Smart Cleaning Hacks to Save You Time & Money

Living in the bustling city of Chicago, keeping your home spotless can feel like a second job. Between work, family, and trying to enjoy everything our city offers, who has the time? We get it. That’s why we’re sharing some brilliant, budget-friendly cleaning hacks that actually work, so you can spend less time scrubbing and more time living.

It’s easy to get caught up buying every new cleaning product on the shelf. But before you know it, you’ve spent a small fortune. The good news? Some of the most effective cleaners are already in your pantry. These DIY solutions perform brilliantly without breaking the bank, leaving you with a cleaner home and more cash in your pocket.

1. The Ultimate All-Purpose Cleaner

The product I reach for more than any other is a gentle, effective all-purpose cleaner. Instead of buying expensive bottles, you can make your own with two simple ingredients. Just mix half a teaspoon of dish soap with two cups of water. This creates a powerful surfactant that lifts dirt without harming surfaces. I make this twice a week and use it freely, knowing I’m saving a ton of money. For those days when you need a more thorough refresh, consider booking a professional home cleaning to handle the heavy lifting.

2. Streak-Free Glass Cleaner

Never buy store-bought glass cleaner again! The secret to crystal-clear windows and mirrors is already in your kitchen. Simply mix equal parts white vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Spray it on, wipe it off, and enjoy a gorgeous, streak-free shine. It’s that easy and incredibly cost-effective. If cleaning every window feels daunting, our team offers fast cleaning services that include detailed glass cleaning.

3. The Magic Eraser Alternative

Move over, expensive sponges! Baking soda is a powerhouse cleaner that can tackle scuffs, soap scum, and grime just like a magic eraser—for a fraction of the cost. Just dampen the surface, sprinkle on a pinch of baking soda, and scrub gently with a cloth in a circular motion. Always test in a hidden area first. Rinse with water, and you’re done. For built-up grime that needs more attention, sometimes you need deep cleaning help from the pros.

Repurpose, Don’t Repurchase

Before you buy another specialized tool, look at what you already have. An old toothbrush is perfect for scrubbing tight spots around faucets, stove knobs, toilet hinges, and even cleaning shoes. Save one for the kitchen and another for the bathroom. Looking for a cleaning service near me that pays attention to these details? We focus on the nooks and crannies others miss.

4. DIY High-Duster

Skip the expensive extendable dusters. Create your own “cleaning ghost” by wrapping a microfiber cloth over the end of a mop pole and securing it with a rubber band. This genius tool lets you easily clean the tops of doors, corners, and light fixtures (make sure they’re off!). Flip it around to clean baseboards without bending over. It’s the ultimate versatile tool. When you’re ready to schedule a cleaning that covers from floor to ceiling, we’ve got you covered.

5. Perfect Stainless Steel Polish

Forget pricey polishes. To make your stainless steel appliances sparkle, first clean with soap and water or your vinegar solution, always wiping in the direction of the grain. Then, for a stunning, fingerprint-resistant finish, apply a nickel-sized drop of mineral oil (a non-vegetable oil that won’t go rancid) with a paper towel, working it in section by section. This leaves a gorgeous protective gloss. As a leading Chicago cleaning company, we know all the tricks to make your kitchen shine.

Your Time is Valuable

These small, smart changes to your routine can yield better results in less time. But we understand that sometimes, even the best hacks aren’t enough for a busy Chicagoan. If you’re thinking, “I just need someone to clean my apartment,” professional help is the ultimate time-saver. Let our expert team provide the thorough, reliable cleaning services in Chicago you deserve.

We hope these tips empower you to maintain a cleaner home efficiently. Remember, the goal is a beautiful space that supports your lifestyle, not one that consumes all your free time. Whether you tackle it yourself or decide to book an appointment with us, a fresh, inviting home is within reach.

It is very easy to be swept up in the excitement of buying the latest and greatest new cleaning product. But you know what? You can start to spend a lot of money, maybe even a little bit too much money on cleaning products. And there are a lot of them that you can make at home. So, in this video, I want to share with you some of my favorite cleaning hacks that are completely DIY and totally save you money, but without compromising performance. And if this is your first time here, welcome to Clean My Space. My name is Melissa Maker. I’ve been here since 2012 sharing the most efficient and effective ways to get your cleaning done right the first time. I’m a cleaning expert that hates to clean. So if that resonates with you, feel free to subscribe to the Clean MySpace channel so you can always see my videos. Oh, and by the way, give this video a thumbs up if you want to put a little bit of extra cash in your pocket and a little bit less in Big Cleaning Supplies pocket. The cleaning product I use more than any other one at home is all-purpose cleaner. It can handle pretty much any surface in the home safely, and that’s because it’s a gentle cleaner, but it’s effective. So, it’s mostly water, which means it can create a nice slip on the surface and lift anything off, but it’s got a little bit of a surfactant in there, something that can raise dirt to the surface without harming the surface. Well, you can go out and spend all kinds of money on fancy all-purpose cleaners. And trust me, I’ve seen and tested a ton of them, including one from a very expensive perfumery that goes for $50 a bottle. I got you. You can use a tiny squirt of dish soap. I’m talking half a teaspoon in two cups of water. I whip this up about twice a week cuz I go through a lot of it. And I always think about how much money I save whenever I whip this product up because I can use it without any regard for finances and it gets my surfaces perfectly clean. You know why the company that makes the blue glass cleaner has never come to me for a sponsorship opportunity? It’s because I have repeatedly told people to just make their own glass cleaner and never spend money on storebought glass cleaner again. It shocks me that people would go out and do this because vinegar and water does an incredible job at getting your windows clean. And that’s as simple as the recipe gets. It’s literally equal parts vinegar and water. Mix it together, spray it on your glass, wipe it off. Your glass will look gorgeous and you will have saved a ton of money. There are two camps of people when it comes to magic erasers. There are people who are totally obsessed with them and people who could do without them. And I am in this camp right here. And that’s because baking soda essentially can do whatever a magic eraser can do. And a box of baking soda is like a third of the cost of a box of magic erasers. And it lasts for a long long long long time. To make this magic happen, just grab a pinch of baking soda and slightly dampen the surface that you want to clean. Now, of course, you want to test this in a hidden area first. The same thing applies to a magic eraser. You want to make sure that the abrasion won’t scratch the surface. Following that, you can take a cleaning cloth of choice. I’m using a microfiber cloth here. This one’s by Makers. And I’m just scrubbing in a circular motion. Once that’s done, I’m going to use a little bit of water just to rinse it off. Baking soda, like a magic eraser, leaves a little bit of residue behind, but it can get off marks and dirt and soap scum, you name it. Baking soda is a great shoein for a magic eraser. Rather than spending a boatload of money on a variety of different cleaning brushes, there’s a really good chance your old toothbrush can do the job. Now, I’m not saying the toothbrush can do all the things. It certainly cannot, but it can replace a lot of those more expensive cleaning tools. Areas in the kitchen like around the handles, around the faucet, under the knobs of your stove, in little areas of appliances. A separate toothbrush for the bathroom, by the way, can get into the toilet hinges or into the little corners where your tub meets tile. So many different places you can use this in the bathroom. You can even use this dry to dust out tight areas of your car. you know those little seams that you can never seem to get clean. Does a great job on that. And I also love using my cleaning toothbrush to clean shoes. So again, save your old toothbrushes. Not like every single old toothbrush, but every now and then when you know you need a cleaning toothbrush, you can save it and definitely find a cleaning use for it. I always laugh when I see those very expensive high dusting tools being sold or the disposable ones because hello, you can just use a mop pole and a microfiber cloth flipped over. Use an elastic band to tie it off and create what I call the cleaning ghost and use that to get all of those up high areas that you would otherwise have to struggle to get clean. I’m talking the tops of doors, corners, light fixtures. just make sure they’re turned off. And so much more. The other cool thing about this is you can flip it upside down and you can use it to clean baseboards if bending down or mobility issues present themselves. I still can’t believe that stainless steel polishes are being sold because there’s just the easiest and most inexpensive way to get your stainless steel looking gorgeous. The first thing you do is clean it with soap and water or vinegar and water. Those are two perfect starting points to get rid of fingerprints and dirt and any other buildup that you might have on your stainless steel. It’s important to work in the direction of the grain. So, whatever way you see those steel lines going, that would be the grain. That’s the direction you want to clean in. Top to bottom, left to right. And of course, make sure that you’re using a flatweave microfiber cloth so that no debris is getting stuck in there and potentially scratching your finish. The next step, and this is the finisher, this is the real shocker here, is you want to get yourself some mineral oil. That is a non-vegetable oil so it won’t go rancid. You’re going to drop a little bit onto a paper towel. I’m talking the size of a nickel. Once that’s done, you’re going to apply it in the direction of the grain onto the stainless steel. You might notice that it’s patchy at first, but after you work it in section by section, this provides an incredible high polish gloss to the stainless steel and it kind of protects it or ensures it from fingerprints for quite a while. Who honestly doesn’t love a cleaner home with a little bit of extra money left in their pocket? This video is all about making those small smart changes, those little tweaks to your cleaning routine so that you can get better results in less time with more money in your pocket. And that brings me to this week’s comment question, which is, what is your favorite money-saving cleaning hack? Let me know in the comments down below. Maybe we can share ideas and information and this can be like one of those subreddits that just gets millions and millions and millions of views where people flock from all over the world to learn everything they can about saving time and money when they clean. I have an email newsletter that goes out every week and it is strictly designed to make cleaning easier and more efficient. So, if you want in on that newsletter, you can use the link down below to get yourself on the list. And if you like the work that we do here at Clean My Space, you can consider supporting our very small team by becoming a member. If you love all things speed cleaning, you’re going to love this video right here, which is all about how to quickly clean your bathroom in less time. Just a quick reminder, if you haven’t done so already, to subscribe to the Clean MySpace channel. Thanks so much for watching, and we’ll see you next time.