We know. You’re skeptical. In fact, you’re probably willing to bet your Swiffer WetJet that the men in your life are incapable of keeping a clean house—let alone teach you anything about tidiness. But we’d like you to open your mind, to suspend your prejudices, for just a few minutes. The male species is not inherently slovenly. Men just prefer to clean in their own special way. We talked to bachelors, frat brothers, and even a few stressed-out guys whose wives were due home any minute to gather some tips that might actually save you cleanup time.
Do dishes in the tub. When you need to wash lots of dirty dishes fast (especially after the big Super Bowl party), pile them in the bathtub and fill it with hot soapy water. Return later, drain the tub, turn on the shower to rinse, and move everything into a laundry basket for drying.
Bag the showerhead. Instead of trying to reopen every teeny-tiny, gunked-up hole, fill a plastic bag with vinegar, rubber-band it securely around the showerhead, and go watch the game or at least catch the half time show and commercials. The vinegar will automatically remove the calcium deposits.
De-stink the fridge with coffee. Just place a bowl of fresh ground coffee on the shelf. In a few days, it’ll absorb all odors. Then you can discard.
Clean your pipes with antacid. Plumbing is plumbing, right? So drop three antacid tabs and a cup of white vinegar into the clogged sink. Wait a few minutes and turn on the hot water. The gurgling will be gone.
Nuke the microwave. Add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of baking soda to 2 cups of water. Boil it in the microwave for 5 to 10 minutes at the oven’s highest power. The cleansing steam will permeate every stain, and all you’ll have to do is sponge it away.
Polish copper pots with beer. Although it pains men greatly to waste perfectly good beer, it’s an acceptable trade-off when facing hours of scrubbing. Simply soak your sullied copper pots in beer and then wipe clean. Beer’s natural acidity will restore the original shine.
Use power tools. To help clean out those hard-to-reach places in your car, clear everything out and open all doors. Then blast dust and crumbs out with a leaf blower.
Comments from Members
My husband uses the extension on the vacuum to dust everything (ie. ceiling fans, base boards, furniture etc).
Clean the pipes with antacids and vinegar? What a money saver that will be! I have a stubborn drain now that I need to pick up something to clean it with and keep putting it off because those products are expensive...
Hey, I have used the leaf blower to blow all that cruddy salt and stuff out i\of my car after my daudghter had driven it around for a long time without ever cleaning it. It does work!
Men also don't 'see' the mess... they truly don't recognize that the pile of mail on the counter is getting bigger.
Doing dishes in a bathtub? Really? I would actually do everything else on this list, except that.
If you want to save on the pipe cleaning, use vinegar and "baking soda".
I have a great husband who cleans toilets, cooks, cleans the tub, does laundry, he does alot. But no one in my house seems to know what a dust rag is or vaccum cleaner are for. And all the mail, with or without my name ends up in a pile for me to go through. But all in all he does a lot and I appreciate all what he does do.
I love the showerhead idea and the copper bottom pots trick too! Now there would be a reason to keep beer in the fridge, however I probably would not do dishes in the tub, all though I had been known to hose down the high chair in the shower when it gets covered in goo from top to bottom, then spritz with sanitizing cleanser and wipe down....wahlah!
I wonder if ground coffee will absorb odors in other areas, besides in the refrigerator?
I don't think I would ever do my dishes in the bathtub. I too (as Mischelle has) have been known to put the highchair and booster seats in the tub to spray them off though. Everything else on the list sounds good though.
I'm also not so sure about dishes in the bathtub. I'll stick with my sink and the dishwasher thanks. Plus, if I'm having a bash that large... I'll cut up sturdy cardboard boxes and cover them with foil and use them as platters... then when party's done, simply remove the foil and leftovers to toss and recycle the boxes! Box tops (particularly the ones from boxes of computer paper) work great for things that won't stay steady on tray!
I clean dust off with an old white damp sock. I am severly allergic to dust and I just put the sock on and wipe away! Then when I am done, I just throw the sock in with my towels and comes clean again!
I could never do dishes in the tub either. That just seems so unsanitary. Everything else on that list I either already do, or would consider doing!
all great ideas except the bathtub for dishes. Also mix Vinegar & water (1/2 and 1/2 mixture) to clean windows or anything for that matter. Safe for kids to use also!! Amy
I stopped using harsh chemicals to clean and wipe everything with in the kitchen i found that just a dap if pamolive dish soap on a wet cleaning cloth will do the job, to clean counters and tables. also sos pads work really good for the micorwave.
Both mom and I thought these were pretty good except the dishes in the tub.
we recently had to bomb our house and believe it or not i used the bathtub trick. i sanitzed the bathtub with bleach first. but we had to wash all those chemicals off our dishes and i did not want to be in the kitchen for a week cleaning dishes so i put them in the bathtub...not only did it clean the dishes but it made my tub smell really good.
i dont know if i could due the dishes in the tub i really think is not good but the vineger and the waater 1/2 and 1/2 is really good 4 the windows
I have done all of those even dishes in the tub when we were renovating our kitchen,i have a good one for you all take a bottle of peroxide and put in spray bottle 1/2 peroxide 1/2 water to clean counter topsit will even clean mirrors without streaks also alcohol in a spray bottle for windows no streaks
Vinegar or lemon juice are both aciditive works great on flat grills to clean of grease Rinse with soap and water.I like Dawn dishsoap works Great!!
the dishes in the tub? done that- works like a charm if you have big canning pots or racks - also refrigerator drawers- I always put those to soak in the tub - just add a little bleach to the water and they'e clean and sanitized-
Thanks for giving me permission to do my dishes in the tub! I would use bleach first too! I love the coffee deodorizer idea too. I love the idea to vacume off the ceiling fan too! I always tried dusting
In response toEileen about coffee absorbing odors... Yes! and whole beans are also a great deorderizer , if you have coffe that is just to old to drink ( fresh is best tasting) I put it in small bowls in aears that need refreshing... works like a charm !Faythe
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I love the vacuum/dusting idea for the ceiling fan. It will save me from having to climb the step ladder, lol.
use a dryer sheet to dust lamp shades and the residue will keep some dust away
