Cheap and Effective Outdoor Cleaning Hacks for Your Chicago Home

Living in Chicago means you want to enjoy your outdoor space without constantly battling bugs, weeds, and mess. Whether you have a small balcony or a full backyard, keeping it clean and comfortable doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming. Here are some of the best dollar-store hacks to make your yard feel like a resort — and when you’d rather leave the deep work to the pros, we’ve got you covered.

Stop Mosquitoes at the Source

If mosquitoes are ruining your time outside, there’s a simple trick that actually works. Grab a bucket, some water, organic material (like grass clippings or leaves), and a mosquito dunk from the dollar store. Fill the bucket halfway, add the organic bait, then drop in the dunk. The dunk dissolves and prevents larvae from hatching. Place the bucket in a corner of your yard, and you’ll stop mosquitoes before they even become a problem. It’s a natural, pet-safe solution that costs about $2.

If you’re dealing with a mosquito problem and don’t have time for DIY, you can always schedule a cleaning to keep your indoor and outdoor spaces fresh and pest-free.

DIY Weed Killer That Really Works

Weeds popping up in cracks and along your patio? Grab a $5 spray bottle from the dollar store and fill it with 30% concentrated vinegar and a squirt of dish soap. The vinegar kills the weeds naturally, and the soap helps the solution stick to the leaves. Spray it on any unwanted growth and leave it for 24 hours. The results are amazing — and it’s pet safe, so you don’t have to worry about your furry friends.

For larger outdoor areas or stubborn weeds, consider deep cleaning help to keep your whole property looking its best.

Keep Your Patio Clean Without Sweeping

A lightweight handheld blower is a game changer for keeping your porch or patio clean. Wash down surfaces and then blow away leaves, dirt, and debris in seconds. No sweeping required. It’s easy to store and makes daily maintenance effortless. Combine it with a $5 dollar store sprayer and an expanding hose for a full outdoor cleaning routine.

If you’d rather spend your weekend relaxing, professional home cleaning services can handle all the dirty work for you.

Affordable Fire Pit Hacks for Cozy Evenings

Create your own fire starters using dollar store muffin tins, dryer lint, twigs, dried citrus, old cinnamon sticks, and paraffin wax from used candles. Layer the lint and natural materials in the muffin cups, pour melted wax over the top, and let them set. These make beautiful, functional fire starters that burn for a long time. They’re perfect for a fire pit night with friends.

More Simple Outdoor Upgrades

• Tiki torches from the dollar store are a fraction of the price of hardware store versions — and they repel mosquitoes with citronella fuel.
• Tabletop fans keep fruit flies and other bugs away from your food during outdoor gatherings.
• Handheld bug zappers (as cheap as $5) catch mosquitoes, wasps, hornets, and flies instantly.

You don’t need to spend a fortune to make your outdoor space beautiful and functional. And when you need fast cleaning services for your home or apartment, cleaning services in Chicago make it easy to stay on top of everything.

When to Call in the Pros

Between yard work, bug control, and daily mess, keeping your home clean can feel like a second job. If you’re looking for apartment cleaning or home cleaning service that fits your schedule, you don’t have to do it alone. Whether you need help cleaning my place after a busy week or you want someone to handle the deep cleaning, finding a cleaning service near me is easier than ever.

From keeping your apartment spotless to making your backyard feel like a resort, a little help goes a long way. Clean your apartment without the stress and get back to enjoying everything Chicago has to offer.

Welcome to the garden section of Dollar Tree. I
have tons of outdoor hacks today. I think you’re going to love it. From mosquitoes to weeds
in your yard, this is a natural product that kills mosquitoes for good. I’ve tested these
out over the past several years, all of these actually work. These are the cheap, dollar store, or just
really unexpected tricks to make your yard feel rich.
Just trust, they work.
And first up, we’re tackling mosquitoes, and eliminating them so your house feels like a resort. Is this video already making you itch? I have Skeeter syndrome. It’s horrifying. Please don’t look it up, but I react super big to mosquitoes. This organic trick actually works and you don’t even have to be super
handy. This costs about $2 plus a bucket. You can get these at the dollar store or the hardware
store. If you have a pet, you might want to get a lid. And I’m going to drill a couple of holes
in this. We’re going to outsmart the mosquitoes without having to spray our backyard. This is
just protection from pets. Now, we’re going to fill this up about halfway with water and organic
material. This is the perfect mosquito bait. Then you’re going to take one of these mosquito dunks
and you’re going to put it in. And that’s it. The dunk dissolves and prevents mosquito larvae from
actually hatching. So they want to lay their eggs in here and that larvae is never going to hatch.
You are stopping mosquitoes at the source. We’ve used this for over a year and I happen to be
telling my friend about it and she was like, “No way, Catherine. Does this actually work? You
need to make a video about this for your channel.” I was like, “Yeah, girl. that saved our yard for
the last year. And I’ll absolutely make it for you to show my viewers if I could prevent other people
from getting mosquito bites like me. Oh my gosh, I feel like I’ve done the good deed of this
summer. And I feel like our yard is a good testament to something actually working cuz we
have a lot of things that attract mosquitoes. At less than $2 a piece, these are absolutely worth
it. And again, we’ve used this for a long time in our yard. Everything that I share will be linked
on the screen just for you. And maybe you’ve been in Dollar Tree and you spotted these handheld bug
zappers for $5 and thought to yourself, “Do I need this? How does it work? Held it for a second and
maybe you put it back. I will say you can find these on Amazon for $10 and they are very well
reviewed. So is the Dollar Tree one and at only $5, this rings in at a great deal. They’re battery
operated. Turn it on and it will catch mosquitoes, wasps, hornets, and yes, even flies right inside
the mesh. Wave this around like a tennis racket. Bugs. Pesky mosquitoes are zapped to their death.
You can see one stuck in here after just a couple of waves. And when it comes to bugs, I would be
remiss if I did not mention this tabletop fan. It’s battery operated and any event that you’re
hosting, turn this on and it will keep all fruit flies and flies away from your food. I
recently saw this at tons of events around our neighborhood. I love that these are so common now
and they are super affordable. I’ll be sure to link them for you. These are my top bug products,
okay? Like I am revealing all my secrets and I have to share a viewer secret with you that’s a
little unconventional. If you’re dealing not only with bugs but with critters, she said she took
these B-Fresh $1.50 toilet bowl cleaners and she put them on the outside of some of her plants
because critters were eating her bulbs. You said it worked like a charm and shared this photo. I
have so many amazing hacks just like these coming up. Lots of them from the Dollar Tree. If you like
a good deal though, you have to hear about this. I’m obsessed with a good hack and a good deal.
Which is why I’m so thankful today’s video is brought to you by Whatnot. Whatnot is a number one
app for a reason. Whatever you’re into, you can find it on Whatnot. These are Lululemon leggings
I got on Whatnot for literally $20. From my Ralph Lauren hat to my Lululemon clothes, everything
I got was from Whatnot. Think of Whatnot as a live streaming app meets auctions meets social
media. I like to connect with some of my favorite creators that sell vintage home decor and also
name brand clothes. Especially for the summer when it comes to athleisure, all of my Spanx come
from Whatnot. I did a live auction of Halara items that were so affordable. I was so excited about.
This was $5 and this was $10. The number of name brands is actually insane. I’ll be sure to link
my favorite sellers below. Whether you’re looking for something for your back patio or something for
you to wear, you can probably find it and bid on it on Whatnot. Click my QR code for $15 free on
Whatnot literally to spend right now. That would make something like these adorable Halara pants
totally free. Plus, there’s a $500 giveaway. Be sure to follow me on Whatnot. Do It on a Dime
and you’ll be automatically entered. Whatnot is the hack of the summer. I’m telling you what, I
cannot wait to hear what you find on there. This next trick is magical for killing weeds pretty
much anywhere in your yard. This is cheaper than Amazon. It’s cheaper than Lowe’s. Cheaper than
Home Depot. Girl, I’m about to hook you up. These spray bottles are $5. And I’m going to teach you
how to make a DIY weed spray. And no, this is not just your standard vinegar, okay? It works super
well. I have done it for years. I’m more into home decor than I am home maintenance, but this is so
easy even I can do it. This is from Dollar Tree. It is a sprayer in the summer section as well as
the soap. I’m going to link this on screen for you because it is the secret. This is vinegar, but it
is 30% vinegar. This stuff is strong and is what naturally kills your weeds. Plus, it’s pet safe.
Hi, Copper. Okay. Well, I think you ruined that shot. It’s okay cuz it’s pet safe. Concentrated
vinegar and dish soap. Okay, this is the Do It on a Dime hack. If you try nothing else, please
try this. So, I’m just going to give this a few pumps to get some pressure in here. And you can
spray this on any grass growing in cracks, any weeds. Just make sure to leave at least 24 hours
between application and the next rain. That’s going to give it time to do its magic. And I know
you’re sitting there like, “Cool, Catherine. Love this idea, but I want to see real life results.”
Well, don’t you worry. I’ve got you. I sprayed grass where it shouldn’t be growing. And the next
day, here is what it looked like. Because this is high-concentration vinegar and the soap is going to
help it stay on the leaves. It does such a great job. Please try this trick. Now, while you can’t
get high-concentration vinegar at Dollar Tree, I’ll be sure to link it on screen because it’s
really affordable from the hardware store. I’m really trying to bring you ideas that like when I
see it at Dollar Tree, I’m going to tell you it’s a good deal. And if it’s a better deal at the
hardware store, I’m going to tell you that, too. Dollar Tree also got brand new stepping stones
in. These are cheaper than the hardware store. They’re $3 each. They come in a black. They come
in a gray. I got a couple of these. I’m excited to try them out. This is a brand new super cool
product. They have these water wands. These are very expensive. I’m going to test this out and I’m
going to let you know if it works. Here’s another Dollar Tree product that if it works is a hero
because these are $20 on Amazon. We’ve got to talk about hoses for a second. If you have dirty hoses,
kinked hoses, or you just don’t want to spend a lot, these tricks are so good. I took a Dollar Tree
bucket. This is just a planter. I drilled some holes in the bottom and I put my expanding hose
inside. I could hide it in the corner on one of these stepping stones. It’s the perfect stabilizer.
Y’all, I was impressed with this sprayer. It has so many different settings from showers, bucket
fillers, power washers. This $5 product worked as good as the $20 products. And I love my expanding
hoses. These shrink down nice and small. They’re super lightweight, and I never have to deal with
a kinked hose again. I will be sure to link an expanding hose below. Combine it with this Dollar
Tree sprayer, a Dollar Tree bucket to store it in. Here it is, power washing the side of my house. I
have been using this for weeks and knew I had to tell you about it. Water and wind are what keep my
porch clean. And I love my handheld blower. Now, this is from Amazon, but you can hold it in one
hand. It’s lightweight and I do not sweep at all. I wash things down and then I can blow out things
every day. This keeps my porch very clean without any extra work. Like, this is a game changer for
the summer. I know it’s not from Dollar Tree, but it’s 40% off right now, so I knew I had to share
it. Up next, we’re talking all things fire and where to save and a weird hack you may not know
about. The tiki torches here are an incredible deal. Bamboo is having a moment right now. Oh my
goodness, look at this. Is this my opportunity to talk about my love of mahjong? Because I do love
mahjong. Does anyone else play mahjong? Do you want a video on how to play? No. I could do a video on
like affordable mahjong, but like I love mahjong. This is pretty niche. Is it too niche? Mahjong is
niche. Is it niche? The tiki torches and the tiki torch fuel at Dollar Tree are excellent deals.
The citronella is going to also help repel mosquitoes, by the way. But not only that, they
give such a shimmery and really cool elegant charm to your backyard. I told you I would point
out the places to save at the hardware store. Lowe’s is selling table torches for almost $9.
You can get literally the exact same thing at Dollar Tree right now for three bucks. And again,
you can combine this with the tiki torch fuel. Pour some of this inside. These are great to repel
mosquitoes. They also give some beautiful ambient light on your back porch. I have to know in the
comments if you know this easy trick. When I’m in Dollar Tree, I grab 70% rubbing alcohol. And I
love mini tabletop fire pits that you can use with rubbing alcohol. You just pour a couple of inches
in the bottom, light it, and you have an instant fire pit. I love these because they’re so easy to
start. No wood required, and they’re perfect for small spaces. I’ll be sure to link some of my
favorite affordable mini fire pits down below. Now, maybe you don’t like something mini, you
want something big. If you like the big fire, you’re going to love this next trick. I grabbed
some Dollar Tree muffin liners and muffin tins. You also want to save your dryer lint. And then
you can go outside and grab little things, things left over in your pantry from twigs, sticks,
leaves. I put some dried oranges in here and some old like very old cinnamon sticks and just set
them on top of the dryer lint in your muffin tins. Then I poured a little bit of paraffin wax from an
old candle over top. This is great because you can just use things that you already have around your
house. And now you have mini fire starters. These make such a beautiful hostess gift. And I had to
show you how they actually work. I didn’t want to put this in a fire pit cuz I wanted you to see it
burn. These do an incredible job. And I just think they’re so beautiful, too. Like taking this to
a fire pit night, giving these to a friend. Here you can see how well these hold the flame. They
are so wonderful for your next party. So whether you like something small and sweet for a fire pit
that’s gas lit or a big fire or just simple ideas, be sure to check out Whatnot for your next garden
party or maybe items to wear as you’re outside. Get your free $15 and enter that $500 giveaway.
If you enjoyed this video, show it some love, my beautiful friend. If nobody has told you
today, you are enough. I’ll catch you soon.