#household-cleaning

#household-cleaning

According to a survey by Mattress Advisory, the average American swaps out their dirty sheets for fresh ones every 24 days, but sheets should be washed way more frequently - at least once a week.

The old Dawn refill jug had a standard circular mouth that glugs when it pours out unevenly. One wrong move and that dish soap could end up all over the kitchen counter.

Crushed clean, dry eggshells, when scattered over the soil, are intended to stop adult gnats from laying eggs and potentially add natural fertilizer. However, they merely sit on the surface, collecting dust, while the gnats remain attracted to the damp compost.

"What surprised me is we are still seeing so many visits to emergency departments associated with very common household cleaning products," Lara McKenzie, Ph.D., stated, emphasizing the ongoing issue despite safety advancements.

'Never ever use these three things in a hotel room,' she warned in a video. Her first tip was to avoid using the 'wall-mounted refillable containers with soap and shampoo' now commonly found in hotel bathrooms.

In 2019, scientists found that balloons eaten by seabirds are more likely to kill them than other kinds of plastic yet they do not seem to have been earmarked in the same way as, for example, plastic straws.

Windex is an unexpected household cleaner that can degrease your kitchen and dissolve wallpaper glue and residue. The ammonia in Original Windex is a solvent that breaks down the adhesive properties of glue in wallpaper, allowing you to wipe it off the wall easily.

'Dishwashers need space in between dishes and crockery in order to circulate water, so you're not saving any money by squeezing everything into your machine.'

The results? They picked out 26 cleaning solutions, calling them their favorites. From tried-and-true staples to brand-new discoveries, see below for our top picks.

Improving indoor air quality is something every household can do. HEPA-based air purifiers - including budget-friendly air purifiers or DIY box-fans with a filter - are incredibly effective at cleaning and lowering particulate levels. That means you don't necessarily need a high-end system to see improvement.

Washing machine rubber door seals are one of the biggest hidden breeding grounds for mould in the home. They trap moisture, detergent residue and fabric fibres during and after washes, creating the perfect warm, damp environment for mould and bacteria to thrive.

Kids and clean cars don't mix. Between snack crumbs, stray toys, and sticky fingerprints, your backseat can feel like a disaster zone. No matter how often you tidy up, the mess always returns. So how to keep the car clean? But a messy car doesn't have to be your reality! With simple systems and quick clean-up habits, you can keep things under control. The key is working with the chaos instead of against it -because kids will always make a mess.

When you lack the good fortune of having an in-unit washer and dryer like I do, you have to be extra judicious about how many times you wear clothes before tossing them in the hamper. Laundry piles up quickly, after all, and I refuse to go to the laundromat more often than necessary. The only issue with re-wearing clothing items is that they wrinkle - fast - and they don't always smell daisy-fresh, if you catch my drift.

Whether you're whipping up a labor-intensive meal or are working from home at a stand-up desk, these cushioned floor mats are about to make your legs and back so much happier. They're made with memory foam and supportive padding to help ease pressure on your joints as you stand. They're also waterproof to stand up to spills and splashes, and come in a variety of colors and sizes to suit your space.

It's about what happens in those crucial minutes before bed. The psychology behind this makes sense. As behavioral scientists have found, our environment significantly impacts our stress levels and mental clarity. A cluttered space often leads to a cluttered mind. Those who maintain consistently clean homes have figured out that small, nightly rituals prevent the overwhelming buildup that sends the rest of us into cleaning frenzies.

In an Instagram Reel, creator @alyssalanemcnair demonstrates using a leaf blower indoors to push debris out from under furniture, along baseboards, and out of tight, hard-to-reach spaces. The concept is simple: Instead of vacuuming or sweeping, you use the airflow to move dirt, dust, and debris out from areas traditional tools struggle to reach. It sounds chaotic (and it definitely looks dramatic), but in practice, it's surprisingly strategic - especially if you're intentional about where the mess is being directed.

I'll be honest: Washing my actual pillows (not just the cases) used to be one of those chores I knew I should be doing, but rarely actually did. As long as my pillows were tucked inside clean pillowcases, I convinced myself they were fine. But that all changed after I came across this article on Apartment Therapy where three popular pillow-washing methods were put to the test.