Smart Finds & Pro Tips for a Spotless Chicago Home

Feeling overwhelmed trying to keep your Chicago home spotless between work, life, and everything else? You’re not alone. A clean space is a sanctuary, but finding the time and energy for a proper scrub-down is a real challenge. The good news? With a few clever tips and the right help, a sparkling home is totally within reach.

Creating a beautiful, clean home doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Sometimes, it’s about mixing high-quality finds with incredibly smart, budget-friendly solutions. Whether you’re sprucing up for a season or tackling everyday messes, a little strategy goes a long way.

High-Impact Decor That Doesn’t Break the Bank

You can achieve a designer look for less by being strategic. Look for items with simple, elegant lines—like chargers with metallic rims or glass bottles—that feel high-end. The trick is in the mix: pair one stunning new piece with items you already own. This layered, collected look feels more personal and elevated than a perfectly matched set.

For a quick, charming touch for gatherings, use a dry-erase marker to write guest names directly on the side of a plate or charger. It wipes right off after! Thrift stores (or live-shopping apps) are also goldmines for unique crystal, silver, or ceramic pieces that add character when paired with affordable basics.

Cleaning Products That Deliver (For Way Less)

Your cleaning arsenal doesn’t need to be expensive to be effective. New multi-purpose cleaners that are eco-friendly, non-toxic, and safe for pets and kitchens are hitting shelves everywhere, even at budget-friendly prices. For a deep cleaning help day, having the right products makes all the difference.

Look for trusted brands offering powerful solutions like specialized oven cleaners for glass stovetops or laundry odor removers for workout gear. A great hack? Some dollar store stain removers are proven dupes for big-name brands, tackling everything from Sriracha to grass stains with impressive results.

Organize Your Space, Simplify Your Life

Clutter is the enemy of a clean-feeling home. Affordable acrylic containers are perfect for organizing fridge shelves, while clear bins are ideal for under the sink. Using uniform styles and sizes creates a calm, orderly look instantly.

Don’t limit “laundry” baskets to the laundry room! Use them in a home office or craft room to corral project supplies—you can easily tuck the whole basket away when not in use. A well-organized space is infinitely easier to keep clean.

The Secret to Streak-Free Shine

When it comes to mirrors and glass, a good foam cleaner can be a game-changer. These sprays, often available for a fraction of the cost of other retailers, provide a truly streak-free shine without the extra chemical smell. It’s a simple upgrade that makes your whole space feel brighter and more polished. For a consistently flawless finish, many busy Chicagoans rely on a professional home cleaning team to handle the details.

When DIY Meets “Done-For-You”

We love a good DIY tip and a smart find. But let’s be real: life gets busy. When your to-do list is overflowing, spending your weekend scrubbing isn’t always the best use of your time. That’s where knowing when to call in the pros makes all the difference.

If you need a reset or simply want to maintain a pristine home without the effort, it might be time to schedule a cleaning. A reliable cleaning service near me can provide that thorough, top-to-bottom refresh. Whether you need a regular touch-up or a major overhaul, finding someone to clean my apartment can give you back your weekends.

For Chicago residents, investing in a local Chicago cleaning company means supporting your community while getting exceptional service. The right team can handle everything, allowing you to simply come home to a spotless space. It’s the easiest way to clean your apartment without any of the stress.

Your Time is Worth It

At the end of the day, a clean home contributes to your peace of mind and well-being. Whether you tackle it yourself with clever products or decide to book an appointment with a pro, the goal is the same: a sanctuary you love coming home to. If you need help cleaning my place, remember that efficient fast cleaning services exist for this exact reason. Explore your local cleaning services in Chicago to find the perfect fit to get your space cleaned.

We’ve got brand new product lines at Dollar Tree that look super high-end, and I’m about to save you over $20. But first, spring has sprung. I mean, I wore my pink for it today. The chargers that I have been looking for are finally here. These are gorgeous, and they have this really pretty gold rim. And check this out. Come here. If I were to go to Target, four of these chargers would cost me $82. Not even kidding. Dollar Tree has so many Pottery Barn items in stock in 2026. They have these really beautiful glass bottles that have gold rims on them, which goes really well with this. I always buy things in groups of three, and a single floral in this is going to look so good. This designer look is $69 in other places. You can get it done naturally and gorgeous from the Dollar Tree. And speaking of natural, I want to share with you that LA’s Totally Awesome just dropped this multi-purpose cleaner and deodorizer. This is eco-friendly, natural, non-toxic, biodegradable, environmentally safe. I am so excited to try this out. Hydrochloric acid is powerful, non-toxic, and eco-friendly. It’s naturally produced by white blood cells. And I was so excited to see this in Dollar Tree just because it’s non-erritating. It’s food safe, safe for pets, too. Perfect for kitchen surfaces. And it works. This might be Dollar T’s best new find from LA’s Totally Awesome of 2026. What else is new? Are these acrylic fridge storage containers? These are thicker than they have ever been. When you see these in store, these are just like Container Store quality. Grab Dollar Tree Place mats or Dollar Tree chop mats. I just like the pattern on these. Put these inside your fridge to line them. And these containers will help you organize. Plus, you can use the LA’s totally awesome to clean your fridge. And I love that it’s food safe. Now, speaking of the kitchen, we’ve got to set the table for our amazing Easter brunch, our Mother’s Day brunch, and Dollar Tree nailed it with these new product drops this year. Also down here are these adorable pink glasses. To me, this is reading Pottery Barn. This is reading anthropology. And what I’ve loved to see is just traditional styles coming back and mixing and matching textures. That’s what gives you a high-end look. Maybe you take one really pretty plate and combine it with something you already have. I think it looks more elevated this way. Check out this table. Want to see the best hack cuz I’m ready to show you. Grab a dry erase marker and you could add guest names to the side of the charger. These wipe away easily. I took a Dollar Tree plate, a plate I already had on hand, and topped with a Dollar Tree plate. I thrifted these amazing crystal napkin rings. And I also thrifted these pretty tea towels. I cannot wait to show you how this table turned out. I think it’d be perfect for Mother’s Day or Easter. I am now in the Easter section. And I really loved to see they brought back the salt and pepper shakers that are a bunny and a carrot. I love to take Dollar Tree finds and combine them with really quality thrifted finds like this pretty silver tray for the salt and pepper shaker. And maybe you struggle to find amazing things in your thrift store. And if that’s you, I am so excited to bring to you today my thrifting loophole. Today’s video is brought to you by WhatNot. And we’ve got a haul. Whatnot is a live streaming app where you can sell, buy, and auction literally anything. I love the vintage and antiques. I love the home decor finds. It’s like having a thrift store in your pocket. Their clothes are great, too. I don’t know about you, but I have a few collections, and one of the things I collect is English iron stone, and I found a ton on whatnot. So, we’re going to unbox this together. I am so excited. This just came. Here it is. So beautiful with the markings on the back. Blue Nordic. These are made in England. There is a $500 giveaway just for one of you and it is super easy. All you have to do is sign up for Whatnot. The link is right here on screen and then leave a comment down below with your WhatNot username and you will automatically be entered into the $500 giveaway. But what is even cooler is as soon as you sign up for whatnot, you have a free $15 to spend in the app on anything you want. Whether you’re like me and looking for beautiful iron stone for your table or something you collect, you have a free $15 to spend. And if you spend it, you get an additional giveaway entry. I am so excited to hear about what you find. Whatnot is the best place to shop without leaving your house with a variety of products all at a super low price. That is what do it on a dime is all about. Be sure to click the link. It is right here. It’s been so fun to get to thrift more with all of you. Combine those finds with Dollar Tree items. Really combining that high and low. I love how this tablescape turned out. You would have no idea that I thrifted these items and got them so affordably. And I want you to come to the oven cleaning section and look for a secret find that is still $1.50. This carbona oven cleaner is for a glass top stove and it retails for $7. That’s the Amazon price, okay? And Carbona is such a great product. You can attest if you’ve used it before. It’s really great on a glass cooktop. It leaves it looking virtually brand new. A clean kitchen is always worth it. And before I go and drop some insanely practical finds on you, I’ve got to share with you some brand new ones. Dollar Tree just dropped these macra hangers, and they even have wooden beads on them. I can highly recommend these at $1.50 each. They are just beautiful. And they dropped landscape calendars. Traditional art is coming back in vogue. And I love how one calendar gives you so many options. I thrifted this beautiful frame. I actually got this on whatnot. Then you can put the art inside. Change it out for the seasons. I love how this one turned out. You could even do this with bags. Dollar Tree got all new gift bags this year. Some of them are so nice. I adore this pattern. I thought this would look great in a powder room. And I just love how easy it is to change up your style quickly and not have to spend a lot to do it. I always love to show you brand new picture frames that are of quality. And this one is a 4×6. I love that this is made completely of wood. They also have this little 4×6 frame. These are gorgeous. This is a brand new find. Now, these are $6. But here’s the surprise. They come with this little lid. This is such a great container. This is cheaper than Walmart. I’m going to put the price right here. And the quality on this is really solid. I also love this color. It’s nice and neutral. Stick with uniform styles. that’s going to make your space look awesome. I have to call this out again cuz they brought it back, but it’s a new product. These 12Q narrow clear bins. This size is great. Now, I use these under my kitchen sink. These take a label grate and they’re only $4 each. Designer finds just dropped and yes, I actually use this all over my home. These are the hip hugger, meaning you can sit this on your side or maybe it’s a belly resttor depending on how you look at it. These are really cool laundry baskets. They’re $6. They’re made in the USA. I really like these green ones in the front. I also really like the white ones in the front. Beautiful. And a great trick with laundry baskets is to use these in a craft room. If you’ve got a little project going, stick it in a laundry basket and then you can stick it under a table, bring it back out when you’re ready to work. I was really impressed with the quality on these. I love that they’re made in the USA and they’re really, really nice for just $6, no matter where you want to use them in your house. And now we’ve got to jump into the cleaning products and we’re going to hit beauty up too. There is just one left in this store. This is Carbona’s laundry odor remover. This has an estimated retail of $16. This is such a trusted brand. These two items together are a power buy. This is especially great on workout clothes. And I want to tell you that Dollar Tree stain remover is a dupe for Shout Advanced. It’s virtually the same product. I even did a side byside test using some Sriracha stains. I sprayed on the shout and then I used the Dollar Tree stain remover. I wanted to see side by side which would perform better. I put these in the washing machine. Here is the before and the after. You can still see the little control line. I don’t know about you, but I cannot tell a difference. Homebrite made a fragrance booster. This is in the Brazilian soul scent. This is a dupe of the Soul de Janeiro fragrance boosters. I am so excited about this one and I think the packaging is super fun. Let’s smell it together, shall we? Okay, hold on. M. That’s good. All right, Kathy, do you approve? Do you approve? We got it. Where is she? Yes, we got it. We’re good. I love it. Some of you suggested to me that I put these in baby mittens or baby socks and then I could stick these in dresser drawers. I thought it was a great idea. I love you guys. Another bonus buy is this Windex foam. Now, this is 350 here, but typically this retails for $4 and up in other stores. But this is a product that has gone viral because it is the best foam cleaner. Scrubfree foam cleaner from Dollar Tree is also fantastic. But this one is a really great buy. When you see it, scoop it up. You want to see how it works? Cuz I know you do. This is genuinely a streak free product. I originally saw this all over Tik Tok, but why pay an extra dollar or two if you’re purchasing it from Walmart or online when you can get it from Dollar Tree? It’s $3.50 there and it does an amazing job. And especially when it comes to spray-on foams, you’ve got to know this is the simplest little thing, but I love it. And every time I’m in Dollar Tree, I pick one up when I need it. The Spa Luxury Whipped Shave Cream. This stuff is so good. For some reason, it feels like Ready Whip, like right in my hand. It doesn’t have scent, and it’s so smooth on my skin. But if you like a little scent, I also love the Spa Luxury Pomegranate Raspberry and their intimate shave cream. It literally smells like cake. Dollar T’s beauty finds are still a buck 25 and they are dropping new stuff. I’m just going to take you straight down the beauty section and show you the gems. Okay, Diamond Cosmetic glass nail files. I love this. It’s so cute with a little bow on top. I think this would be cool in an Easter basket. Come look at this. The Dollar Tree press on nails are awesome. My personal favorite brand since many of you have asked is Pretty Woman. This is a brand that actually has its own website. So, this is a great deal. They also have a neutral collection. This is by Bol brand and I never have used the glue that comes with these cuz it doesn’t work. You can get super glue or crazy glue from the auto section and it works just as well. I know that sounds nuts, but I’ve been doing that for a very long time. I am extremely picky about what I share with you. Nothing in a do it on a dime video is something I wouldn’t use and nobody is going to know you got it from Dollar Tree. This is just a killer deal in and of itself. This is a fourack of Hawaiian black salt sheet masks. This is Freeman brand. These are about $6 each at CVS. This is a great deal and a great gift idea. Dollar Tree sells Duo eyelash glue and Ioni eyelashes. And if you like just like a super light natural eyelash, this is what I like to get. These are the twoin- one clusters. They are the Lash Luna’s wispy natural cluster flare and they are bandless so they look super natural on. For me, luxury isn’t about the label. It’s knowing how something fits into your home. And I think if it makes your home feel more like you, then it was worth it. And remember to download WhatNot. One of you is going to get a $500 shopping spree. I’m so excited to hear about what you find. Go spend your free 15 bucks and put that Whatnot username in the comments below. Remember, that’s your entry. My beautiful friend, if nobody has told you today, guess what? You are enough. I’ll catch you soon.