26 DIY Cleaning Hacks for Lazy People

woman with rollers in her hair and a sponge and cleaning spray, cleaning hacks for lazy people

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How Do You Get A Lazy Person To Clean The House?

Bribery? Wishing? Food? Ha! It’s not that we’re all too lazy to clean our houses, it’s just not fun to us. So, try to figure out what will motivate you…maybe gamification? Tell yourself that if you clean you can do something fun right afterwards as your reward. Sometimes the only way I can really motivate myself to clean is to make it fun. Cleaning hacks can actually make cleaning fun!  I will literally scroll through TikTok (going down the rabbit hole of CleanTok) and look through all of the DIY ideas and cleaning hacks just to get me pumped up. Now, I do love to organize so that also motivates me. If I keep everything organized it makes it so easy to clean the house.

26 DIY Cleaning Hacks

Don’t Clean Your Blinds

Ok, don’t get mad at me, but I have these and for some reason I have never had to clean them (and it’s been like 3 years! Eek!). These are the only type of blinds I have in my house now and I am so happy because they don’t seem to collect dust. I thought they would be a huge pain but they are the best thing ever. So, that’s one less thing I have to worry about!

Robot Vacuums Save The Day

I will tell you what, robot vacuums are a life saver for me.  I love hardwood floors and I’m lazy so it’s beyond perfection.  I have one that just vacuums and it only cost $25 at a church rummage sale. I love it for keeping up on pet hair!  I also have a combo robot vacuum that mops the floor with a microfiber cloth and sweeps and it’s even MORE fabulous.  We would never mop our floors and now it looks like we keep up on it every day!  10/10 stars!  

Rain-X and Shower Sprays

My husband thought of this before we even saw that Rain-X actually has a shower spray!  But, it worked!  He sprayed it on all the glass and fixtures and it repelled the water and kept it from getting those spots all over it.  Also, we use other brands to keep mold away!  There are sprays that you use in tubs and showers as soon as you’re done.  It works along with the warm water I guess but basically keeps you from having to scrub the grout!

Dryer Sheets For Baseboards

When I’m going to the bathroom and look down at how dusty the floor and baseboards look (what? that’s when I notice ha!), I run in and grab a dryer sheet.  You can clean all of it up and make it smell fresh in a minute or too. Or, you can use lint rollers too.  

Easy Microwave Cleaning

microwave that has old food splattered all over it with a white bowl sitting inside

Microwave a bowl of water so it steams.  That makes all those hard food stains wipe off easily.  No wasting time and energy scrubbing. Add lemon slices to that bowl of water and it’ll even smell clean.  

Garbage Disposal Deodorant

Garbage disposals are actually a great cleaning tool themselves.

I know because when mine broke, my kitchen was a disaster. It was harder to do dishes which means I did dishes less, it was smelly and I just hated it.

If you’ve got a smelly garbage disposal and some baking soda, why not try these cute DIY Garbage Disposal Deodorizers from Bitz & Giggles?

DIY Stain Remover

My mom swears by Spray N Wash, and it is good, but I run out of it forget to buy it all the time.

Having an option to DIY a really good stain remover like this one from My Frugal Adventures is a really good thing.

I’d keep a jug of this by the washing machine. Actually, also some in the bathroom, too. Because it is probably best to get the stain as quick as possible. And it’s easier to remember to do it when you’re changing than when you’re trekking down to the laundry.

Homemade Carpet Deodorizer

Carpet can get seriously stinky. The shoes, the animals, the random food spills.

You ever walk into a room and your like, I smell wet dog, feet, chicken.

All at once?

You need DIY Homemade Carpet Deodorizer.

Keep The Fridge Clean

Refrigerator liners prevent needing to clean at all.  I love not cleaning!  These fridge liners from Amazon are non-slip and washable.  So, if you do spill stuff in the fridge you won’t have to worry about cleaning or having to replace the lining.  

DIY Cleaning Wipes

I looooove cleaning wipes. They are one of my very favorite cleaning tools because they are all in one.

You don’t have to have a paper towel AND a spray bottle. It’s all done for you.

That means you get the cleaning done quicker. So try these DIY Cleaning Wipes from Organically Frugal.

DIY Kitty Litter Deodorizer

Rose Clearfield loves Baby Powder for deodorizing her kitty litter box.

If you have a cat, then you know, kitty litter stinks to high heaven.

Your house will never seem clean if you have a smelly kitty litter box. It is impossible.

This is most definitely worth a try and probably a lot cheaper than buying the stuff made for the pet box.

Foil So You Don’t Have As Many Dishes

Chicken fillet baked with tomatoes and cheese on a baking sheet with foil. Delicious healthy food. Lifestyle. Flat lay. Top view. Wooden background. Female hand

I’m not going to lie, I am super lazy.  So, I put foil down on my baking sheets no matter what I am baking in the oven.  That way I don’t have to wash the pan ever!  Woo hoo!  I also like to use it in my air fryer basket too!  Line everything you don’t want to wash; you can buy crockpot liners and oven bags.  

Toilet Bowl Bombs

No one wants to clean a toilet. Just nobody. Not Martha Stewart. Not whatever other home guru you want to come up with. Toilet brushes just gross me out!

So if there’s a thing called a Toilet BowlBomb that will make cleaning the toilet even just a little less horrendous, then I’m all for it.

Check out the tutorial at Clean Mama.

Homemade Upholstery Cleaner

Is your car upholstery a little gross?

Eating too many tacos from Taco Bell? You should not even attempt that in the car.

Unless you have leather seats that you can just wipe off.

Trust me, I know.

OR, you can just try this DIY Upholstery cleaner from Happy Mothering.

Use Your Dishwasher

Childrens toys lie in the dishwasher., cleaning ideas for lazy people

A dishwasher is already the best cleaning invention for lazy people.  But, you can be using it to clean so much more than just dishes!  Take advantage of it.  You can clean shoes, toys, blenders, light switch covers, and much more!

Homemade Shower Cleaner

This homemade shower cleaner is my favorite DIY cleaning hack. If you’ve ever used something like Scrubbing Bubbles, then you know why. Except HOLY horrific smell! It just can’t be good to be breathing that, right?

So a nice homemade shower cleaner like this from One Essential Community sounds like an excellent plan to me.  It’s only 3 ingredients: Dawn Dish Soap, white vinegar, and whatever essential oil you want.  Plus, it will make everything shiny and clean including the tub, shower tiles, faucets, and glass shower doors.  

Pillowcase To Dust Baseboards

Fan blade on ceiling fan and light fixture in need of cleaning to remove dust and fluff along the edge, lazy people cleaning hacks

I’m lazy, but that doesn’t mean I’m okay with seeing an inch of dust on my ceiling fan blades. And, I never wanted to clean them because the dust would get everywhere and cause even more stuff to clean up.  So, the pillowcase hack is where it’s at!  Use a pillowcase to dust the blades by sticking the whole blade in it and that way all the dust will just stay inside the “bag”. No extra cleanup!

DIY Burnt Pan Cleaner

Do you ever burn dinner? I do. Kind of often. Actually, while I was writing this post, the smoke alarms went off.

True story.

So this DIY burnt pan cleaner from Hometalk was quite timely for me.

Lemon Dishwasher Detergent

Lemon is one of the best smells ever. Hands down. It’s light and fresh and smells, well, clean!

I’m definitely trying this DIY Lemon Dishwasher Detergent from Bren Did.

The smell of lemons is calling to me. Plus, lemons are natrually antibacterial. Can’t beat mother nature.

Homemade Glass Cleaner

Just think of all of the things you can use this homemade glass cleaner from A Blossoming Life on.

Glass. And Mirrors. And your glasses. A Glass table.

Basically, anything that is made of glass.

I love this because it is made with all natural ingredients.

DIY Soft Scrub

Soft Scrub is one of those things my mom always has under the sink. She uses it on anything that she doesn’t want to scratch. Certain pans with a particular finish if I remember correctly.

Here’s a great DIY version from The Turquoise Home that will do just as well for you.

I think soft scrub is a great tool for the tub, too.

Natural Oven Cleaner

Since I’m a serial dinner burner, I really need to be doing some oven cleaning often.

I would much rather go for a natural DIY like this natural oven cleaner from Recipes with Essentials Oils than a harsh store bought chemical-y one.

You can even go ahead and clean the grime out of your microwave while you’re at it!

Trash Can Deodorizer Spray

The trash can is my arch-nemesis.

It’s always full. It always needs to be taken out. It smells. It’s disgusting.

It’s the opposite of everything I love.

I can at least take care of the smell with this really great DIY Trash Can Deodorizer Spray from One Essential Community.

Shower Head Cleaning

I use this hack so I don’t have to take hours scrubbing the hard water and soap scum myself.  All you need is a plastic bag and a cup of vinegar (well and a rubber band or hair tie).  Let it soak while you sleep!

Lavender Linen Spray

Lavender is for lulling to sleep.

A little lavender linen spray on your sheets and it’s sweet dreams for you.

But that stuff can be EXPENSIVE! Why not DIY it like Artful Homemaking did?

You won’t feel bad when you are spritzing it all over the house so the children will please, pretty please, go take a nap!

Take Your Shoes Off

front door with a rug and shoes stacked up in bins, cleaning for lazy people

Prevention is key! An EPA study of homes where a doormat was added at the entrance and shoes were banned indoors showed a 60 percent reduction of lead dust and other contaminants in the home, as well as a significant reduction of allergens and bacteria.

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