10 ways to clean the house while you sleep

Save yourself from some elbow grease and get back your time with these 10 clever tips. 

1. Clean bath toys

Soak the toys in a bucket with four litres of water and ¾ cup vinegar. Leave overnight then rinse in the morning.

2. Remove red wine stains from clothing

Cover the stain with salt and add club soda. Leave overnight and wash as usual in the morning.

3. Remove stains from your carpet

If your carpet has a vomit or urine patch, make a paste from baking soda and water and spread it over the stain. Vacuum the dry paste in the morning.

4. Clean your diamond ring

Fill a bottle cap with Windex and allow to soak overnight. Dry and polish with a soft cloth in the morning.

5. Remove set-in stains from clothing

Saturate the stain with vinegar, then rub the spot with a paste of equal parts vinegar and baking soda. Add two tablespoons of vinegar and two tablespoons of laundry detergent to a bucket of water and soak overnight. Then rinse and wash as usual.

6. Clean stove tops

Remove the burners and soak in a large plastic bag with ¼ cup of ammonia. Leave to soak then wipe clean in the morning.

7. Clean a showerhead

Soak your showerhead in vinegar overnight to remove mineral deposits that affect the water pressure. Fill a plastic bag with vinegar and tie it around the showerhead, ensuring that it’s fully submerged. Wipe clean with a sponge in the morning.

8. Clean your pots and pans

Remove gunky stains from your cookware with a dryer sheet. Fill your pan with warm water and place the dryer sheet on top. Leave to soak and wipe clean with a sponge in the morning.

9. Remove scale from a kettle

That chalky residue in your kettle is limescale. To descale, place large slices of lemon in the kettle and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then take the kettle off the heat and leave overnight. Remove the lemon and water in the morning and rinse.

10. Remove rust

Soak your rusty tools overnight in a tray filled with Coca-Cola. Clean with a stiff brush in the morning and they’ll look like new. 

This article originally appeared on Better Homes and Gardens

Writer Rebecca Lowrey Boyd

Rebecca Lowrey Boyd is a former magazine editor and the founder of Wee Birdy, one of The Sunday Times’ Top 50 Blogs in the World. A design nerd and bird enthusiast, she can usually be found poring over Pinterest, knee-deep in Bunnings or sticky-beaking at modernist homes in Sydney’s bushburbia.