Cleaning is not my favorite thing to do, believe me. So the less time I have to spend doing it and the more tricks I can have up my sleeve to make cleaning easier, the better. Even if you don’t have a professional cleaner, you can have access to her secrets. Hallelujah for these professional cleaner tricks that not many people know about!
9 Tricks Professional Cleaners Know
1. Steam mopping gives you a better clean than products do.
A huge mistake many of us make is overusing products, especially when mopping. Using chemical-laden products often leaves behind a residue that dirt and dust actually cling to, making your floors look dirtier sooner. The solution: use a steam mop. Steam mops can reach up to 248 degrees and cleans at the same time as it kills 99.8% of common household bacteria from your floors. Most professional cleaners will bring a steam mop in tow.
2. Keep white chalk in your laundry room for this reason.
Another trick that professional cleaners have in their magic hat is a piece of white chalk. The reason? To eliminate oil stains in your clothes. Just bought a new blouse and splattered some oil on it while cooking? Rub a piece of white chalk over the grease stain and the chalk will absorb the oil. Wash as usual and you’ll have a perfectly new blouse again.
3. A drop of olive oil is pure magic.
If you have stainless steel appliances, chances are you have plenty of fingerprints to go with them. Want to know the trick professional cleaners use to vanquish fingerprints? A simple drop of olive oil.
Just take a paper towel, dab it in a little olive oil and rub it into the stainless steel surface, rubbing with the grain. Wipe off any excess oil and voila! Everyone will think you’re a magician.
Sparkling natural stone:
Want to know how professional cleaners get natural-stone surfaces like countertops and stone showers sparkling so perfectly? They use Granite Gold which is a-mazing.
4. Always have a steel wool pad handy.
If you don’t have a Brillo pad or other steel wool scrubbing pad, put them on your shopping list. These little scouring brushes are life savers in the kitchen and bathroom. These babies will get rid of nearly any built-up scum when you put a bit of muscle into it. Hard water stains are no match for a steel wool pad. Whether it’s on your granite countertops, bathroom tile, or glass shower door, a steel wool pad will remove the scum without scratching. Try it on any type of buildup around the house.
5. Pumice stones for toilet rings.
If you see a pumice stone in your professional cleaner’s supply bucket, it’s not for pedicure purposes, it’s to get rid of the tough rings around your toilet. Pumice stones are light, porous volcanic rocks and their often used in spas to remove calloused skin. Pumice stones can do wonders on your feel and they can also do wonders on your toilet. Take a pumice stone, wet it, and then rub it along any tough toilet ring and the ring will disappear. They even make special toilet bowl cleaning pumice stones! Make sure to wet your pumice stone first, as a dry one may scratch surfaces.
6. Baby wipes can pick up tiny hair pieces.
Even if you don’t have babies in the house, baby wipes can come in handy in all sorts of situations. You can use baby wipes as makeup removers, to wet down letters and stamps so you don’t have to lick them, to clean deodorant marks off your clothes, and to pick up little tiny hair pieces from pets, beard trims, or hair cuts.
7. Mr. Clean Magic Erasers.
Mr. Clean Magic Erasers are pure genius. I don’t know how they do it, but you can get rid of almost anything using a Magic Eraser. The definition of anything includes, but is by no means limited to: permanent marker on the walls, scuffs on your baseboards, coffee stains inside your mugs, crayon markings on your floor, spilled fingernail polish, and much more. You know, it may be a good idea to invest in Magic Eraser stock.
8. The magic potion of DIY natural cleaners.
Speaking of magic, try the magic potion natural cleaner that professional cleaners swear by. All it is is 1 teaspoon of cornstarch, 1 cup of white vinegar, and one cup of water. This concoction is the best glass and mirror cleaner out there, and it’s 100% green too!
Secret Sale!
Going along with #8 we are offering you (readers of this post) 1/2 off our super popular
Contest Winning Homemade Cleaning Recipes ebook!
Use code: MAGIC
These recipes all call for ingredients you probably already have. Don’t worry about scouring the internet trying to locate the perfect recipes for cleaning – we have them all gathered in this ebook along with printable labels, cleaning schedule, laundry room art, gift tags, and more!
9. Let your vacuum act as an air freshener.
Have you ever walked into a room after a professional cleaner has left and it just smells fresh and aromatic? That’s because professional cleaners use a trick that not many of us think about; they let the vacuum cleaner double as an air freshener. To copycat this little hack, try adding these secret ingredients to your vacuum’s bag or canister:
- A few drops of essential oil for an instant room refresh.
- A teaspoon of cinnamon to infuse the room with a warm aroma.
- Put a dryer sheet inside your vacuum’s bag or cylinder and let it freshen your carpet and your home.
- Add some Downy Unstoppables for a similar aromatic boost.
It’s also important to regularly clean your vacuum. A dirty vacuum can release unpleasant odors into the room during cleaning.
There’s something about these professional cleaning tricks that are just so accessible. It’s nice to know you can get professional results without a lot of hassle. Try them and let us know how it goes!
KathyC says
*Cornstarch*?
In the window cleaner?
Is that right???
BARBARA CALFEE says
I actually know the reason CORNSTARCH is essential in DIY window cleaners! Cornstarch is a SURFACTANT. I WOULD NEVER expect you to know the definition – but here it is: A substance that tends to reduce the surface tension of a liquid in which it is dissolved. [I learned all about these when I was the hospital attorney for a facility that took care of very little, super tiny preemies. If you know anyone who has had a preemie, the parents might have mentioned that the reason their precious angel had to stay in the NICU because their little lungs are the last organs to fully form – and lung formation for a preemie is usually not complete. Okay, little lungs don’t get a lot of air in them for inflation, so upon exhaling the topside and bottom-side of the lung can “stick” together – causing all kinds of issues. Well, besides spraying Pam cooking spray or WD-40 in the babies trachea – scientists developed a specialized SURFACTANT, that not unlike Teflon, keeps the insides of the lungs lubricated and they won’t stick together!]
So what does a harmless surfactant have to do with window washing? The goal of washing your windows (car windows, too) IS TO REMOVE DIRT AND OIL from the glass. The BEST way to remove the ‘washing liquid’ applied is with a SQUEEGEE. A squeegee will definitely move the liquid in a downward fashion. BUT THERE WILL STILL be that liquid stuck on little places on the glass. Why? Well, there are some stubborn water molecules that prefer to live on your windows. They are actually ATTRACTED to the glass. We certainly can’t have that! Enter the cornstarch (a surfactant that blends easily with water. The cornstarch REMOVES THE SURFACE TENSION (technical term for “I like to stick to you.”) Now the squeegee slides and glides over the window welcoming all of those stubborn molecules to join in the free squeegee rtide! TRY IT – THE DIFFERENCE IS ABSOLUTELY UNBELIEVABLE!!
That was TMI to the MAX – but I just had to share!! Barb
Amy Cole says
Barb- I thoroughly enjoyed the TMI to the MAX… Makes perfect sense after your easy-to-read, entertaining explanation! 🙂 Definitely made me want to give it a try. Thanks for taking the time to inform us with your expertise!
Nicolette says
That’s what my source swears by!
Suzanne says
I think it helps “scrub” gently. I use water and vinegar on my mirrors w/o it and it still works well.
Dianna says
for someone who is a cleaning junkie I can truly appreciate this. Thank you!
Kim Santini says
Ah, you’re the best! Thanks so much for the read xx
James says
I always thought the nice smell you talk about was an air freshener. I never would have thought to put essential oil inside my vacuum cleaner bag, I’ll definitely give this a try! How would this work with a bagless vacuum, do I just put it right in the dust canister?