12 Tips to Make Life Just a Little Easier

Valentine's Day has come and gone. But there's no reason you can't continue to show yourself a little love. And the best way to do that is by making your life just a little bit easier. These 12 life hacks might not make you instantly skinny or rich, but they might save you a little time or make life just a little less messy, and who couldn’t use that, right?

1. Let's kick off our list with a tip from the smarties at Hippie-hugger.blogspot.com: Use a carbinger to corral your hair ties. Great idea! 

2. Comes from our friends at Apartment Therapy: Instead of using extra laundry detergent to pre-treat, we turn to our old school friend: WHITE CHALK. Simply rub onto greasy stains and the chalk powder will absorb the grease, making the stain easily removable by the laundry soap in the wash. It works wonders for everything from lipstick to bacon grease.

3. Stick a Dryer Sheet in air vents when heat or air conditioning is on. Stick in gym bags, in the bottom of trash cans (under the liner) or anywhere else you need to freshen the scent!

4. Line a bowl with foil before pouring in used cooking grease. Let cool and simply roll up the foil and toss in the trash… Beats having to clean out the bowl!

5. Place a rubber band around an open paint can to wipe your brush on to keep paint off the side of the can.

6. Keep a container of wipes in each bathroom for a quick wipe down after daily routines – makes weekly cleaning easier and lets kids help, too.

 7. Add a cute laundry basket with a lid to the kids’ bathroom to keep clothes from piling up on the floor. Once it’s full, charge a child with carrying it to the laundry room.

8. Turn the hangers around in each of your bedroom closets. Any time you wear an article of clothing, turn the hanger around the “right” way. At the end of the season, get rid of any clothing item that hasn’t been turned around – these are the things you didn’t wear once!

9. Grossed out by dirty sponges? Microwave them for 2 minutes. Germs be gone!

10. Spray your tablecloth with water repellent spray so it won't stain and can be reused between washes. You can also do this for your outdoor table and leave it decorated all summer. –  (Shout out to Twitter follower J. Braun for this great tip!)

11. To clean your microwave, nuke a wet paper towel for one minute. Let sit for a few minutes, then use it to wipe the inside of your microwave clean. (Thanks to our FB friend P. Wuennenberg for this one!)

12. And last, but not least, from Denise K.: Use yellow cleaning gloves to get pet hair off anything! In her words "They work way better than any of those brushes, tape rolls, or even the vacuum. It's fast, easy... and cheap!"

So, what do you think? Did you find any of these life hacks helpful? Any you'd like to share with us... just for the love of it? And while you're showing yourself a little love, why not schedule a professional carpet cleaning? Put your feet up, and let the pros handle the dirty work for a change! Give us a call at 636-680-5555 (toll free 877-432-6086) or visit us online at http://www.spectrumclean.com.