We’ve all been there: You’re in the midst of cleaning the bathroom—or the kitchen, or your bedroom—going through the usual motions with the usual products, and you start to wonder, What if there’s a better/quicker/easier way? Sometimes it’s the tub that sets you off—you’ve scrubbed and scrubbed and there’s still a little buildup, but you don’t have all day so, as much as it irks you, you may just have to let it go. Or it’s the litter box that makes you crazy—no matter how hard and how often you clean it out, there’s still that odor. Or maybe it’s the stainless fridge: You spritz it with vinegar and then with olive oil, and voila—no fingerprints!—but wait, are those streaks?
To be sure, when it comes to cleaning a home, there are plenty of good-enough ways to scrub it down—but there are also some truly clever, why-didn’t-I-think-of-that ones. With this in mind, we asked a bunch of top cleaning experts to improve on Real Simple readers’ regular cleaning methods for nine main areas that can sometimes pose a challenge: kitchen counters and cabinets, the kitchen sink, a stainless refrigerator, a mattress, window blinds, the bathroom (counters, fixtures, the shower and the tub), mirrors and windows, the toilet bowl, and the litter box. The result: an info-packed guide that gives you all the best tools and clever advice to guarantee a faster, more thorough clean. What will you do with all the time we’re about to save you?
