I don’t know about you but nothing makes my wife happier than when I get in trenches with her and help clean our home. I figure, since I helped create the two mess monsters that create most of the housework, I should be there to help clean it up, right? Here’s the thing, I like to do things my own way…the man way. As long as it gets the job done it’s cool, right? The wife agrees so here are a some of “Manly Cleaning Hacks” Argh!
Your dishwasher does more than just dishes.
My wife only puts dishes in our dishwasher but I have a little secret. I use it to clean lots of stuff around the house! Shhhh, don’t tell! You can maximize your dishwasher’s usefulness by cleaning more than the usual dishes. Toothbrushes, bath toys, plastic toys, baseball caps, even your computer key board! Make sure you use a normal heat setting and place everything on the top rack.
Don’t throw those fabric sheets away!
I alway see these white squares hanging around in our laundry and always think to myself “what else can I do with these things” So I collected them and here’s what I found out. Old dryer sheets can:
- dust your tv screens and electronics
- remove pet hair from furniture and clothes
- be used as a replacement for expensive mop dusting pads
- act as a toilet cleaner. Toss two sheets in the toilet and let sit for awhile while you clean elsewhere. When ready, scrub away toilet rings with ease.
- clean your bathroom, Moisten a fabric sheet with a little water and rub on chrome fixtures, shower stalls, doors and curtains to remove tough scum buildup. Once your shower is squeaky clean, grab a bottle of car wax from the garage and apply to the grout and tiles to prevent scum buildup and mildew for up to a year!
- keep your window blinds cleaner longer by wiping them down periodically. The anti-static properties of the product will actually help to repel dust and dirt.
De-gunk your stainless steel pots
I love to cook but I don’t love to clean the pots. Over time, your stainless steel pots and pans can become encrusted with gunk that is near impossible to remove. When regular sponges don’t do the the trick it’s time for something manly from the hardware store…synthetic steel wool! These can be found in the painting section of the hardware store and are a great at scrubbing away burnt on messes. Feeling kinda lazy? Grab one of your handy, dandy old fabric dryer sheets, place in your pot or pan, fill will warm water and leave overnight. Next morning, the dried on gunk will be much easier to remove.
Use your outside tools to clean your housekeeping tools
Us manly men love our power tools and we don’t need an excuse to use them. Your vacuum needs to be cleaned for it to operate effectively and in order to do that, the hoses and unit need to be free of dust and debris. A fast and easy way to clean the hoses of your vacuum is to take it outside and break out the leaf blower. Simply remove the hose from the vacuum and use it to clear out the hose. Seconds later you will have clean hose ready for a cleaning action.
And finally, its time to grab your balls…
A new tennis ball is the perfect scuff mark remover for floors and walls. Dampen with a bit of vinegar and water solution and rub on the marks until removed. New, clean tennis balls can also be tossed in the dryer with your comforters and towels to keep laundry fluffy and static free.
My husband has a new hobby. He makes natural cleaning products with vinegar and baking soda and make me clean with them and he has forbidden me to buy cleaners. Very inspiring article by the way!
I will definitely send this article to my husband! I hope that you will inspire him to help me a little more with the cleaning process. Thanks a lot for sharing!
Ha! Love this post! I never knew about the magic of the tennis balls. We’ll have to try that!
You make those old fabric softener sheets sound so usable now. I am going to have to keep those instead of throwing them out. I also like your tip for the tennis balls.
My husband’s father once put his Cadillac’s hub caps in the dishwasher!
I never realized that fabric sheets could do so much! Seriously amazing!
Love your tips! Never thought about washing toys in the dishwasher
Great tips! I LOLed at the “And finally, its time to grab your balls…” bit!
This is an awesome post! Great ideas! I always throw all our plastic kid toys in a mesh laundry bag and run them through the dishwasher, so easy!
Wow! I’m amazed at the multiple uses for dry-cleaner sheets! I’ll be putting them to use immediately. Awesome
Wow, what great tips. I had no clue that so many things have alternate uses. A tennis ball? Really? How cool
I cant believe there are so many great uses for used dryer sheets, I will have to remember to save all my used dryer sheets and try all these great tips.
I didn’t know that you could use a tennis ball as a scuff remover. That’s really handy to know.
I super love your tips for dryer sheets. I’m absolutely going to start using them.
I need to show this list to my hubby. I am the one who typically cleans our home so he could learn a few pointers here. LOL
I’m going to have to try that tennis ball trick! I love when my husband helps out. Makes me feel less stressed which is good news for everyone around me.
I am seriously laughing. Love how you put it. It’s time for the boys to share the load.
These are all great tips. I will have to remember them myself!
I love it when my hubby cleans my house! He seems to be a lot more thorough than I am!
You, sir, are a genius! I LOVE these tips. Manly cleaning is awesome!
My husband is in charge of the bathroom, I am very lucky in that aspect… But the rest of the house is up to me.
LOL. My husband does most of the cleaning around the house anyways. All I have to do is ignore it long enought