tool to get crumbs out of the corners, and then go in with soap and water or all-purpose cleaner. If you have granite countertops, be extra careful: Use a non-scratch sponge or rag and soap and water, nothing else. 

• By now, the floors are dirty, but that’s no problem: You’re almost done. First, get your oven racks and fridge shelves out of the bathtub and dry them well. Put them back where they belong. Once that’s done, corral any debris or crumbs on the floor with your broom and mop the whole thing with soapy water. Go relax in another room while it dries. 

Your bathroom spring cleaning checklist

A lot of those kitchen-cleaning tools are going to be useful in the bathroom, too, but you should also pick up these:

• Soft Scrub with bleach

• An electric scrubbing brush

• A FlexiSnake Drain Weasel

• Double-concentrated cleaner

The bathroom is a small space, so you have to be smart about the order in which you clean it so you don't end up going over the same spots too many times. Luckily, most of the things in there are made of hard materials and only require simple wiping, which you can (and should) do while softer materials, like bath mats and curtains, are in the wash.

Here's your checklist:

• We're going to start at the top of the room. Dust light fixtures and vents first, so you don’t get dust on everything else once it’s all clean. Let dust and grime fall down to the counters and floors; we'll be cleaning those in a moment.

• Throw the shower curtains, bath mats, towels, and any linens or fabrics (like a toilet seat cover) in the wash. This will give you time to clean the hooks and rods that support them and will have them clean and ready to be replaced after you finish with the bathroom overall.

• Tackle the bathtub or shower, focusing on decluttering old shampoo bottles, wiping down the interior glass, descaling the shower head, and getting rid of any soap rings around the interior. It can be helpful to run the shower on a hot temp for a few minutes before doing this, just to loosen everything up and get it wet in there, but it's up to you.

• Wipe down all mirrors and tile surfaces outside the tub next. If you opt to steam up the shower before cleaning it, make sure you do this step next, since the mirrors and tile will also get steamy.

• Clean your bathroom sink, first by sticking your Drain Weasel down the drain to remove hair and gunk, then focusing on removing rings and buildup from the bowl.

• Clean and polish your faucet and handles when you finish with the bowl. Here's where some Brasso or Soft Scrub comes in handy.

• Clean your soap dish or tray, removing soap buildup, and do the same for your toothbrush holder.

• Pour some cleaner in the toilet bowl and let it sit for a moment. While it's in the toilet bowl, you wipe down the exterior, as well as the top and bottom of the seat and cover, then scrub out the bowl with your toilet brush and flush at the end.

• Clean and polish the toilet handle after you've flushed.

• Remove the toilet paper roll and disinfect that holder, too. We're being thorough today.

• Wipe down shelves and cabinets, which probably involves pulling everything down off and from inside of them. This is a great opportunity to declutter and organize your medicine cabinet and shelves. Here are my medicine cabinet organization tips and here are some examples of how I organize various shelves in my bathroom.

• Clear the countertops and wipe them down, too, also wiping anything on them (like containers holding q-tips, a water cup, etc.).

• Clean the towel racks and hooks, which should still be empty while their usual contents are in the wash.

• Take out the trash and scrub inside the can.

• Scrub all the grout and focus on cracks in the floor, really forcing it out. (Don't worry; we're about to clean all the dust and grime off the floor, finally.)

• Vacuum any dust or hair from the floor. We're almost done.

• Mop and disinfect the floor.

• Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces, like door handles and light switches.

• Replace whatever was in the wash, like curtains and mats.

Your living room spring cleaning checklist

By now, you have most of the products you'll need to get all this done, so let's move right into what you need to do.

• First, go around and pick up any and all fabrics or soft items. I’m talking about blankets, throw pillow cases, cushion covers, small mats, doilies—you name it. Stick all those in the wash while you get to work cleaning the room.

• Again, start at the top so dust and grime fall to the floor, where you can get them later. This means clean your ceiling fan and ceilings, including any vents and lights up there and, especially, the corners where cobwebs start to collect. 

• Dust and wipe down any lamps. 

• Clean your TV and other electronics. Dust them off first, then use an appropriate method to actually wipe them down. Here’s a guide on cleaning your TV without breaking it. Unplug all of them before you do this, of course. 

• Got any mirrors or photos hanging around the joint? Wipe those down now. 

• Next, clear all your surfaces. Pull everything off of your shelves, end tables, and media center. Pile it all up in the center of the room, then dust and wipe down the surfaces you just cleared. 

• If you plan to move your furniture to dust and vacuum behind it, do that now, while it’s all lighter without the burden of its usual contents. Wipe down baseboards, vacuum behind shelving, and do whatever needs doing back there. If you don’t plan to move out furniture (your call!) skip this step, since we are handling baseboards and vacuuming for the whole room closer to the end.

• Turn your attention to that of stuff you made pile of. Before putting everything back where it came from, do a round of decluttering. Click here to learn a few of the best decluttering methods and go through this list of questions to ask yourself while you declutter. If something isn’t serving you anymore, it’s got to go. It doesn’t need space on your freshly cleaned shelves. 

• Wipe down everything you decide to keep, then put it back where it belongs. 

• Go back to dusting. Dust and wipe down your furniture, potted plants, tables, and anything lower toward the ground. Again, if dust flies off of something onto the floor, this is no problem; we will vacuum it later. 

• Pay special attention to your couch or other upholstered furniture. Remove cushions, if you can, and vacuum underneath them. Clean the cushions themselves however you normally do that, but if you don’t have your own way, feel free to steal my favorite.

• Wipe down your baseboards and clean vents low to the ground.

• It’s finally time to vacuum! If you have a large rug, move that and vacuum under it before replacing it and vacuuming over it. Otherwise, really spend some time on this step. Vacuum the corners where the floor meets the wall, use the brush attachment to really get after your vents, and don’t rush. You just dislodged a lot of dust and dirt onto this floor. 

• Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces. This means remotes, the handles that control your recliner, light switches, video game controllers, phone chargers, and more. 

• Replace all the linens and fabrics you had in the wash.

Your bedroom spring cleaning checklist

Finally, let's tackle your bedroom. Here is everything you need to do now so you can go to sleep in a peaceful, clean room tonight. I recommend doing the bedroom last not only because it's the room company is least likely to see, but also because it feels the best to finish up in a room that's all for you. You'll get a major sense of accomplishment sinking into a fresh bed after cleaning the whole house.

• Pick up all the bedding, small rugs, curtains, and any other fabrics. Put those in the wash. 

• Dust the ceiling fan, vents, and corners. 

• Wipe down mirrors, glass, pictures, and any other smooth, flat surfaces, especially anything hanging on the wall. 

• Clean your windows, wiping out the windowsill and any blinds, as well as the handles and glass. 

• Pull everything off your flat surfaces, from nightstands to shelves. Pile it up on the bed. 

• Wipe down those surfaces. 

• Declutter everything in the pile, just like you did in the living room. Again, here are the best decluttering methods. 

• Once you’ve decided what to keep, wipe it all down and put it away where it goes. 

• Next, turn your attention to the closet and dressers. This is optional, if you don’t really have time to fully declutter all your clothes, but I do recommend it, if only to clean the interior of those spaces. Pull everything out and pile all that on the bed. Really wipe down the interior of every drawer and all over the inside of your closet. 

• As you’re putting clothes away, declutter a bit. Be conscientious about what you put back. If you haven’t worn it in a while, it’s damaged, or it’s out of style or doesn’t even fit anymore, give yourself permission to just toss it. Only the best clothes deserve to be in your clean closet and drawers. 

• Clean your mattress while the sheets are off. Vacuum it, spot treat it, and make sure you do all this now so it has a little time to dry before you put the sheets back on. (Just wait until after you clean your shelves and closets, since dust from the piles you made on the bed might get into the mattress.)

• Dust any lamps. Don't forget things like string lights, vanity mirror lights, or those little peel-and-stick lights you got off Amazon that one time for no reason. Oh, and nightlights, too.

• Clean any electronics, from TVs to alarm clocks. 

• Dust any furniture you might have, like ottomans or chairs. If you have a vanity or a desk, make sure you wipe down, organize, and clean that, too.

• Wipe down the baseboards all around the room and get any floor vents, too. 

• It’s time to vacuum. Don’t just do the floor, but make sure you get under the bed, in the blinds of the windows, under any cushions, and in every corner. Use your brush attachment on vents. 

• Replace all the linens that were in the wash. 

• Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces and items, including but not limited to lamp switches, light switches, remotes, video game controllers, phone and device chargers, drawer pulls, and more. Walk through your regular morning and night routines, considering what you reach for and touch, then wipe those things down well.  

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This is a website about hacks, so you know I'm not going to advocate for a cleaning product unless it really gets the job done. Lifehacker has years' worth of archives explaining how, for the most part, common things like hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and vinegar get the major cleaning jobs taken care of, and all you need is a rag or a sponge to go with them. Still, there are some more specialized products that are worth having on hand. These are what I use to make cleaning easier and faster.

Useful cleaning tools you might not have

First up, you need a little squeegee. In fact, I think you should have a few. The first one should be stored in your shower and, after you finish washing up, you should use it to get the fog, scum, and water off your shower doors and walls. Doing this every time you bathe takes just a few seconds, but drastically reduces how much and how often you need to clean the tile and glass in the shower. Get one with an adhesive holder so it dries straight up and down, then stick it to the shower wall. This one is $9.59.

Second, you should keep one in the kitchen. Use it to scrape wet messes off your countertops or to gather spills on your floor. Why waste a bunch of paper towels or dirty up a rag when you could just push the wet mess off the counter and into a container, then put it in the trash? Pick up a two-pack for $13.99.

We aren't finished with squeegees, actually. You also need a gigantic one for your floor. This will replace your broom and I'm serious. It's $29.99 (though you can apply a 30% coupon on Amazon right now) and it solves all the annoying little problems you face with a regular broom. There are no bristles, so hair and dust don't get caught in anything and there are no gaps for dirt and debris to slip through. To wash it, you just wipe down the silicone. What's even better is that, unlike a standard broom, you can tackle wet messes with this, dragging all the droplets and rivulets into a more concise puddle that is a lot easier to wipe up.

Magic Air Broom

$29.99 at Amazon

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$29.99 at Amazon

Next, consider some soap-dispensing brushes. You may have seen these for dishwashing, which is great, but they're also perfect for scrubbing floors, tile, and hard-to-reach spots, all without having to fill up a whole container of soapy water and drag it around. Obviously, keep the one you use for household cleaning away from the one you use for the dishes, so get at least two. Better yet, this one for $9.89 comes with detachable heads, so you only need one handle.

Speaking of brushes, it's time to upgrade to an electric one. Stop getting on your hands and knees, putting too much elbow grease in, or over-exerting yourself when you could outsource the strenuous part of your labor to technology. You can get an electric spin scrubber with a telescopic handle and eight different brush heads for $49.99, then use it as a handheld or long-reach solution when you just don't want to scrub.

My favorite cleaning solutions and products

The wide array of tools and gadgets available to address needs you didn't realize you had is great and all, but what about cleaning solutions and products? It might seem like, hey, an all-purpose cleaner is an all-purpose cleaner, but that's not true. For instance, I recently tested out "double concentrated" solutions from Pine Sol and Fabuloso and found both of them to be way more effective than their standard-concentration predecessors. Did you know floor-cleaning solutions were innovating? Well, now you do.

Another innovation I really like counts as both a tool and a product. Yes, you probably have a melamine sponge, like a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, on hand and yes, you probably also have some kind of foaming soap you use around the house. But now they've been combined into one product: It's called the Mr. Clean Ultra Foamy Magic Eraser and I can no longer live without it. You get five for $8.94 and with them, you can clean a lot faster and easier. It takes me far fewer passes of the eraser over any kind of grime to remove it than it does when I use the original version.

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Ultra Foamy Multi Purpose Cleaner, Foaming Magic Eraser Sponge Multi Surface Cleaner, 5ct

$8.94 at Amazon

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$8.94 at Amazon

And the last unexpected product that has really changed how I clean is this set of coatings from spotLESS. Three bottles of coating cost $24.99 and you get one for glass and mirrors, one for toilets, and one for sinks and fixtures. I spray these on their respective surfaces after cleaning and have definitely noticed I need to clean those areas again more infrequently. The coating works to keep grime from accumulating and makes it easier to wipe off when it eventually does appear. The glass spritz has proven especially helpful for the glass table I got a few months ago. Again, I didn't realize I had these problems until I found a product that fixed them. We're truly living in the future.

As the spring gets closer and closer, I was excited to see a new trend on TikTok that claims you can easily clean fans—a pretty tedious chore—just by spritzing the machine and covering it with a plastic bag. I tried it out on two different fans today and the results weren't great. Here's what happened and what you can (and should) do instead.

My attempt at the TikTok fan-cleaning hack

First of all, here's how it's supposed to look and work when you use a cleaning solution and garbage or plastic bag to "clean" your fan:

There are tons of videos like this on TikTok and they all look pretty effective, so I gave it a real try. Different creators recommend different cleaning solutions, like rubbing alcohol or dish soap, but I decided to fill my spray bottle with diluted Fabuloso, the same thing I'd clean the fan with if I were doing it manually.

First, I saturated my tower fan with some heavy-handed spray, then put the bag over it. Nothing happened. No dust or dirt came out into the bag whatsoever. I decided to take this as a personal win, honestly, and chalk it up to my fan simply not being disgusting and dirty enough. The goal here is ostensibly to dampen the dust within the fan to the point that it becomes heavy and dense enough to actually be blown out of the vents. I simply didn't have enough dirt!

Useless. Credit: Lindsey Ellefson

My small table fan, however, definitely did; it was gross to even look at. I sprayed that one down, put the bag over it for a full 10 minutes, and... nothing. All the dirt was still visible when I removed the bag. None—and I mean none—came off. But worse, my fan got too wet and malfunctioned. It wouldn't turn off. That, I think is the primary problem with this supposed hack: You can't unplug the device like you normally would when cleaning something with electrical components, since you need it to be able to blow air in order to complete the trick. Unfortunately for me, my fan charges while it's plugged in, so even unplugging it did nothing. It had to run for an hour with water inside before it regained the ability to be turned off. I unquestionably damaged and/or broke it by doing this.

Credit: Lindsey Ellefson

In short, not only does this hack not clean the fan vents or blades, but it has the potential to damage your fan. I don't care how many videos you see of people appearing to pull this off successfully. It's not worth attempting.

How to clean a fan instead

In this case, it's best to do things the old-school way. Unplug your fan. On larger box fans, you should be able to unscrew and detach the front plate, giving you access to the interior parts while you plop the front plate into soapy water (your tub works great for this). From there, wipe down the blades with soapy water. If you can't do that or don't want to, just use a vacuum with a brush attachment to suck dirt and grime out through the vents and slats. Use soapy water to wipe down the exterior, including the cord, but don't get any moisture near where the cord connects or any of the buttons. They can be wiped with a plain microfiber cloth. Here's a more comprehensive breakdown.

While I am sad that the nifty trick didn't work, I'm glad for two reasons: I can dissuade you from trying it, first of all, and my apartment smells great now that two of my fans have dispersed Fabuloso water through the air. It's the little things.

Creating and sticking to a cleaning schedule is difficult, but only because life is difficult. Finding time to clean can feel impossible sometimes, especially when you've had a stressful day at work, with your family, or just in general. But what if you could harness that negative energy and turn it into cleaning power? That's the idea behind TikTok's "angry cleaning" trend—also known as "rage cleaning"—and if you're as grumpy as I am, you mind find it helps you get your home a lot cleaner.

What is TikTok's rage cleaning trend about?

I see the terms "angry cleaning" and "rage cleaning" all over TikTok, but quickly realized they describe something I already do: When I'm annoyed or upset, I start to clean—usually something that requires a little oomph, like scrubbing or vacuuming. It turns out I'm not alone.

There are a few benefits at work here. Pouring your negative energy into cleaning can distract you from whatever is annoying you, providing a menial task you can accomplish without a lot of active thinking. It lets you physically work out your negativity, especially if you're really putting some muscle into whatever you're doing (cleaning the oven is a good option here). It also gives you a positive end result that can lift your spirits and make you feel motivated: After cleaning for a while, your head will feel clearer and you'll have a cleaner home to show for it.

How to incorporate angry cleaning into your routine

I'll stop short of recommending that you wait to clean until you're upset; you should still try to follow a cleaning schedule and stay consistent with your efforts to tidy up. Additionally, I don't recommend intentionally pissing yourself off so you can work up the motivation to scrub all those dirty pans.

When the opportunity to rage clean arises naturally, however, it pays to find the right outlet. Choose an arduous task like cleaning the bathroom grout so you can really put your back into it and physically work out your anger. It needn't be something truly strenuous. For instance, I like folding laundry when I'm mad because I get to slap the folded garments down on the pile with a bang. Whatever works!

This isn't really the time for something that takes brainpower, like decluttering. Angry cleaning is most effective when you can focus on feelings over thoughts, so stick to mopping the floor extra hard. I'm generally a proponent of cleaning your home in small bursts, so tap into that thinking to bust through one annoying, laborious cleaning task while you're good and pissed.

I'm not saying rage cleaning will fix whatever is bothering you, but it can help you let off some steam and will allow you to think a little more clearly afterward—and in a neater space to boot. Challenge yourself to work quietly on one task, see it through with no distractions, and reevaluate how you feel afterward. Think about what's bothering you, or just focus on cleaning, but don't take any steps to address what's wrong until you've finished your project and given yourself a little time alone and a bonus jolt of accomplishment. Your problems, and your to-do list, might both feel a bit more manageable afterward.

What to keep in mind when rage cleaning

I'll add a few more notes here, as someone who's now watched what feels like a million of these TikTok videos and who also does enjoy cleaning up when negative emotions are afoot. First, don't just channel your rage into cleaning to make it more effective, but make sure you're also using that time to yourself to calm down the anger. That looks different for everyone, sure, but on TikTok, you'll see examples of people lighting candles or putting on some music they enjoy. Ideally, by the end of an angry cleaning session, you'll feel better—which will help you address the cause of your annoyance more effectively, too.

Second, if you're feeling mad all the time, it's really not good, whether you're able to turn that into productive rage cleaning or not. Obviously, it's more important to deal with the root cause of your problems than constantly use them to clean. Just wanted to put that out there. In the meantime, though, make sure you're taking note of when you're feeling the inspiration to angry clean. If, say, you hang up every phone call with your mom in a bad mood or consistently get frustrated after a weekly meeting at work, reorient your cleaning schedule to make sure you're harnessing that energy. If one of the parents at your kid's 6 p.m., Tuesday dance class enrages you, 8 p.m. on Tuesday sounds like a great time to give the kitchen its weekly cleaning, right? Let it work for you, not against you, and your home and emotions will thank you.

What are you doing this weekend? Don't know? Now you do: You're going to organize and declutter your home with the "out in the open" method. This technique is helpful whether you have a cluttered space, live in a relatively tidy home, or even are hyper-organized. Here's what you need to do.

What is the "out in the open" method?

This decluttering and organizing technique, like a lot of others, comes from tidy-home gurus The Minimalists. Essentially, you pull everything out of the space you're trying to organize, whether it's your closet, a cupboard, or a junk drawer. Truly, pull it all out and pile it up. The Minimalists say this approach is the opposite of one of their other methods, the "packing party," which involves putting everything from a certain room or location into categorized boxes, as if you were moving, then live out of those boxes for three weeks, pulling out only what you actually need. Three weeks after your packing party, you get rid of what you didn't use and put the rest away. With "out in the open," you don't have the luxury of living normally for three weeks, though; all your stuff is in a big pile, and cleaning and organizing it becomes an immediate necessity if you'd like to move freely around your space again.

So, that's what you do. Once everything is pulled out of its usual spot, you get a real sense of the volume of what you have. You have to organize it, because it's in your way. This creates some urgency while helping you get a handle on all that clutter that has been stored away. From there, you just have to follow your preferred decluttering technique, sorting, as usual, into piles of keep, throw, donate, and sell, before putting away what you're keeping and getting rid of the rest as you see fit.

Why the "out in the open" rule works so well

This is actually one of the best techniques out there because it works well for everyone, even—hell, especially—people who are already pretty organized. I often recommend following the rules of the Organizational Triangle to keep your home in order, particularly the rules that say to store similar items together and that everything needs a designated space. All of my favorite organizing techniques require you to use containers, smell shelves, boxes, and other specific storage tools to keep everything in order while it's stashed away in cupboards or closets. That's why I'm always going on about the best storage boxes and divided shelving units. The goal here is to keep everything organized and out of sight—but that can become its own kind of problem. Even if you adhere to all the storage and organizing rules strictly, once everything is out of sight and mind and your home looks presentable, you can still be accumulating way too much unnecessary stuff in those closets, cupboards, and boxes. You may not even think it's an issue since, hey, at least it's all organized.

By periodically pulling it all out and creating the very kind of mess you usually try to avoid, you have to confront all that stuff. I do this with my closets and dressers pretty regularly, every two or three months, so I can pare down clothes I no longer wear, need, or fit. It's also a great idea for junk drawers, spice and medicine cabinets (or anything full of products that might expire), garages or sheds, shoe storage, and even your living room shelving. As annoying as it is to temporarily have a giant mess on your hands, it will be worth it to only hold onto what is still serving you and let go of the things that were taking up too much organizational space.

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Over the years, I've accumulated dozens of makeup brushes, which means I’ve also spent far too much time cleaning them. Dirty brushes can screw up your glam, but can also cause breakouts and distribute bacteria and whatever else lurks in your makeup bag across your skin. In worst-case scenarios, you could even get an infection. Cleaning them regularly—every seven to 10 days—is important, but so, too, is doing it right. Some cleaning methods are ineffective and others are downright bad for the brush. Here's what to know about cleaning not only your brushes, but your sponges.

How I clean my makeup brushes

There are loads of tutorials all over TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, showing how influencers and makeup gurus clean their brushes, but a lot of them are full of bad information. For instance, using oil is a no-no; it’s extremely difficult to remove from bristles, which can make the brushes less effective and cause breakouts on certain skin types. I’ve also seen loads of videos where users are fully submerging their brush heads in soapy water. Again, no: Eventually, that can damage the glue, too. I am fortunate enough to be friends with a real-life professional makeup artist and model, Rachel DeFluri, and for years, I have followed her advice instead of tips from self-proclaimed online gurus.

First, I start with a basic rinse to get the most obvious, external makeup off, filling a small bowl with micellar water and swirl each brush tip around in there. Ever since DeFluri told me to use micellar water to clean makeup brushes, I've loved it because, just as it somehow removes makeup from your skin with ease, it does the same thing here—very gently and easily. If you don’t have any, just run the brush tips under a faucet. Regular water will take a little longer, but the powders and liquids on the outer parts of the brush will eventually come off, leaving you to deal with the stuff that's really deep inside.

DeFluri adds that micellar water can be used if you're in a rush and don't have time for any other steps: "Simply soak a cotton pad or towel with micellar water and wipe your brushes clean. While this won’t fully disinfect, it’s a great option for spot cleaning between deep washes." She also points out that if you are in a hurry and are sure your brushes are made of synthetic fibers, you can do this same technique with 70% isopropyl alcohol by applying it to a pad or rag and gently running it over the brush head. She cautions that while it "breaks down stubborn product buildup and kills bacteria on contact" and is great for disinfecting, "it can be drying over time, so use it sparingly."

Only swirl the tips so the glue inside the brush doesn't get wet. At the end, your micellar water should look dirty, like the picture on the right. Credit: Lindsey Ellefson

If you're not in a rush and want to do a full deep-clean, you move on to the next step. I refill that same bowl with plain, clean water and add a few drops of gentle dish soap (though you can also use baby shampoo). Avoid using anything else, like hand soap. Some bloggers have recommended Dove body wash in the past, too, but that contains some conditioning agents that can, over time, coat your bristles with a film. Our goal here is to strip everything from the bristles, not add anything to them, so plain dish soap is your best bet. The gentler and plainer, the better. Plus, according to DeFluri, it works the same whether you're cleaning synthetic or natural bristles, so you don't have to play any guessing games. Swirl your brush tips in there again, this time massaging them with your hands to “scrub” them. Any time the water gets too dirty, toss it and refill the bowl. Eventually, each brush will stop releasing powders and liquids and, when run back under the faucet, the water coming from them will be clear. 

A lot of influencers recommend using a bumpy silicone mat as a scrubber during the cleaning process, but those are specialty products that aren’t really necessary. They’re convenient, yes, but run the spectrum of costliness ($5 for a simple one at Ulta, $37 for the big one on Amazon) and don’t do much more than a good massage with your fingers can do. Their greatest benefit is that, by running your brushes over them, you get a lot of water out, but you can do that yourself by gently squeezing the bristles over your cleaning bowl or sink. My little hack is that I use my silicone dish sponge, the one I rave about for general cleaning, and it functions just as well as the specialty mats I've tried, plus I can use it for my dishes and cleaning the kitchen. Best of all, this multi-purpose wonder comes in a two-pack for just $9.

Massage the product out of each brush with a mat or by hand, then carefully lay them out to dry. Credit: Lindsey Ellefson

When the water runs perfectly clear through them, it’s time to fully dry your brushes. Lay them flat on a paper towel or a microfiber cloth. (I recommend the cloth because you'll actually need about seven paper towels stacked up to catch all the water that comes out over time.) A tip DeFluri is really serious about is this one: Don’t splay the bristles out unnaturally to dry them because they’ll dry that way and be difficult to use afterward. Instead, gently shape the bristles back into whatever shape they were before and let them air dry. I usually leave mine at least overnight and come back a few times to flip them over. Whatever you do, do not dry them upright in a container; this will affect the glue on the bristles, as the water will run down. You can even dry them while they hang upside down, but I don't have the space or mechanics necessary for that. If you figure out a way to affix a bunch of handles so the brushes are airborne, you let me know. Drying them flat is perfectly fine, but rotating them periodically so the bristles don’t flatten on one side is a smart move. 

How to clean a makeup sponge

Makeup sponges, which had a popularity boom around 2016 but are still a staple in most makeup kits, are much easier to clean than brushes, since you can fully submerge them in water with no problem. You can do it in micellar water first and then switch to your soap-and-water mixture, or just go straight to the soap and water. (A lot of makeup sponge brands sell their own cleanser, but baby shampoo is just as good.)

Submerge the sponge and massage it with your hands, squishing it around until you see makeup start to come out into the water. If it’s really, really dirty, let it sit in that soapy water for 10 minutes or so. Take it out and put some soap directly onto the wet sponge, working it into a lather. Run the sponge under a faucet to rinse it and don’t stop until the water runs clear. 

To dry the sponge, prop it up, if you can, and let it air dry. It can air dry flat, but you’ll want to turn it over a few times. Let it dry overnight to make sure there are no wet spots deep inside that could get mildewy. When you think it’s dry, give it a good squeeze to make sure you don’t feel any dampness. Don’t put it back in the drawer or its container until it’s fully dry. 

For over a year, I’ve been on a mission to declutter and elevate my wardrobe by replacing all of my cheap accessories with nicer versions—my own spin on the “one in, one out” cleaning method. Since I’m not made of money and largely stick to buying pre-owned luxury goods, it’s extra sustainable, which makes me feel good about the whole thing.

The problem with buying pre-owned stuff, though, is that it’s usually pre-worn—like, really worn. I don’t blame my items’ previous caretakers when I get shoes, a bag, sunglasses, or a scarf that looks like it’s seen some horrors in its prime; if I spent top dollar on something, I’d run it into the ground to get every cent's worth, too. Part of the reason I get such a good deal on these things is that I have to do some maintenance when I get them, so it’s a fine trade-off. Last year, though, I got a pair of white sneakers that were so dirty I wasn’t sure if I would be able to fix them up. I did, of course. I’m a woman of perseverance and life hacks. Here’s what worked to make my busted old shoes clean again (and what didn’t). 

Vinegar

Seemingly every day, I investigate a household hack that involves using vinegar in place of more intense or expensive cleaners and products. You can clean a steamer, clean your humidifier, unclog a sink, descale your coffee maker, and—according to some how-tos I watched—clean old sneakers. I decided to give it a shot. Here’s what I was working with when I set out on the mission:

Credit: Lindsey Ellefson

We got scuffs. We got yellow stains. We got brown stains. Baby, we got it all. Would vinegar fix any of it? As it turns out, no! I started by using an old toothbrush to work vinegar into the stains. As I suspected, not much happened, but I was surprised when adding baking soda to the mix also produced zero results. While vinegar and baking soda don't do anything to clean together, I do typically find that the bubbles they create when mixed can agitate dirt out of surfaces. Here, it did nothing.

Verdict: I'm not saying this wouldn't work if you had small stains, maybe comprised of different messes than whatever was on my shoes. I'm only saying this did not help me whiten mine. What vinegar is good for, though, is deodorizing shoes, so this wasn't a total waste for me. I use a mixture of half vinegar and half water and spray the inside of my cycling shoes to de-stink them, for instance. Feel free to try this vinegar hack on your stains and, if it doesn't work, take comfort that you at least beat back some odors, like I did.

Nail polish remover

After fruitlessly scrubbing at the scuffs with my toothbrush and vinegar, I recalled that I tested out a hack for removing scuffs from patent leather using nail polish remover a few months ago. I decided to give that a shot, focusing on the scuffs around the soles rather than the stains on the fabric.

It took some major elbow grease, but the scuffs all came off after a bunch of scrubbing with the remover and a paper towel. Just to see what would happen, I even dabbed some onto the stains on the body of the shoes and saw a slight improvement, but I wanted to hit those with a different approach, so I switched gears. 

Verdict: Use nail polish remover to get scuffs off rubber or other harder parts of the shoe. Its acidic properties can even help lighten smaller stains on the body.

Melamine sponges

Somewhere between vinegar and nail polish remover, I went back to the drawing board and started Googling additional ways to clean up old shoes. I saw Mr. Clean Magic erasers being heralded as a solid option (even on this fine website), so I went out and got some. 

Credit: Lindsey Ellefson

They worked ridiculously well. I’ve never used melamine sponges to clean fabrics before and wasn’t sure what to expect, but I really didn't like the idea of fully submerging my shoes in water, so this spot-treating technique was my last hope before filling the sink. The yellow stains came away almost instantly with a little rubbing and the Magic Eraser even snatched up some remaining scuff marks that my nail polish left behind. 

Be careful of one thing, though: The first time I did this, I thought it worked great, but I noticed that by pressing the wet sponge into the material, I was actually just broadening the stain. Where I had a dark, circular stain before, I now had a much larger, lighter stain, as the water just kind of dragged the mess around. Be sure to dab carefully and fully with a dry rag to remove all the water.

Verdict: This works really well, provided you fully dry the sneakers after application of the melamine sponge.

Toothpaste

I wore those white shoes pretty frequently after whipping them into shape, but when I went to add them as an option on the app I use to rent out my clothing and accessories last week, I noticed they were looking a little beat-up again. Specifically, one of them had a brown stain that was really ugly. Sure, I could have used my Mr. Clean, but I wanted to test another hack I've heard about, so today, I scrubbed them with toothpaste.

A little toothpaste spot-test on the left vs. the final result on the right Credit: Lindsey Ellefson

I spot-tested first, putting a dab of white toothpaste on a small section of the shoe and leaving it for 20 minutes before scrubbing it off. It worked amazingly. There was a clear line of demarcation where the paste had been. Eagerly, I rubbed toothpaste into all the remaining parts of the shoe's upper. I spread it in a thin layer and—I won't lie—I just used my hands for this. You can, of course, use a spoon or something else to spread it on. I didn't agitate it at first (or else I would have spread it on with an old toothbrush) and just let it sit there. I've becomes less precious about not soaking the shoes in water, so when the 20 minutes was up, I ran them under the faucet and used the brush to scrub all the toothpaste out. Now, they're drying by the radiator and absolutely glistening white.

You will need to really scrub to get the toothpaste out, so make sure your brush is sturdy. I even used my fingernails a few times to really scratch it out. You'll need water, too, so they will end up wet. Make sure you do this at least 24 hours before you need to wear the shoes. Ideally, dry them outside for a day or at least put them by a radiator or fan.

Verdict: Do this right away. Perfectly clean, bright shoes.

Overall thoughts on cleaning white sneakers

The Magic Eraser and nail polish remover helped me in my quest to avoid dunking the shoes in soapy water, so I recommend them wholeheartedly, but once I got over my fear of fully soaking the shoes, toothpaste was the clear winner.

What I like best about all of these approaches is they cost less than $10 each. I didn't use a name-brand toothpaste, but rather some random stuff my mom sent me because her dentist recommended it to her. I avoided using my blue toothpaste because I didn't feel like tempting fate and possibly re-staining the shoe, but white toothpaste worked just right.