A fridge facelift and 7 other time-saving cleaning hacks courtesy of TikTok.

I’m pretty selective about the advice I’ll take from social media. Mostly because it takes so long to do. 

Learn your 7-step skin care routine? Absolutely not. 

Make pastry from scratch? When I could just buy it ready to go? Nah, I’m good thanks. 

Change the shape of my face in six weeks with face yoga? Who has SIX WHOLE WEEKS to dedicate to this?

You know what I DO have endless time for? Things that will save me time. I have three small children, so I’ll do anything for extra minutes back in my day.

If a video is 20 seconds long and it gives me a tip that’ll save me 30 seconds I’ve basically made time. 

It’s like Girl Math for time.

TikTok is the best for these time-saving hacks, especially in the cleaning department. Here are my favourite CleaningTok hacks you need to work into your routine immediately.

1. The hair dryer hack

Cleaning the toaster is firmly on my “should do” list rather than my “to-do” list, right up until we start choking on smoke. In good news for my home and contents insurance premiums, Clean-fluencer (it’s a thing) @jessicahaizman has inspired me with this TikTok. Her toaster hack takes less than three minutes so there’s no excuse for leaving it off the list.

How to: Firstly, unplug the toaster. Don’t skip this step, getting electrocuted won’t… save you any time. Stick a microfibre cloth in the toaster slots to knock any big crumbs loose. Remove the crumb tray at the bottom (Didn’t know that was there? Same). Then hold your toaster over the sink or bin and use a hair dryer to blow out the remaining crumbs. Genius.

2. The 2-in-1 time saver

I love TikTok for honest product reviews and recommendations. I kept seeing this vacuum mop popping up on my TikTok For Your Page, and knew I’d hit gold when Amy Gerard then posted about it too: the almighty Kobold VK7 Cordless 2-in-1 Vacuum Mop. 

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A post shared by Amy Gerard (@amy.gerard)

So many of the TikTok videos I kept seeing were from Italian CleanTokers because while the VK7 is relatively new to Australia, its parent company Kobold has been a household name across Europe for 90 years. When I deep-dived, I found that it's from the same makers as Thermomix, and over 1 in every 5 Italian households own a Kobold (the Italians call it a Folletto!). That’s over 5.7M Italians!!

But what got me was how much time you save. Usually I'm waiting for everyone to be out the house long enough so my mopping efforts actually has time to dry. The VK7 is the best two-in-one cleaner I've gotten my hands on yet, with a super long-lasting battery so you can actually vacuum and mop the whole house in one go. My daughter loved the smiley face on its digital screen on the front (and is obsessed with reading out loud how much battery is left on it at all times). I think we're both amazed at how long it actually lasts.

Before we welcomed it into the family, I checked out the reviews, and the feature I was most excited to try was the intelligent cleaning system in the Electric Brush attachment, which automatically detects a change in floor surface while you're vacuuming. It adjusts the settings to treat the floors it’s cleaning so you don’t leave crumbs behind or overwork the battery. The crazy smart German engineering means the VK7 knows when it’s moving between hard floor and carpet, and adjusts to suit.

We’ve recently completed a major renovation and the hardwood flooring, tiles and carpets were some of the biggest investments we made. So for me it makes perfect sense to invest in maintaining them. You should never put water directly on wooden floors, as it can warp the wood. With the VK7, there are 4 mopping levels (including dry mop) and the water goes on the mop pad, not the floor so you avoid that risk and the rubber base means you can’t scratch the floor either. There’s also a smartphone app connection so I could personalise my cleaning settings. You can also get in contact with customer service through the app if you want cleaning tips or troubleshooting.

Price-wise, it definitely felt like an investment until I Girl Mathed it. I'm more than happy with a purchase like this given I’ll be using it daily for the next 10 years and saving a ton on professional cleaning fees.

CleaningTok influenced me. Image: Supplied.

3. The dishwasher deep clean

That ad “but who washes the dishwasher”, lives rent free in my mind. Unfortunately the product doesn’t get as much air time IRL because it’s both expensive and doesn’t achieve the level of squeaky clean I’m looking for. Of course CleanTok has the solution. 

@impact_cleaning Clean your dishwasher regularly 🍋 to ensure optimal performance. Follow the steps in the video to get your dishwasher clean and smelling fresh with safe, food grade ingredients. It’s also important to regularly clean the filter on your dishwasher! #cleantok #cleaninghacks #homeimprovement #tipsandtricks ♬ original sound - Impact Cleaning Professionals

How to: Save time on scrubbing your dishwasher by placing a cup of white vinegar on the top rack, sprinkling bicarbonate of soda on the bottom, and running a hot cycle. @impact_cleaning suggests adding lemon juice to that mix to get a super fresh smelling dishwasher.

4. An actual screen saver

If your TV, tablet, phone or laptop is covered in fingerprints or dust, don’t get sucked in by those fancy, expensive screen wipes. Save time and a ridiculous amount of money on screen cleaning by mixing water and white vinegar. 

How to: Mix equal parts water and white vinegar. Dip a microfiber cloth and ring it out so it’s just damp. After quick wipe your screen will be smudge-free.

5. Microwave magic

You know those days, when you’re feeling like a super lazy gewl but you have to make dinner. Luckily the more organised version of you from last night made extra pesto pasta. So you chuck that in the microwave. No lid, because… lazy gewl. 

But then, *ding ding ding* your pesto pasta is ready but also the inside of your microwave now resembles a Pollock painting. In green. Splatters of pesto everywhere. And you know those specs don’t come off. They, and cockroaches, will survive a nuclear explosion. 

Or so I thought. Enter @sidneyraz’s microwave magic hack. 

@sidneyraz first time trying this #cleaningtip #inmy30s ♬ original sound - sidneyraz

How to: Juice one lemon into a small bowl of water. Microwave for 90 seconds. And then simply wipe away the softened grime. Done.

6. The tong trick

There are a lot of gadgets you can buy to help with cleaning. I believe they’re mostly sold on TVSN between the hours of 11pm-2pm. I wouldn’t know, I’m asleep by 9.30pm these days. 

If you enjoy an early bedtime too, or you just hate wasting money on household detritus, you’ll love this hack that repurposes your kitchen tongs to clean your blinds. 

How to: Quickly tackle dusty blinds by wrapping tongs with microfibre cloths and securing them with rubber bands. Glide through each slat, saving you the tedious task of cleaning each individually.

7. The toothpaste hack

I’m sorry what? CleanTok tells me I can clean my walls with toothpaste. And the weirdest thing? It actually works.

How to: Say goodbye to stubborn wall marks swiftly by dabbing (WHITE) toothpaste on a cloth and gently rubbing. Your walls will be refreshed without the time-consuming process of repainting.

8. The fridge facelift

This hack is so simple and yet so smart. I’m FUMING that I haven’t been doing it my entire life.

@cairamello #cleanhack #clean #fridge #vegetabledrawer #veggies #kitchenhack #adultingtips #adulting #cleaning ♬ original sound - Caira

How to: Literally all you do is cling wrap the shelves of your fridge. When it's time for a clean, just peel off the wrap – no scrubbing required. 

I may never recover from the fact that I didn’t think to do this sooner. 

Shop the Kobold VK7 Cordless 2-in-1 Vacuum Mop online or find a retailer near you.

Feature Image: Supplied/TikTok/@impact_cleaning/@cairamello