10 Hand- Picked Tips That Make Your Life Easier

Make caring for your home easier, one tip at a time.

Some are purely practical and some inject a little bit of fun, but they’re all great ideas that have worked for us and many of our members. We hope they work for you, too.

1. Do more with your dishwasher.

 These days, it seems as if everything is dishwasher safe. So take advantage of that fact!

Think about using your dishwasher to clean items like your stove’s drip pans and burner covers, kitchen sponges and vegetable brushes, small refrigerator shelves, plastic organizers, toothbrushes, pet and children’s toys and even makeup brushes and baseball caps—these items should be washed in a separate load, not with dirty dishes. In fact, many plastic or metal items can safely go into the dishwasher—just make sure to load plastic items on the top rack (to reduce heat exposure) and check your owner’s manual for specific instructions for your machine.

2. Wash your windows on a cloudy day.

 Direct sunlight could cause your cleaning product to evaporate before you have time to wipe it off, which may lead to streaking. A similar rule of thumb applies for very hot days as well as very cold ones, when your cleaning product could freeze before it can be wiped off.

For best results on glass, use your favorite Windex® Glass Cleaner with untreated or recycled paper towels or lint-free microfiber cloths.

3. Put hanging shoe organizers to new use.

 They make great organizers for small items. Hang one inside your pantry door for kitchen accessories, in your coat closet for hats and gloves, in your children’s rooms for toys or in the garage for tools and extension cords.

4. Position lights strategically.

 Situate lamps in the corners of rooms so they shine on two walls simultaneously. This will increase a room’s brightness and decrease the number of light bulbs you need. Using mirrors can help maximize the light even more and make a room appear brighter.

5. Clean narrow vessels and hard-to-reach places.

 Drop a denture tablet into tight, hard-to-clean spaces like flower vases and thermoses, fill with water and let stand overnight. Come morning, rinse and air-dry and any stains will be gone.

6. Use one style of hanger in your closets.

 And closets will instantly seem less messy. If you still need extra room, try creating an inventive clothes rack by hanging a broomstick from two lengths of sturdy fishing wire attached to ceiling hooks. This is a great idea for the laundry room or as an added coat rack for parties, because the rod is easy to put up and take down.

7. Organize by color and type.

 Visual organization can make items easier to find and nicer to look at. This method works especially well for bookshelves and your clothes closet. Take a cue from Mother Nature and organize your things in a rainbow—by shades of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet (adding in black and white where you see fit).

8. Sleep better with a fresh bed.

 And make it easier on yourself to do so more often. Many people underestimate the cozy, sleep-inducing effect of freshly washed linens and a neatly made bed. Member Lizette W. of East Islip, NY, inserts her clean, folded sets of bedding into a pillowcase, which makes it more convenient to find linens when making the bed, plus it looks neater in your closet.

9. Get creative with your cleaning tools.

 When your sponges and cleaning brushes just won’t work for certain tasks, look around your house for an ad hoc tool that can help. A chopstick or pencil wrapped in a paper towel is just the right size to clean crevices, while a retired toothbrush sprayed with some Windex® Multi-Surface Antibacterial can scrub away debris around handles and knobs in a snap.

If you find yourself without a dustpan, try using the wetted edge of a piece of paper, as member Velve G. of Cameron, MO, does. For cleaning wood furniture, try using a paintbrush dedicated for dusting to get into grooves, adding some Pledge® for shine, as member Judy S. from Gardendale, AL, suggests. Or try altering one of your go-to tools for a specific job, like cutting a squeegee to the exact length of a small mirror or window.

10. Mix up your cleaning routine.

 Making fun changes can help you enjoy the task and coast right through it. So look for things that might inspire you. You could try picking up some new supplies you’ll be excited to test out. Or choose a cleaning outfit you feel good in, like a funny apron or an old party dress you’ll never wear again. If you enjoy listening to music while you clean, make a playlist of songs you like to sing to and wear something that makes you want to dance—the energy a little grooving gives can help keep you motivated!