If your home entrance is regularly littered with shoes, you may forget about them when you’ve got tons of other things to do. Make a good first impression by placing all footwear into their respective cabinets so your guests have a clear entryway when they arrive. 

If you’ve no time for a quick wipe down, this is a smart and instant way to conceal any unsightly scratches or stains on your table surfaces, while elevating the look of your living and dining space. 

Put on mood lighting, such as fairy lights, lamps or candles instead of using the harsh fluorescent ceiling light – it instantly warms up the atmosphere and cleverly makes clutter less conspicuous. 

Starting from the main door, act as though you are a guest at the party. Walk through your home, focusing on places where people will congregate and look out for clutter that are potential obstacles, furniture or articles that seem out of place, things that need some dusting etc. Doing this helps you spot things that need to be cleaned/shifted away that you might otherwise miss!

Pop some fresh hand towels in the bathroom to greet guests when they go in. A clean-looking house is all in the details!

Intensive mopping is out of the question – good thing there are easier, faster options nowadays. Use mops with disposable wipes attached at the head, like the Scotch-Brite Easy Sweeper Plus or MagiClean Wiper Mop:

Grab a clean laundry basket or a large container and move from room to room, clearing unsightly clutter into it as you go. Focus on important rooms like the living area, dining space, bathroom and entrance.

To make your whole house smell fresh (and delicious!), place a tablespoon of vanilla essence in a saucepan of hot water and let it simmer for 15 mins.

If you have a rug in the living room, freshen it up by sprinkling some baking soda on it. Wait for 15 mins, then vacuum up the powder.

Photo: Bill Holsinger-Robinson/Flickr Creative Commons

Fight oil with oil – it may be hard to believe, but you can easily remove grease and gunk buildup on your stove top using even more grease. Of course, we’re talking about a few drops of mineral oil or vegetable oil on a paper towel. Simply rub to remove greasy stains without any harsh chemicals!

Plus, the oil helps keep your stove top shiny!

If you use stainless steel pots and pans, you’re probably accumulating burn marks from forgetting to stir food fast enough or setting too high a heat. No fear, the trick to making them look spanking brand new again is simple:

Pour baking soda into the burnt pan and scrub with a soaked sponge. If this doesn’t work, fill the pan or pot with water and a dash of vinegar, then bring to a boil. After this, simply scrub with baking soda again (once they’ve cooled of course!) and you should get the shine back. Alternatively, ketchup works too!

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The trick is to use coarse salt, to provide greater friction, and a cut lemon. Sprinkle a generous amount of salt (depending on how stained or large your board is) and using the lemon as a scrub, your chopping board will emerge clean and even smelling better!

READ MORE: Kitchen Hack: 5 Ways To Use Lemons To Get Rid Of Bad Odours

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If your cast iron skillet is covered with rust from not being used, return it to its former glory with this cleaning hack: Using coarse salt and half a potato, scrub the pan in a circular motion to remove the rust.

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When you’ve cleaned your cake tins and baking trays, pop them back into the warm oven to remove any moisture and prevent rust – they’ll look great for years.

Remove cooking grease particles from your kitchen floor by adding a little vinegar to the detergent in the bucket when cleaning.

To remove baked-on stains from your slow cooker, fill the ceramic liner about 1/4 full with white vinegar. Next, add warm water to the fill line, cover and leave on Low overnight. Then, wash in hot soapy water as usual.

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Give your dishwashing sponges a weekly clean by zapping them in the microwave for up to two minutes. Make sure the sponges are saturated with water, as this helps the sterilisation process (and stops them from catching fire!)

READ MORE: Make Your Own Cleaning Solutions For Under $1

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This hack will save you so much time and hassle – after making that yummy smoothie, rinse out any residue. Then, let your blender clean itself by putting in some washing liquid and a bit of water, then hitting start for a perfect, soapy cleanse. Pour out, rinse, and you’re done!

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Don’t waste time and energy trying to get rid of stubborn coffee stains using soap and water. Baking soda does the trick! Sprinkle some on the stained parts then add just a bit of water, enough to make something like a paste, then scrub with a damp cloth. Your favourite cup will look brand new again.

READ MORE: 
10 Unusual Ingredients You Can Use For Cleaning
Interior Stylist Hong Henwood Shows Us How To Create A Fancy Table Setting
10 Hacks To Eating Healthier When You’re Too Busy To Cook

Text: Bauersyndication/Additional Reporting: Elizabeth Liew
Photo: Pixabay