— Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed’s editors. Purchases you make through our links may earn us a commission.Whether keeping your home spotless is a joy or a complete hassle, we can all rejoice in the genius of a cleaning hack—if it works. Here at Reviewed, we are passionate about finding the best solutions for about anything, and cleaning is no exception. And it is safe to say we have picked up quite a few hacks along the journey.
Tip and tricks that change your cleaning game save money, time, and elbow grease. From getting out tough grease stains, cleaning crusty pots and pans, and removing wax from candle jars, we have rounded up some tried-and-true cleaning hacks that will change your life.
1. Freeze out leftover candle wax
If you’ve burned through the bulk of a candle, give it new life and turn the container into some lovely décor.
If you’ve burned through the bulk of a candle, and its wick it at its end, it is time to clean out your candleholder or the keepsake jar your fancy candle comes in that you will repurpose for drinking or décor.
To start the process, put your candle container in the freezer—yes, seriously. Rather than burning off the rest of the wax, which can be ineffective, put the candle in the freezer for a couple of hours (This gets the leftover wax super chilled.).
Then, take the candle out of the freezer and break up the wax with a butter knife. The ends of the wicks should also fall out with the wax. If not, wedging the tip of the knife at the edge of the wick holder should push it out of place.
Once you’ve gotten out as much wax as you can, add boiling water and fill up the jar.
Let the water cool completely and any lingering wax will float up to the top. Pour out the water and give the interior a quick dry. You’ve got a new storage container for make-up brushes or cotton pads.
2. Get pesky grease stains out of your Tupperware
All you need to do is take said greasy Tupperware, add in some dish soap, warm water, and some torn up scraps of paper towel and then give it a good shake.
If you packed some marinara covered pasta in your favorite plastic Tupperware container, and now the plastic is permanently stained red, don’t fear. You can get out these stains with things you already have at home.
All you need to do is take said greasy Tupperware, add in some dish soap, warm water, and some torn up scraps of paper towel. Put the lid on the container and shake vigorously for 45 seconds to a minute. Adi Kempler shows you how in this Tik Tok video.
After you shake it up, the walls of your plastic container will be spotless and free from any grease staining.
3. Put some sparkle back into your sheet pans
Sure, baking soda and vinegar is reminiscent of grade school paper mâché volcanos, however this is a science project that will have your sheet pans looking better than ever.
Sure, baking soda and vinegar is reminiscent of grade school paper mâché volcanos, however this is a science project that will have your sheet pans looking better than ever.
Mix 1-part baking soda with 1-part white vinegar to create a paste. Cover your sheet pan in the paste and let it sit anywhere from 30 minutes to overnight. The longer you let it sit, the less hard work you will need later.
Once your pan has been sitting, grab a sponge with a scouring pad and get to work wiping away all the built up crust that has been softened up.
Rinse it with warm water, and you will be thrilled with your brand-spanking-new-looking sheet pans.
- Get Arm & Hammer Baking Soda at Amazon for $0.93
- Get Lucy's Distilled White Vinegar at Amazon for $14.99
- Get the Scotch-Brite Scouring Pads at Amazon for $9.29
4. Clean your pots and pans with Bar Keepers Friend
All you need to do is wet the surface of the area you’re hoping to clean, sprinkle on Bar Keepers Friend, and watch the surface of your pans come back to life.
When high heat is used on stovetop pans, you can get some rust and staining on the bottoms. No matter how much dish soap and scrubbing you use that doesn’t seem to help, the best way to actually get rid of staining is with Bar Keepers Friend.
We’ve long been fans of the incredible cleaner that works instantly. All you need to do is wet the surface of the area you’re hoping to clean, sprinkle on Bar Keepers Friend, use a sponge to create a paste and let it sit for just a couple of minutes.
After a few minutes you can easily scrub away at stains, and you’ll have sparkling pots and pans.
Get Bar Keepers Friend at Amazon for $9.99
5. Clear up foggy vases with denture tablets
To return your foggy flower vases to their original clear transparency turn to denture cleaning tablets.
Yep, you read that right. To return your foggy flower vases to their original clear transparency turn to denture cleaning tablets.
Reviewed’s parenting editor Anna Lane says denture tables work wonders. Put a tablet in the vase you’re hoping to clean and fill it with warm water. Let it sit for a couple of hours until the tablet has stopped fizzing. Rinse out the vase and scrub out any mineral deposits. Let it dry and be amazed how clear it is.
Denture tablets are also an affordable way to clean your water bottle, the bottom of which can be hard to reach with just a soap and sponge. Utilizing a denture tablet helps bring some anti-bacterial cleaning properties.
Get Efferdent Denture Cleanser Tablets at Amazon for $5.68
6. Brighten your baseboards with Clorox with Bleach
If you’ve been delinquent in your cleaning of these wall trimming, and your white baseboards are starting to look gray, then bring out a bleach cleaner.
I dust my baseboards daily said no one ever. If you’ve been delinquent in your cleaning of these wall trimming, and your white baseboards are starting to look gray, then bring out a bleach cleaner, says Alison Kotch, Reviewed’s health and fitness editor.
Start out by giving them a thorough dusting so that no debris gets in the way of your scrubbing. Then, take Clorox multi-purpose cleaner with bleach and spray the baseboard, targeting your desired area. Wearing gloves and using a sponge, wipe the spray along the baseboards and watch as the grimy build-up disappears.
Once you have given the baseboards a thorough clean, rinse them off using a wet paper towel. Your baseboards will look like they have a fresh coat of paint.
Unfortunately, you’ll notice a lingering bleach scent in your space, so consider doing this task on a day with fair weather so you can open your windows to let in some fresh air.
- Get Clorox with Bleach at Amazon for $4.59
- Get Vgo Reusable Household Gloves at Amazon for $16.98
- Get Scotch-Brite Heavy Duty Scrub Sponges at Amazon for $6.49
7. Vacuum your floor hands-free
What's easier than vacuuming? A vacuum that does all the work without you!
Vacuuming is surely easier than sweeping your entire house. But, what’s easier than even that? A vacuum that does all the work without you. The best robot vacuum we’ve ever tested is the iRobot j7+, which comes with a self-emptying charging base.
Additionally, the iRobot j7+ can connect to your Amazon Alexa to set-up routines, which allow it to run while you are not home.
Get the iRobot j7+ at Amazon for $799
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