Do Any of These 10 Pinterest Cleaning Hacks Actually Work?

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Cleaning hacks. They’re everywhere on Pinterest, and they all claim to be the answer to your toughest, messiest dilemmas. But are they really?  I tested 10 hacks in my own house and here’s what I found out.   

1. Vinegar Microwave Cleaner

I’m going to start on a positive note… this was my absolute favorite. It worked like a charm! All you have to do is combine 2 cups of water with 2 tablespoons of vinegar in a glass bowl and add a toothpick. Check out the rest of the instructions here. I did need to do a quick scrub on some of the deeper stains, but the whole wiping process took about two minutes. 

 

Verdict: Utterly amazing, I would highly recommend this to anyone! 

 

2. Cookie Sheet Cleaner

This, unfortunately, was a complete fail. The directions said to sprinkle your cookie sheet with baking soda, then spray with hydrogen peroxide, and then sprinkle again with baking soda and leave for 2 hours. Perhaps my cookie sheet gunk was different than her cookie sheet gunk? Below is the after photo, believe it or not. 

Verdict: Complete Pinterest fail.

 

3. Dryer Sheet Baseboard Cleaner

This one worked well on dust, but not on heavier dirt and grime. I found that if I dampened the dryer sheet it worked a bit better. The instructions say simply to run a dryer sheet along your baseboards by attaching it to a Swiffer. It does note that you won’t need to clean the baseboards as often after using this trick… but the jury’s still out on that. Here are the full instructions.

Verdict: Somewhat effective… better with a damp dryer sheet.  

 

4. Vinegar Shower Head Cleaner

This hack sort of worked. It definitely removed some of the calcium buildup, but not all of it. It seemed like it may have improved the water flow a bit, but not significantly. But it doesn’t take much time or effort though, so perhaps it’s worthwhile to do every month or two.  Here’s the tutorial.

Verdict: Somewhat effective… worth the minimal effort every now and then.

   

5. Homemade Window Spray

This hack worked pretty well, but not as well as Windex in my opinion. I had to wipe everything repeatedly to get it clean, and the finish was more streaky than with Windex. But still a major improvement to an unwashed window! I used a mixture of 1 part water, 1 part vodka and 1 park white vinegar. Find the instructions on number 5 in this post.

Verdict: If you’re trying to go all-natural, give it a try.  

 

6. Cooktop Cleaner

I found this cleaning hack to be effective on lighter messes, but it didn’t fix the deeper scum around the burners (where my pasta water inevitably overflows every single time). It was also really gooey and took a while to remove the actual cleaner. The directions say to mix dish soap with baking soda and hydrogen peroxide… find out more here. 

Verdict: Fairly effective, but maybe not worth the mess. I’m planning to stick to my store-bought version.

   

7. Clean Your Vacuum With A Seam Ripper

This one was incredible! When your vacuum roller gets all clogged up with hair/thread/yarn, simply cut it off with a seam ripper. You will need to remove the mess with your fingers once you cut it, but it’s so satisfying once it’s finished. Check out the deets on #44 here.

Verdict: A fantastic hack!  

 

8. Lemon Faucet Cleaner

This one was just okay. All you have to do is run a fresh lemon wedge over the metal and then wipe it off. It did clean and shine the faucet to a certain extent, but it didn’t get rid of those pesky darker marks (especially on the faucet below). I did find that it worked better on our shower handle for some reason… perhaps it’s a different kind of metal. Find out more about the hack here.

Verdict: Just okay. Seemed to work better on some faucets than others.  

 

9. Tong Window Blind Duster

This one did get rid of the dust on the blinds, but it didn’t do much for tougher spots. But I guess most people don’t have grimy messes on their blinds (I’m prone to unusual messes, thanks to my klutzy nature). To assemble your duster, wrap cloths around the ends of kitchen tongs and secure with rubber bands. Read more here.  

Verdict: Quite effective.   

 

10. Shower Track Cleaner

Our shower door track has been a tough spot to clean… I’ve tried everything. But this trick worked pretty well in comparison! Simply soak paper towels in vinegar and lay them along the track for a couple of hours. I think with some extra scrubbing, you could get most of the dirt and mold off. The front section was where I applied the vinegar soaked paper towels – the difference is definitely noticeable! Check out the instructions here. 

Verdict: Definitely an improvement on a tough area.  

What are you favorite Pinterest cleaning hacks? Please share your favorites in the comments section below!