1. A pack of melamine sponges that can rid years’ worth of handprints from the surface area around door knobs. All it takes is some warm water and a few seconds of scrubbing. *And* a pack of 20 sponges costs less than $15.
Promising review: “This stuff is beyond amazing. I felt like I was in an infomercial but without the B.S. One sponge removed all the greasy, oily, dirty hand marks in our apartment, the worst of which were built up around the door knobs and door jams. I cleaned some of the worst browning marks on my doors in under 10 seconds with one sponge and some warm water, and it makes a HUGE difference.” —Marisa P.
Get a 20-pack from Amazon for $14.95.
2. A no-scrub Wet & Forget cleaner to make “cleaning” as easy as one, two, spritz. This no-rinse product should be used weekly to keep your shower free of mildew, which basically means it will take all of two seconds to feel like you’ve deep-cleaned the place in which you bathe.
Promising review: “This stuff is excellent. It performs as promised, it has a very nice scent, no fumes, and leaves shower clean with no scrubbing actually necessary. It is very easy to apply and rinse off. It is designed very well, with squirting spout separate from the large container and attached by a longish tube, so you don’t have to hold the heavy container while applying the product. I’ve been using it for quite a while now, and I love it. I highly recommend it.” —Stephanie Martin
Get it from Amazon for $20.97.
3. A dryer vent cleaning system if you’ve noticed clothes requiring an extra dry cycle. Accumulated lint might be the reason, and this removes that build-up in ducts up to 12 feet long.
Promising review: “This thing worked AMAZING. I got a TON of lint out of my vent piping, my dryer works better now and runs cooler, and drying time has been reduced. I was amazed at how much lint build-up there was!” —Allen L Grooms
Get it from Amazon for $29.99.
4. A pumice cleaning stone capable of removing calcium, lime, and hard water stains on everything from your toilet bowl to your outdoor barbecue. The stone itself is also surprisingly gentle and won’t scratch the surface of, say, your porcelain throne.
Promising review: “I have a 19-year-old master bathroom toilet that had accumulated some nasty stains over time, and regular toilet brushes and cleaning products just would not remove them. I decided to try this pumice stone, and it worked like a charm! Given the nature and severity of the stains, it required some elbow grease. But 10 minutes later, I have a new-looking bowl, and I see no signs of scratching.” —Happy Retiree
Get it from Amazon for $13.99.
5. A stainless-steel cleaner that will rid your large appliances (I’m looking at you, refrigerator) of all unsightly fingerprints and smudges. This blend of plant-based ingredients will even prevent future smudges from forming, and (HALLELUJAH) doesn’t leave any streaks behind.
Psst, this stainless-steel cleaning spray also comes with a handy dandy microfiber cloth.
Promising review: “My appliances have never looked better. I was so frustrated trying to get my stainless steel refrigerator clean without streaks. This is the best thing I have found, easy to use and no streaks! So glad I took a chance.” —Nancy a Williams
Get it from Amazon for $19.95.
6. An Iron Out spray gel for anyone whose cleaning products have been a little ~rusty~ lately. This promises to get rid of hard water rust build-up like it’s no one’s business.
7. A squeegee broom to quickly sweep up the water spills, potato chip crumbs, and stray strands that have quickly taken over your tiny apartment. An extendable handle and 100% natural rubber also make this an absolute beast for scooping up pet hair.
Emma Lord/BuzzFeed
“An embarrassing confession: my hair gets so ingrained in the carpet that a vacuum truly does nothing for it. In fact, to make matters worse, weird particles get stuck in the hair on the floor, which is stuck to the carpet, so I often was just unrooting clumps of hair from the floor with my hands (sorry for the visual). I bought this broom and it immediately started pulling it up GOBS of hair. My carpet like, genuinely changed color (turns out the pink was supposed to be much pinker, whoops). Anyway, do with that semi-horrifying information what you will.” —Emma Lord, BuzzFeed Editor
Get it from Amazon for $12.98+ (available in six styles and sizes).
8. A garbage disposal brush so you can deep clean *without* having to brace the grossness that is plate dirt and smelly leftovers. So long forever, nasty odors building up in my kitchen sink.
9. A pack of washing machine cleaning tablets that remove built-up detergent scum and various gunk to keep your expensive washing machine in tip-top shape. Add a tablet, run a normal wash cycle, and your work here is done.
Promising reviews: “I didn’t think I would ever be so excited about such a thing as washing machine cleaning tablets. I also never realized how dirty my washing machine was. It now sparkles, doesn’t smell musty, and has removed so much gunk from around the drum/gasket. You should get these.” —AVDW
Get a pack of six from Amazon for $11.98 (also available in packs of three and five).
10. A tub of The Pink Stuff, an all-purpose paste capable of tackling your most pesky cleaning problems. Caked-on grease clinging to your oven will all but vanish, with no elbow grease required (an ideal cleaning situation).
11. A multi-purpose OxiClean powder for getting grease off of range hood filters. It’s even got the bandwidth to revitalize brickwork, bid adieu to makeup and oil stains on your favorite dress, or lift red wine stains from your living room accent chair.
Promising review: “I use very hot water, add this stuff, and put the range hood filter in it. After about 30 minutes, there’s already a lot of grease and dirt floating in the water by itself. If you shake it vigorously, even more grease comes off! The effect is really noticeable! I’m so excited; I can finally have a clean kitchen! And this isn’t just for cleaning the kitchen; it can also wash clothes. It feels like it can do everything!!” —Nameless
Get it from Amazon for $13.97+ (available in two styles).
12. A long-handle wall cleaner with four extension poles so you can deep clean hard-to-reach areas and eradicate scuff marks and kid’s sticky fingerprints. This kit comes with a ceiling cleaner, baseboard duster, dry duster, and wet cleaning mop.
Promising review: “Do you envy your friends and the fact that their walls are always spotless? Do your kids use the walls as their personal napkins or jungle gym? Are you tired of spending hours a day cleaning? Fret no more – this really does the trick! Seriously though, I was tired of seeing spots and stains on our walls. I even changed our builder-grade flat paint to a nice eggshell grayish that everyone seems to love. But we still had issues with scuffs and marks. This ‘wall mop’ has been a life and time saver!!” —Savannah Wilson
Get it from Amazon for $39.97.
13. A mattress vacuum equipped with a UV light to obliterate scary bacteria *and* a suction cup design that traps dust and mites. And if you think this is wildly unnecessary and ridiculous, I dare you to take a long hard look at your bare mattress. Go ahead. Tell me you don’t want to sneeze just looking at it.
Promising review: “So I brought this originally for my son, who gets really bad allergies to dust. At first, we didn’t know what was causing this until someone told me to check our beds and furniture. Even though we change our bedsheets regularly, there will be dust left over. So I decided to give this a try and they were right! I couldn’t believe how many mites and how much dust there was. I took my time cleaning everyone’s bed and our sofa, which was easy to use and light. My son hasn’t had a reaction in a while, which means this product works for my family!” —Lisa
Get it from Amazon for $66.82.
14. A lint roller for a grossly satisfying gadget that’s capable of picking up every speck of gunk plastered onto your furniture. This is excellent for collecting dog hair from both human furniture or pet beds *and* revitalizing cat trees to look good as new.
Promising review: “I’m a fur-mom of five cats and two dogs, so I know all about animal hair on everything. And I was very skeptical about this purchase, but I figured why not? Nothing else is working very well. Holy moly. I have a well-loved old cat tree that I’ve tried vacuuming and lint rollers, and had finally resolved myself to it being cat hair carpet. This sucker grabs hair so good that my cat trees almost look newish!” —spztckttn
Get it from Amazon for $24.99 (available in two colors).
15. A cleaning brush kit to draw out the dust hidden in plain sight… right under your nose. Literally. A few passes with these compact, handheld brushes and woosh! Perhaps now you won’t be inhaling allergy mites with every breath you take.
This five-piece kit comes with a track cleaning brush, a tile lines brush, a window blind duster, a 2-in-1 windowsill sweeper, and a hand-held groove gap brush.
Promising review: “We just moved and the previous owners of our new house left us a wonderful amount of dust and dirt to clean. I was originally looking for just a vent cleaner and stumbled upon these multi-kits. The price point is amazing, and it really does seem like a do-it-all all kit.” —Ty Loli
Get it from Amazon for $9.99.
16. An OXO duster purposely designed with a loonnnnnngg microfiber cloth and extender, which means the dust bunnies living rent-free under your sofa have just met their maker. One reviewer pulled an actual lip gloss tube (!!!!) from under their oven.
Promising review: “I bought a new home, and I noticed some dust under the stove and fridge, so I bought this OXO Duster. Well, surprise, surprise! The previous owners were disgusting, and I cleaned out much more than dust: dust, crumbs, toys, cereal, oats, nuts, and pills. Yuck, yuck, yuck. I don’t think I would’ve pulled out all this crap with any other duster.” —Reading&Writing
Get it from Amazon for $16.99.
17. A pack of microfiber cloths for a lint- and streak-free finish on glassware, windows, and yes, that includes light fixtures that have been permanently covered in a layer of dulling grime. The best part is you don’t even need a cleaning solution! A bit of water combined with one of these cloths is all you’ll need.
Promising review: “If you have any glass light fixtures in your home you absolutely need this product. I don’t think the fixture was this clear even when I bought it, and the best part is it’s just using water and the two rags.” —Lisa Collins
Get a pack of eight from Amazon for $15.98.
18. A vacuum hose attachment in which multiple reviewers (multiple!) swear they pulled out whole socks from their lint traps. Clogged vents = longer drying times = higher utility bills = less money in your bank account to put toward, say, more Seamless takeout.
Promising review: “This thing is seriously amazing. I figured out how to use it very quickly and it worked like a charm. I had a sock stuck wayy down in my vent and would’ve had no idea! I still can’t believe how much lent and dust came out of my dryer. My husband is already talking about other uses for this unique tool, like getting into tight spaces in our cars.” —J. Johnson
Get it from Amazon for $9.95+ (available in six colors).
19. A jug of CLR (calcium, lime, and rust remover) to finally rid sink faucets and showerheads of dreadful hard water build-up. TL;DR: Photos are worth a thousand words so I suggest taking a gander at the below.
Promising review: “The photo says it all. I have tried so many things to get the hard water build-up off of this faucet and nothing works. It’s hard as a rock! I left it soaking for about an hour in a non-diluted mix and was able to scrub it all off easily. So happy and going to use this for other hard water issues in our house.” —Mar
Get it from Amazon for $6.79.
20. Affresh cleaning tablets because how can you get clean, glistening dishes if the dishwasher itself is *gag* covered in grime? Answer: You can’t. These babies are here to help. Simply pop one in, put on the rinse cycle, and continue watching your show. Easy peasy.
Promising review: “I had tried lots of white vinegar for two cycles in my 20-year-old dishwasher for the cloudy and powdery dinginess it had started doing, and it only helped about 30%. We have very hard water. This zapped the buildup, and the glass is clear again, and colored plastics no longer have the powdery-like coating. So glad I took a chance on this!” —J. Holden
Get a pack of six from Amazon for $8.99.
21. A wood polish lauded by one reviewer as the ~best money they’ve ever spent~. Trying your hand at furniture restoration has never been so easy: a few drops of this formula is powerful enough to cover even the most unsightly scratches.
Promising review: “I’ve been using this since the 80s. My mom made us spring clean every spring break. We had to go over all the doors, all the woodwork, all the furniture, banisters and cabinets. We also had to clean every wall, every cabinet out, every closet out and every drawer out lol. It was hell, let me tell you, but boy, do I know how to clean now! I now use this in my house and love it. It covers scratches and knicks and makes everything look new and shiny.” —LB
Get it from Amazon for $4.82.
22. A Glisten foaming cleaner to neutralize the funky odors coming from said garbage disposal (*yuck*). This lemon-scented stuff requires absolutely no effort and two simple steps: turn on hot water, add the cleanser.
Promising review: “I went on a trip, and when I came back, there was this foul odor coming from my garbage disposal (even though we didn’t leave any dishes on the sink), and I tried every home remedy I could think of to get rid of the smell, but nothing did. So I turned to the internet, and immediately, these seemed like the best choice for an okay price. I followed the instructions carefully, and within a minute, I saw the foam rise up and then go back down — awful smell FINALLY GONE!” —A.L.
Get it from Amazon for $3.67+ (available in two sizes).
23. An adjustable duster brush because the amount of dust that can accumulate in narrow vents is *cough* genuinely disgusting. And don’t worry, cleaning said crevices requires but a few minutes of your time and just a flick or two of the wrist.
This handy dandy tool comes with five microfiber cloths, meaning you’ll be able to clean your whole darn house in one sweep.
Promising review: “This product is AMAZING! You can clean both sides of two blinds at once and grip them firmly to get ALL of the dust off. Plus, it comes with five covers so that no matter how dirty your blinds are, you’ll be able to finish dusting your whole house! I also love that you can wash the covers and don’t have to waste money on refills.” —Sarah
Get it from Amazon for $6.99.
24. A stain cleaner that clings to silicone sealants (so the thin area around your showerhead, in between your tiles, etc.) and effectively banishes mold and mildew to the pits of heck forever, which is where they rightfully belong. Someone contact Dante and let him know we’ve got another Inferno contender.
Promising review: “You guys. I’m embarrassed to even show you this. The grout around our tub was DISGUSTING. It was never caulked right and it got gross very quickly. I would scrub. The cleaning lady would scrub. It would get worse. Well, I came across this in a BuzzFeed list, and this stuff made me curious. I don’t know why it doesn’t have 10,000 good reviews. Seriously. All I did was squeeze it on and walk away. I let it sit overnight. Check this out. Buy it. Like today.” —KarynB
Get it from Amazon for $14.99.
25. A non-abrasive Bar Keepers Friend cleansing and polishing powder that will destroy years of icky build-up on all of your porcelain, copper, glass, tile, stainless steel, plastic, and brass. Time to grab your cookware set, folks, because the after photos are about to get good.
Promising review: “We’ve all seen products that claim to be the ‘best’ at whatever they are intended for. All too often, we are sadly disappointed by a product that falls far short of these audacious claims. Bar Keepers Friend is not one of these products. While I’m no barkeep, I can honestly state that I am impressed with the cleaning power of this product. I’ve used it on my glass-top stove, on metal pots and pans, and even some of those heavily stained aluminum baking pans that tend to turn brownish after use. This product cleaned them all…and with very little effort on my part. I tend to sprinkle just a little on whatever I am going to clean, and then, using a clean paper towel or other nonabrasive cloth with a bit of moisture, I then wipe the area until the stains lift up and out. A few extra passes to remove any remaining cleaning powder/product and I’m off to other chores. I seldom have to use this, but when I do, it is quick and efficient.” —Steven M.
Get a pack of two from Amazon for $11.50.
26. A water-based tile pen that’ll transform the chore of grout cleaning into a fun activity reminiscent of filling in the pages of an adult coloring book. Consider mold banished after a few swipes of this nontoxic formula, which releases anti-bacterial agents with each pass.
Promising review: “These things are awesome! I cleaned my bathroom tile grout first because the lady who lived there before me really let it go. A few places stayed stained, and I was worried it wouldn’t cover them, but all grout areas are bright white and look new after using this.” —Donna K Cook
Get it from Amazon for $8.99+ (available in a wide or narrow tip).
27. A FlexiSnake Drain Weasel not meant for the faint of heart. Use this to easily de-clog every drain in your home, but prepare for the horror you’ll experience as you dig up about one million pounds of hair and built-up gunk.
This FlexiSnake is great for sinks and showers in which the water takes forever to go down, plus it’s reusable — just clean with hot water and soap after each use.
Promising review: “My shower drain had been clogged and so before I called a plumber, I decided to give this baby a try. All I can say is that I wish I had stock in this company. This is a fantastic item that every single person who owns or rents a home should have. It was EASY to assemble the gadget. It was EASY TO USE. And best of all-it pulled out so much hair that it looked like a giant rat. I could not believe how QUICKLY I was able to do the job, and I can’t tell you the deep satisfaction it gave me to know that all that crap was out of my drain. I’m telling you, it is worth every penny!” —1Creeksidegal
Get it from Amazon for $17.99.
The reviews in this post have been edited for length and clarity.
