Author: Ashley Winsor

In this busy world, anything that you can do to save time and money as you complete your day-to-day chores is always worth a look! We’ve put together our top 7 home hacks that you’ll wish you’d known sooner!

Home Hack #1: Fluff up the indent in the carpet

Inevitably we all get that itch to rearrange the furniture, or, better yet, get a new great piece that means we have to rearrange a room to fit it in. If that room has carpet, it’s likely that the furniture’s previous spots have an indentation in the carpet. Fortunately, there is a quick and easy way to get rid of these indentations and you already have all the tools to do it in your home!

When faced with unsightly carpet indentations, simply place ice cubes in the indentation and let them melt completely. Once they have soaked in the carpet, take a spoon and fluff the area up. Finally, vacuum the area— your indentation will have ceased to exist!

Home Hack #2: 8-Minute Cleanings

If you’re like most people, it’s rare to be able to clean your entire home from top to bottom all at once. Fortunately, there is a great book that can teach you all about the 8-minute home cleaning hack: “The Cleaning Ninja,” by Courtney Hartford. It will teach you how to clean your home more quickly and more thoroughly than you might have thought possible. Here’s an example:

Minute One: Light some candle, diffuse some essential oils, make your home smell nice

Minutes Two through Four: declutter the kitchen counters, kitchen table, and the living room

Minute Five: Get a new hand towel for the bathroom and use the old one to wipe down the sink

Minute Six: Do a quick wipe down of the toilet

Minute Seven: Dust any surfaces that need it

Minute Eight: Wipe down any surface that needs it

Think you can’t get all that done in eight minutes? Challenge yourself with this home hack. Here’s a bonus tip from us— enlist your roommates, significant other, or kids to help you get it all done!

Home Hack #3: Splatter Prevention

Cooking and baking in your home can be so much fun. Whether you serve three meals a day from your kitchen or you cook once a week, clean up is a time-consuming chore after the meal is done. It takes even longer if the meal prep involved a hand mixer.

Save time right from the start by using a paper plate to prevent splatter when using a hand mixer. Poke two holes in the plate and insert the whisks through the holes into the handheld mixer. When you put the mixer into the bowl, the plate will ensure no splatter gets all over the mixer or the countertops (or even in the ceiling!) You’ll have much less clean up after you are done.

Home Hack #4: Remove Drain Clog Without Chemicals

When you have a clogged drain in your home, your first thought is probably that need to go to the store to get a chemical treatment to solve the problem. If you use this home hack, you probably already have what you need on hand!

• Baking soda
• Vinegar
• Hot water

Pour baking soda into the clogged drain. Let sit for a minute then pour down some vinegar. Finally, run hot water down the drain— the clog should melt away. This is a great alternative to using harsh chemicals in your home and around your family.

Home Hack #5: Use Your Drill To Clean Your Bathroom

You’ve probably seen those electric scrubbers on TV that will clean your bathroom grime with little to no elbow grease. But you don’t need to buy one of those—  you already have all the tools you need to make one yourself.

Just take a scrubbing pad and attach it onto the end of your cordless drill. Make sure that the metal part of the drill is completely covered by the scrubbing pad so you do not leave any scuff marks. You’ll clean the bathroom grime away in half the time.

Home Hack #6: Spice Space Saver

Say that three times fast! If you have limited kitchen space, you might have spices or other kitchen items stored on your countertops. This can make cleaning a pain and leave your kitchen always looking cluttered.

Instead, attach hanging racks to the inside of your pantry door in your kitchen. You’ll remove the clutter from your countertops, not only making your kitchen look cleaner, but also giving you the ease of wiping down counters without removing spices.

Bonus Tip: You know the file holders you might use in your office that are available at very low cost in the office section of any big box store? Place some adhesive tape to one side and stick them to the inside of the cabinet under your sink. This is a great way to keep your cleaning supplies organized and hidden.

Home Hack #7: Declutter the Garage

If you have children at home or you are a sports enthusiast yourself, you probably have balls to suit a variety of sports in your garage. It might seem like there is never a great way to store them without taking up a lot of space, but we have a home hack for you!

In a fairly short time and for very little money, you can build two shelves on a wall in your garage. Make holes in each shelf into which you can hook the ends of bungee cords. The bungee cords stretch so you can stick the balls into this contraption without them falling out once they are in there.

Thanks to the internet and the fact that DIY projects are trending, there is an endless amount of home hacks to help you save time when cleaning your home. But if you still can’t find the time to clean your house to your full satisfaction, that’s where CleanSpace comes in!

We have proudly been serving Silicon Valley’s residential and office cleaning needs for more than a decade. Let us save you time and keep your home clean so you can spend more time doing what you love with the ones you love. Call us today for your free estimate on weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly cleanings.

When it comes to cleaning tips for parents, you probably think you’ve heard them all. But then you’re faced with a new cleaning conundrum (courtesy of your children) and you’re left scrambling to minimize the damage.

Here are the top seven cleaning tips that any parent should have in their arsenal when disaster strikes.

Cleaning Tip #1: Pick Up Small Toys in Seconds

You’re making dinner in the kitchen, and you hear the sound that every parent dreads: the sound of a bin of tiny toys being upended onto the floor. Your children promise that they’ll pick up every piece, but you know that you’ll be the one on your hands and knees, painstakingly putting every tiny toy back into its storage spot.

Whether it’s Legos, Shopkins, or accessories from your child’s enormous doll collection, you can gather little toys in seconds by simply wedging a (clean, of course) dustpan under the toys and scooping. In minutes, all the toys will be back where they belong, and you won’t have to worry about stepping on a building block in the dark.

Cleaning Tip #2: Remove Gum with Ease

If you’re tossing your child’s clothing into the washing machine and you notice a wad of gum clinging to a shirtsleeve, don’t panic. This is one of the simplest cleaning tips for parents!

Put the piece of clothing into a plastic bag and then put the bag in the freezer for a few hours. When you take the bag out, you’ll be able to peel the gum from the sleeve with ease! No scraping, no potential for staining when you try to use a variety of solvents— just freeze it and peel it.

Cleaning Tip #3: Simple Glitter Cleanup

If you consider glitter to be a dirty word, you might consider relaxing your position on this craft staple after reading these cleaning tips for parents. Glitter cleanup is quick and easy with the use of a household staple: a lint roller.

You can go over the sparkly area with a vacuum first, to get the brunt of it, but as you probably know that’s not going to pick up every speck. A quick swipe with a lint roller will grab all the stray sparkles. (If you don’t have a lint roller on hand, a piece of duct tape can work in a pinch.)

Cleaning Tip #4: Wash Baby Toys in the Dishwasher

The flu has hit your house HARD. The last thing you want is a repeat, so you start to assess the toys that are all-too-often found in your children’s mouths. Rather than hand-washing a pile of plastic toys, load them into your dishwasher, add detergent, and put the setting on gentle. You’ll have a pile of newly-disinfected toys, and you can rest easy until the next wave of germs rips through your house.

Cleaning Tip #5: De-Stink Shoes

It’s amazing how smelly a small person’s shoes can get! However, you don’t have to relegate their footwear to the outdoors. You can restore the shoes to their previous condition with a simple hack.

Create a mixture of 70% rice, 15% salt, and 15% baking soda and fill a pair of old socks with the blend. Place the filled socks in a pair of smelly shoes and allow them to sit overnight. The baking soda will neutralize the acids that create the nasty smell while the rice and salt soak up the odor-causing agents.

Cleaning Tip #6: Slime For Cleaning??

Guess what! The slime that your kids are obsessed with making can be used for cleaning, too! Make your own slime to clean all the nooks and crannies that are so tough to get tidy, such as keyboards, remote controls, and air vents.

Who knew that cleaning tips for parents can lead to fun for you and your children?

Cleaning Tip #7: Whiten Shoes with Toothpaste

Are the rubber soles of your kids’ shoes looking dirty and worn? You can refresh their sneakers with a very common household object— toothpaste!

Find an old toothbrush and top it with toothpaste, and scrub the soles of the sneakers with the toothbrush. You’ll be amazed by the transformation!

While cleaning tips for parents will help you with your cleaning emergencies, you might need help with the routine upkeep of your home. We can help! Our highly-trained, carefully-vetted team of cleaning pros will get your house in tip-top shape in no time.

Ready to see what CleanSpace can do for your home? Click here for your free estimate today!