The Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide to a Clean Stove

Even if you’re not a huge home cook, it’s likely that your stove sees quite a bit of action in the way of Stuck. On. Crud. Even something as simple as boiling pasta water often leaves streaks and marks (you know those salty little droplets that dry whi…

Even if you’re not a huge home cook, it’s likely that your stove sees quite a bit of action in the way of Stuck. On. Crud. Even something as simple as boiling pasta water often leaves streaks and marks (you know those salty little droplets that dry white?), and heating up a pot of pre-made soup is sure to leave a couple splatters.

And if you’re actually often in the kitchen? Well, your stove top is really in for it. A splotch of tomato sauce from Monday, charred spinach from Tuesday, burnt bits of rice from Wednesday—before you know it, your burners, stove top, and knobs are slick with grease and coated with crumbs. Not only is this unappealing, but it can become a hazard when leftover bits find their way over to the flame or electric coal,

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10 Least-Cleaned Spots in Your Home—& How to Tackle Them

Clean Like You Mean It shows you how to tackle the trickiest spots in your home—whether they’re just plain gross or need some elbow grease. You’ll get the cleaning secrets we’ve learned from grandma, a guide to our handiest tools and helpers, and so mu…

Clean Like You Mean It shows you how to tackle the trickiest spots in your home—whether they’re just plain gross or need some elbow grease. You’ll get the cleaning secrets we’ve learned from grandma, a guide to our handiest tools and helpers, and so much more. Pull on those rubber gloves and queue up the tunes: It’s scour hour!


You know those corners of your home that get overlooked time and time again? The ones that remain dusty and sticky for months on end in favor of performing more obvious cleaning tasks like vacuuming the rug or wiping down the counters? They’re the ones that you put off because you’re not faced with them on the daily, so you kick the can down the road a bit and turn a blind eye.

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13 Essential Cleaning Tools Ready to Tackle Every Mess

Clean Like You Mean It shows you how to tackle the trickiest spots in your home—whether they’re just plain gross or need some elbow grease. You’ll get the cleaning secrets we’ve learned from grandma, a guide to our handiest tools and helpers, and so mu…

Clean Like You Mean It shows you how to tackle the trickiest spots in your home—whether they’re just plain gross or need some elbow grease. You’ll get the cleaning secrets we’ve learned from grandma, a guide to our handiest tools and helpers, and so much more. Pull on those rubber gloves and queue up the tunes: It’s scour hour!


A couple months ago, a friend reached out with a “burning question”: Was there any way to clean a window and not leave streaks? “Sure,” I said, “use crushed newspaper along with your favorite glass cleaner.” To which she responded: “But who has newspapers around anymore?” Fair point. I mean I do, because I love the tactile pleasure of a good weekend edition, but that aside, old newspapers are, and always have, been an uncompromisable part of my cleaning toolkit.

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The Most Helpful Cleaning Tips We’ve Ever Learned (Thanks, Grandma!)

Clean Like You Mean It shows you how to tackle the trickiest spots in your home—whether they’re just plain gross or need some elbow grease. You’ll get the cleaning secrets we’ve learned from grandma, a guide to our handiest tools and helpers, and so mu…

Clean Like You Mean It shows you how to tackle the trickiest spots in your home—whether they’re just plain gross or need some elbow grease. You’ll get the cleaning secrets we’ve learned from grandma, a guide to our handiest tools and helpers, and so much more. Pull on those rubber gloves and queue up the tunes: It’s scour hour!


There have been times when you hear or read about a cleaning tip or hack from a friend or family member (or, let’s face it, the Internet) that just sticks with you and that you use for the rest of your life. Here’s a roundup of some of our favorites.

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The Unexpected Way to Clean Your Houseplants

I consider myself to be a pretty good plant parent. I’ve got about 16 plant kiddos (several of which have names), I don’t overwater them, and I’ve got my pest-control routine down to a science (diatomaceous earth, neem oil, and sticky traps FTW). But o…

I consider myself to be a pretty good plant parent. I’ve got about 16 plant kiddos (several of which have names), I don’t overwater them, and I’ve got my pest-control routine down to a science (diatomaceous earth, neem oil, and sticky traps FTW). But one thing I’ve realized that I hardly do? Dust my plants’ leaves.

I recently watched Denver, Colorado-based plant consultant Tyler Cross (and parent to more than 250 plants) wipe down his monstera on Instagram and couldn’t remember the last time I dusted mine. Was it last month, or last year? I wouldn’t be able to tell you, but time also doesn’t make sense right now so, who knows? What I can tell you is that it’s been a while. And even as I write this, I’m trying to avoid looking at my monstera because I know there’s a fine layer of dust on its leaves that’s staring back at me.

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No Offense—But Your Shower Head Probably Needs to Be Cleaned

Cleaning a showerhead seems counterintuitive, right? Doesn’t it naturally get clean as I’m taking a shower? Sorry, but no. As the shower runs, minerals in the water start to build up in the holes of the shower, eventually forming moldy pockets and caus…

Cleaning a showerhead seems counterintuitive, right? Doesn’t it naturally get clean as I’m taking a shower? Sorry, but no. As the shower runs, minerals in the water start to build up in the holes of the shower, eventually forming moldy pockets and causing your shower to run less efficiently. So before you step in for your next rinse, here’s how to clean a showerhead with just a few minutes of prep work.

Step One

Not all showerheads require a deep clean. If you wipe yours down frequently with a microfiber cloth or an old toothbrush (once after each shower is ideal, but even once a week will do the trick), there might not be much buildup to dislodge. But if you can’t remember the last time you cleaned it, or didn’t even know that this was something you have to do, it’s time to get down and dirty.

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The Best Way to Clean Grout Is Also the Easiest

When I moved into my current apartment, I was actually quite pleased with how well maintained it was. I’ve lived in apartments with landlords who obviously showed little care for their properties: windows painted shut, cabinet doors falling off the hin…

When I moved into my current apartment, I was actually quite pleased with how well maintained it was. I’ve lived in apartments with landlords who obviously showed little care for their properties: windows painted shut, cabinet doors falling off the hinges, scuffed and stained wood floors. You know the type, but luckily, this was not one of those apartments. The only part of the home I really needed to give some TLC was the grout on the kitchen floor.

I had big dreams of peel-and-stick tiling over the cheap printed tiles, but after four months of living here, I’m still not sure it’s worth it. The kitchen floor functions just fine, and it isn’t so ugly (nothing compared to my old rental bathroom). Plus it can really take a lot of time and energy to put down temporary tile—not to mention remove it. One thing I can do to spruce it up, though? Get the grout as clean as the day the tiles were laid, of course.

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How to Get Your Spice Cabinet in Order—& Keep it That Way

A few weeks ago, I was making a loaf of cinnamon raisin bread in my bread maker, and as I was dumping ingredients into the pan, I came to the jarring realization that I had no cinnamon! Kind of a big oversight. The recipe had already started, so I sent…

A few weeks ago, I was making a loaf of cinnamon raisin bread in my bread maker, and as I was dumping ingredients into the pan, I came to the jarring realization that I had no cinnamon! Kind of a big oversight. The recipe had already started, so I sent my boyfriend on an urgent trip to the store to get some, but the next day, I was digging around in the back of a kitchen drawer, and what do you think I found? Yup, a bottle of unopened cinnamon. Oops!

All that to say, my spice collection could definitely use some organization—and likely a good purge. It’s definitely going to be on my spring cleaning agenda, and if you’re planning to do the same, here’s how to clean, sort, and store your spice cabinet like a pro.

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How to Clean Dryer Vents Without Calling a Pro

Cleaning your dryer vent seems like a form of punishment, right? Unfortunately, never doing so is actually a bit of a fire hazard (okay, it’s a huge fire hazard). Dryer vents can easily get clogged up with lint from your dryer; when the dryer is runnin…

Cleaning your dryer vent seems like a form of punishment, right? Unfortunately, never doing so is actually a bit of a fire hazard (okay, it’s a huge fire hazard). Dryer vents can easily get clogged up with lint from your dryer; when the dryer is running, it releases a ton of hot air that, if you’re not careful, can potentially cause a fire. “Cleaning regularly helps prevent lint fire hazards and will also keep your dryer running most efficiently,” says Laura Johnson, a consumer analyst at LG Electronics. The good news is that every homeowner is more than capable of cleaning the vents (take this from a not-so-handy non-homeowner). So how exactly do you clean your dryer vent? Read on.

Step One

First things first: clean the lint trap (you should be doing this after every load of laundry, but if it’s been a few cycles, now’s as good a time as any to take care of this). “Cleaning the lint filter after every load is an important first step in keeping your dryer functioning properly, and preventing lint build-up in ducts,” says Johnson. Remove the dryer lint trap altogether, and use a vacuum cleaner with a hose attachment to clean in and around the dryer lint trap. Next, pull the dryer out from the wall, unplug it, and disconnect the duct (the long, windy aluminum tube that’s also connected to the wall).

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It’s Just About Time to Spring Clean Your Window Screens

Cleaning windows often feels like an uphill battle. No matter how many times you wipe, squeegee, and re-wipe, there are always some stubborn splotches left over. Window screens are a whole other beast, because they’re magnets for stray dust, cobwebs, …

Cleaning windows often feels like an uphill battle. No matter how many times you wipe, squeegee, and re-wipe, there are always some stubborn splotches left over. Window screens are a whole other beast, because they’re magnets for stray dust, cobwebs, built-up crud, and they often just look… dirty.

But clean window screens aren’t just for aesthetics. When you open up your windows, any particles that have clung to the screens can come into your house along with the breeze. And it’s not just dirt and dust, either. During winter months, moisture, bacteria, and mold can collect on the screens, so regular cleaning (despite how cumbersome it may be) is kind of a necessity for your health and indoor air quality.

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