The Best DIY Cleaning Ideas for Around the House

Whether you’re looking to cut back on chemical cleaners or simply don’t have time to run out to the store, we have good news: You can repurpose kitchen staples to clean stubborn messes. Here are a few of our favorites:

White Vinegar

• Window cleaner: Mix a quarter cup vinegar to one pint of water in a spray bottle. Spray on windows and wipe clean.
• Coffee machine descaler: Fill the water chamber with equal parts vinegar and water, then run the machine as normal. Turn off when it’s halfway through the brew cycle and let it sit for an hour. Rinse and run with water 3 times before using.

Can’t get over the smell of vinegar? Here are a few ways to make your cleaning solution smell better.

Apple Cider Vinegar

• Kill mold: Mix apple cider vinegar with a few drops of tea tree essential oil. Spray on mold, and leave it to dry.
• Clean the floor: Combine one cup of ACV to a gallon of warm water. Mop floor as normal with this homemade floor cleaner.

Check out more uses for apple cider vinegar here.

Salt

• Deep clean a cast iron: Sprinkle a tablespoon of coarse salt on stuck-on residue. Add warm water and scrub.
• Solve a sticky stovetop: Sprinkle a layer of salt on sticky liquids, then wipe away with a sponge. The salt helps to grab onto the mess.

Baking Soda

• Clean the slow cooker: Fill insert with water and add 3 tablespoons of baking soda. Set slow cooker to low heat and let cook for a few hours. Rinse. Scrub to remove any stuck on food.
• Absorb household odors: Combine 1 tablespoon baking soda with water in a small spray bottle. Spray lightly around the house.
• Fix a smelly trash can: Sprinkle a small amount of baking soda into the trash can once a week to absorb odors.

Find 50 more clever ways to clean with baking soda.

Lemon

• Steam-clean the microwave: Add the lemon pieces to the bowl, along with 1/2 cup of water. Nuke the water and lemon for three minutes on high, or until the liquid starts to boil
• Freshen up the disposal: To nix the odor, cut a lemon and grind the pieces one at a time in the disposal.
• Refresh a cutting board: Sprinkle some salt on it, then scrub with the cut side of half a lemon. Rinse, then repeat if needed.

Here are more ways to clean with lemon.

Ketchup

• Polish copper: Slather the ketchup onto your copper-bottomed pots and leave it on for as long as you can. Then wipe and rinse.
• Clean silverware: Same method goes for polishing copper. If your silver has a lot of detailing, use a toothbrush to scrub the ketchup into the grooves. Rinse immediately after scrubbing.

Find more unexpected ways to clean with ketchup.

Coffee Grounds

• Deodorize the fridge: Place used grounds in a bowl and leave in your refrigerator overnight to absorb the smell.
• Wipe away stuck-on food: Use coffee grounds as a mild abrasive to clean pots and pans. Add grounds and scrub with soap and warm water.

Don’t dump those coffee grounds just yet. Here are more ways to use them around the house.

Olive Oil

• Polish furniture: Apply a small amount using a soft rag. To make it smell less like olive oil, add a few drops of your favorite essential oil.
• Condition leather: Wipe down leather with a dab of olive oil and let it sit for 30 minutes. Then wipe away the excess.

Find more household uses for olive oil here.

When Homemade Cleaners Just Won’t Cut It

When you’re facing the toughest messes, sometimes a homemade cleaner just won’t cut it. Our Test Kitchen experts tested the leading cleaning products to find the best brand in each category. Find our which product made the list of our Best Loved Brands.

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Taste of Home

All-Purpose Cleaner This is the cleaning product you likely reach for the most. It's a multi-tasking wonder that's used to clean off grimy counters, sticky tabletops and even for wiping down windows. Find out which brand really cleaned up in our tests.

Taste of Home

Stain Remover Every host dreads having to clean up after a messy spill. Serve red wine—like our favorite boxed version—stress-free when you have a good stain remover on hand. Here's our favorite.

Taste of Home

Cast Iron Cleaner If you use your cast-iron pan frequently—and you should be with all these good recipes—you know that sometimes it takes a little extra to get it clean. With the right tool, you can get your pan spick-and-span and ready for more skillet suppers. Find out what we use to get our cast iron clean.

Taste of Home

Oven Cleaner Sometimes self-clean doesn't do enough to get your oven completely clean. Give your oven a refresh—and save yourself extra scrubbing—with a good spray-on oven cleaner. Check out our top pick.

Taste of Home

Surface Stain Eraser A good surface stain eraser can take care of lots of life's small messes and can even restore our treasured vintage Pyrex. This is the brand we prefer.

Taste of Home

Wood Floor Cleaner Anyone with wood floors certainly treasures them. However, keeping them looking like new can be tricky. You don't want to go too harsh with your cleaning products but a quick sweep isn't good enough for long-term clean. Find out what we use to keep wood floors looking their best.

Taste of Home

Kitchen Degreaser Everyone has that baking sheet that has seen better days. You don't need to scrap it! Instead, invest in a good degreaser to bring it back to life. Check out our go-to product.

TMB Studio

Garbage Disposal Cleaner Your garbage disposal sees a lot of mess, and it deserves a good clean. For this, you don't need to break out the rubber gloves (save those for dishes). Instead, opt for an easy-to-use pod. Here's our favorite brand. Shoppers love their $4 garbage disposal cleaner packets, too.

Taste of Home

Paper Towels We rely on paper towels to take care of all kinds of messes. Since we regularly stock up on rolls, we had to ask if it was really worth it to pay more for the pricier brands. Find out what our Test Kitchen recommends.

Taste of Home

Dishwasher Cleaner Yes, your dishwasher needs cleaning! After taking care of all your dirty dishes, it's a good thing to give your dishwasher a clean itself. With easy-to-use pods, it's no trouble to keep it fresh. Find out what our Test Kitchen uses.