We usually learn about new, clever home hacks from social media stars or cleaning experts in viral videos, but have you ever wondered about how other people make their chores a little less boring?

After The Latch opened up the floor for cleaning hack recommendations, thousands of users jumped in to present their cleaning tips – from tackling the chore while grooving to your favourite music playlist to tricking the youngsters into doing it for you.

Now, you’re in for a real treat as you may learn a thing or two from these 50 random strangers who made it into their curated list of the best cleaning hacks (as well as a few cheeky ones, but we’re not complaining).

• Sit back and let the kids do it

“Get the kids involved with time challenges! It’s fun and helpful.” – Olivia

“With two little ones, I love making chores into a game. The first to put their toys away will be rewarded with a sticker!” – Jay

“Turn it into a competition for the kids. It’ll be done in a few minutes.” – David

“Tricking kids into believing that I hate the sound of a vacuum so that they will vacuum the house when they’re mad at me.” – Ben

• Don’t let the clutter accumulate

“Clean frequently to minimise the thickness of dust build-up.” – Robin

“Do a little bit every day so that it doesn’t get out of hand and overwhelming” – Erin

“Having good mats at each entrance is the FIRST STEP to keeping a clean home.” – Wendy

“‘Clean as you go’ has always been my motto.” – Tracy

“Simply keeping a small bin in your room keeps it tidy!” – Billy

“Form a cleaning habit. Everything is easier to clean if you clean up after yourself.” – Christopher

“Using a squeegee after every shower saves time and money on chemicals and the environment.” – Sonya

“Scrub the shower walls while you’re having a shower.” – Elizabeth

• Be resourceful and make your own cleaning products

“The great Australian eucalyptus oil removes all the icky, sticky mess.” – Dominique

“Using a dishwasher tablet to clean the glass on my oven door… It works like a breeze.” – Jo

“Dishwashing liquid can be used to clean just about anything. If in doubt, opt for dishwashing liquid.” – Michael

“My favourite cleaning hack involves using baking soda. It cleans everything – dishes, furniture, clothes, floors, surfaces. Nothing can beat it. It goes well with elbow grease and is environmentally friendly!” – Yvonne

“Baking soda and vinegar. It’s easy and quick to make plus it’s cheap. It cleans all surfaces and is great for mould too.” – Colin


“Using homemade cleaning products saves me a lot of money and it gives the same result as a supermarket brand.” – Christina

“Using vinegar and newspaper to clean my windows so they are streak-free.” – Kate

“Combining lemon juice, white vinegar, and water in a portable spray bottle is a homemade magic cleaning trick for most cleaning jobs.” – David

“Using Q-tips to clean small awkward places because they’re cheap, easy and disposable.” – Stephanie

“I use a window squeegee to wipe pet hair off all my fabric furniture.” – Renee

• Add a bit of fun to it

“Headphones in and the music turned up loud because even cleaning time is ‘me time’ when the kids are little.” – Kathy

“Playing tunes with an amazing beat (using a sound system) energises me and I lose track of time. It anchors fun and makes even cleaning feel great!” – Ashleigh

“I love to mop using mop shoes on my feet, I crank up the music and before I know it, the job’s complete!” – Vicki


“Buy quality Bluetooth headphones to be able to move from room to room. Listen to your favourite series, tunes or people and you won’t even notice you’re cleaning.” – Jen

“Go fast and hard. Set a timer and you’ll be amazed how quickly you can get things done.” – Chris

“Have a good playlist, so the cleaning is just something you are doing in the background.” – Jackie

• Repurpose common household items to clean

“Whitening toothpaste cleans tea stains off white countertops.” – Sarah Jane

“Dust with a pillowcase and then pop it in the washing machine after… That’s what hotels do.” – Rose

“Pick up broken glass fragments with masking tape. All the little bits that vacuums miss get on there… It saves little hands and feet!” – Matthew

“My favourite cleaning hack is using baby wipes. They are great for quickly getting stains out of clothing.” – Leisa


“Toothpaste is the best shower screen grime cleaner.” – Jo

“Whilst I enjoy my Vodka, it’s also a good remedy that effectively cleans my carpet stains too!” – Suzanne

“I hate mopping but love vacuuming, so I use baby wipes for my tiled areas and it’s very effective!” – Fiona

“Not the craziest but using newspaper to dry windows and remove streaks.” – William

• Work smart, not hard

“Throwing dirty clothes directly into the washing machine and pressing start when it’s full saves space and time. With this, you won’t need to use a laundry basket.” – Adeline

“Lining all the drawers and cabinets. There will be nothing left to clean.” – Guy

“I double-layer my kid’s bed sheets with an extra mattress protector and sheet. It makes middle-of-the-night sheet-changing a breeze!” – Ashleigh


“Start cleaning from the ceiling to the floor so you don’t have to vacuum twice.” – Sarah Jane

“Watching Instagram videos inspires me to clean and try wacky new cleaning tips that can also save you money.” – William

“I pre-spray my bathroom with bleach in the morning and come back to clean in an hour’s time.” – James

• Get strategic with your cleaning times

“When I work from home, I take five-minute breaks every hour. It’s just enough time to do a small cleaning task before getting back to work.” – Ben

“Clean first thing in the morning. If it’s not done then, it will never happen.” – Christina

“Batch cleaning saves so much time! I do our laundry for only two days every week and do all of the washing, drying, and folding during that time.” – Georgie

“Do a little bit as you go into each room throughout the day. This makes it so quick to get on top of it!” – Philip

And there you have it, folks! Which tip is your favourite? What’s YOUR go-to cleaning hack? Share it with us in the comments!

Learn more cleaning hacks by watching this video below: