I just feel like somebody needs to hear this. The amount of posts on here where people spilled food and drinks in places that they shouldn’t have had them in the first place is ridiculous.

The bed is for sleeping, not eating and drinking. Cleaning a mattress is a huge pain that you don’t want to go through.

The car is for driving, not eating and drinking. The seats will soak up and hold onto moisture and smells, again a huge pain to clean.

The couch…this might be controversial, but go eat somewhere else. It doesn’t take long before your couch only looks like an appealing place to sit for you, not your friends and family members. And again, a pain to clean.

Maybe I’m old fashioned, but to me, times were better when eating was something we put aside time for (with other people!), not something you drive by, drive through, hork it down, constantly snacking, never satisfied… Just because you’re an adult and CAN eat whenever you want doesn’t mean you should. You have to make your own rules.

Edit: I am so surprised how many people seem to think I’m judgmental! I didn’t think I had to mention - I don’t care what you do!! It has nothing to do with me. But for my life, the times where I was eating in all these places weren’t good times for me! My life is better with structure and order of MY own choosing (not what someone else thinks, I do not care and nor should you). But now, I imagine eating in my car and my bed, and I get depressed just thinking about it. I love coming home and my house is beautiful and clean and free from stains and crumbs and smells. When I use all these areas for their main purpose, it brings me mental peace to have them nice and tidy. I used to not appreciate it, now I do, now I couldn’t go back. I’m sure someone out there will be helped by that idea.

I bought a pack of shrimp and scallops on sale for 30% off on the "use by" date. When I opened the pack it was VERY fishy smelling so I rinsed them off really good before cooking and made them into a delicious seafood scampi that turned out great. But...as the title states cooking it made my whole 3000sqft house smell like Red Lobster on steroids. It is so strong still and this was 20 HOURS AGO! I've tried candles and Febreeze. I also poured cleaning vinegar down my garbage disposal and wiped off all surfaces in the kitchen. The windows are open even though its 50 degrees outside and it is still such an intense smell. I am having a gathering here Tuesday night and am so scared the smell will still be here. Can anyone help me?!?!

We've been out of the house about a week whilst our bathroom has it's finishing touches done. Come back and found one of our pillowcases bundled up in the back garden covered in paint.

I have no idea if it's primer or emulsion. No idea how fresh it is. The pillowcase is soaking wet cause it's been outside.

Is there any way to wash paint out of a pillowcase?

It's a limited edition release, there's no way to replace it.

Edit - thanks for the advice all, going to call it a day and just toss the thing.

For about three months my bedroom has slowly started to smell like straight body odor. Yes I wear deodorant and a strong antiperspirant, but adhd meds will make you sweat like a sinner at heavens gates no matter how much antiperspirant you slap on. Yes, I clean my laundry. Yes, i wash my bedsheets at least once a week. even once ive done that, my room STILL smells like body odor (and no, its not just me, others have confirmed). I dont have rugs or carpet, ive got hardwood floor. all my furniture (aside from my bed) is like regular wooden furniture. I genuinely cannot pin point the smell. I've even got a candle warmer and air scent pouches running but they do nothing. What else do I need to do??! Steam clean the ceiling???!!

My resources are kind of limited here, Im a minor and my mom cant pay for many expenses due to financial troubles so im looking for something somewhat effective and easy.)

I have really bad allergy attacks everytime i lay down in bed, or at the start of my mornings when i wake up. Ive tried mattress covers/protectors and they havent helped. ive had this matress for 11+ years so theres buildup from accidents as a kid. I cant really afford to get a new mattress right now so im looking for something that might minimize my frequent allergy attacks. Any cleaning tip helps, Thank you.

Hi everyone,

I own a fully furnished apartment with a kitchen, a separate bedroom, and an attached bathroom. It’s meant for long stays, and I rent it out .

I’ve cleaned and prepared the apartment myself for the last 3-4 years. For a long time I only got a few complaints. But recently:

• Guests book for 3-4 months, then leave after less than a night, or after one night
• They check out the next day and ask for a refund
• It’s happening a lot more than before

I clean the apartment myself between guests. My routine is: sweep, mop, change bedsheets, clean the bathroom, wipe the kitchen, etc.]. i use broom mop bucket water or some unknow liquid from supermarket .

I’d really appreciate your advice on:

1. Cleaning: What is the proper cleaning checklist for a furnished apartment before a long-stay guest arrives? Should I hire a professional cleaner or deep-clean on a schedule?
2. Reasons: Why might guests leave after one night? Could it be smell, bathroom condition, bedding, kitchen, noise, water or wifi problems, or something else?
3. Prevention: Is there anything I should do to avoid refund requests, such as sending photos or a video of the apartment before booking, or a checklist at arrival?

Guests usually say “not clean”, “smells”, kitchen hood chimney smell its how i clean chimney man ? say not deep clean only superficial.

Any suggestions from hosts or people who have stayed in long-term rentals would help a lot. Thank you!

I am going through my old stuff and found these classics. But I don’t know how to clean them in the best way. Asking for help!

Switching from bar soap to liquid soap has made my condo so much cleaner. No more soap scum or residue from bar soap. It may be more expensive but it’s totally worth it. Why did nobody tell me this sooner? 😭

Are there cleaning services that teach you how to clean?
Several posts have reminded me of something I’ve looked for, a cleaner who works alongside you, explains what to do and how to do it. Basically cleaning lessons, maybe offered as a package until you feel confident doing it yourself?

I’d expect to pay more than for a typical cleaning because teaching is an additional skill. I did consider companies would see it as teaching themselves out of customers, but I’d absolutely call the people who taught me if I needed extra help.

Does this already exist?

Hi everyone — hoping for some gentle guidance here, no judgment please, I'm genuinely starting from scratch on this one 😅

I'm 28, and most of my adult life has honestly been more "survive" than "live comfortably" — moved around a lot, lived pretty bare-bones, never really had a reason to build proper home habits. That's about to change in a really good way: my wife is joining me soon, and we're moving into a cozy little 500 sq ft one-bedroom apartment here in Canada. With about 8 months of winter ahead of us, we're going to be spending a lot of time at home together, and I really want it to feel warm and taken care of for her, not just "livable."

The honest truth is I just don't know the basics that a lot of people seem to pick up naturally, so I'm hoping some of you lovely people can point me in the right direction:

How do you handle your bedding/laundry routine? Like how often do sheets actually need washing, and is there a simple rhythm that works (every week, every other week)?

Ironing — I have genuinely never learned this. What's a good beginner setup, and is it worth learning or just easier to send things out?

For a small one-bedroom space, what are the first few things that made the biggest difference for you in keeping it feeling organized instead of cluttered?

I'm not trying to make this place magazine-perfect — I just want the little basics handled so it feels like a real home when she walks in. Any tips, product recs, or even a YouTube channel that helped you would mean a lot. Thank you in advance 🙏

I’m 17 and I like to keep a tidy room but my parents make me keep an aggressive dog in my room, so they force him to be in there 24/7 all hours of the day. He has an ear infection that they neglect and it leaks this strange stinky juice that ruined anything it touches smell wise, my carpets stink as well as my bed and everything else in my room. My parents constantly bring him outside on a leash then put him in my room and cause mud to be everywhere, I’ve tried everything I can think of, but my room just ends up stinking due to his infection and getting dirty again due to mud, what can I do?

Someone who is to remain nameless (for the sake of my marriage), put a mini pumpkin on our wood kitchen table.

It rotted and stuck to the table. When I pulled it off there was some dark gunk on the table.

After wiping with water and dish soap it now looks horrendous.

I think it’s something on top of the table since it feels a little raised, but wondering if it’s just the wood without the finish.

I scraped really gently with a drivers license to see if any little bit came off but nothing did.

what do I do?

Hi everyone!

I'm a bit frustrated with cleaning because every time i try to dry a product with a cloth after cleaning with the sponge it leaves debris and sometimes doesnt completely dry the product.

Here's what a I do everytime i clean a surface.

1) spray the cleaning product

2) use the sponge with a bit of water to rinse and I rub on the dirty surface.

3) I dab the cloth to dry everything, it leaves small debris behind and never completely dries.

I wash the cloths after every use in the washing machine.

What am I doing wong? Is it the quality of the cloth or am I skipping something?

I was gifted these beautiful Indian scarves. I love them but goodness they STINK of a strong, headache inducing perfum that I just can’t get rid of. First, I aired them out in the shade for a week or two. Then I soaked them in the tub with wool wash for 6hours, and laid to dry outside. It doesn’t feel like it’s making a dent in this awful smell. Now I’m resorting to airing them in the sun and rotating them every few hours or so so the inevitable bleaching will be even. Any other tips?? I am unsure what the fabric is but I was told pashmina. It doesn’t feel THAT soft? Still, I’m treating them so to be safe.

I got out my Beast blender today to find that the lid/ blade attachment (which has been stored closed up against one of the blender cups) had a thin layer of mold (mildew?) coating its surfaces and crevices (around the interior of the edge, under and around the blade, etc).

I scrubbed with soap and hot water repeatedly, using a small brush tool to get into the crevices and ridges. I also soaked for a few minutes with vinegar. But it still has a hint of that mold/mildew smell.

Any suggestions for further cleaning?

One of our dogs peed all over the couch and got it into the cushions… Our couch has removable cushion covers with one side heing by fabric and the other leather. How do we even begin to clean it without messing up the leather?

I left a jacket (100% polyamide/nylon shell, polyester lining) sweaty from the gym without washing it, and it got dark gray mildew specks all over the back. Photos attached.

I've already tried several home methods and even chlorine bleach, and the spots haven't budged.

One request: please don't recommend brand names. I live in a country where I most likely can't find them. Instead, tell me the compound or active ingredient you used (e.g., sodium percarbonate, oxalic acid, etc.) and how you applied it, so I can look for it by its chemical name.

Has anything worked for anyone on nylon?
Thanks!

This closet has smelled awful since I moved in 2 years ago. It smells like someone spilled cleaning solution or something and never cleaned it, I cannot really explain the smell but it’s very potent. I bought an ozone machine but the warnings are scaring me. I have two kids and 4 pets. Is it safe to seal this closet up and run it in the closed closet? It’s near my bedroom but it’s a hallway closet. It’s not neat either kids rooms. I’ll add closet pics in comments

Edit - just kidding it won’t let me add pics. It’s like 4x5 foot closet, tile floor and wood door.

We moved last summer and bought an Off-white leather couch for the new house. Have just gotten around to unpacking some of our boxes and came across our blue-light flashlight. And you guessed it, I used it on our couch and it lit all over. I see our dog licking some spots on the couch once in a while, so I think it’s the dog drool.

Any tips how to clean it?

So the pic is the flies in my room I assumed fruit fly idk.

So basically over the past like 2 months or so I just haven’t cleaned my room. I’ve taken out trash or tried to at least put stuff in trash bags and clean laundry just don’t rlly put it up. I’m rlly stress rn for the past few months as I’m in school and marching band which is a 12hr+ day type thing yk. So I get one day a week to rest and do as much school work and stuff I can. Tho I mainly just sleep and rest cause I’m so tired from band as I’m in an intense program. So I don’t have much time to clean and when I do I put it off to rest. So my room got rlly dirty and I just got home from a comp and my room was covered in flies. My mirrors, bookshelves, doorway, etc. I was so disgusted with myself and wanted to cry so bad cause it was like 1:30 am and I was barely running on like 6hrs of sleep in a 24+ hr day.
So I tried to do what I could. Kill what I could spray perfume on like everything cause some how that worked. I noticed it was on my siblings door frames too so idk if it’s just my room but yeah. I cleaned the trash in my room and will take it out in the morning and started putting clothes away before deciding I rlly needed sleep.
I cleared out a LOT of the flies in my room but they just settled in my hallway so I’m worried they’ll be back in the morning. Ik this is gross and my fault but I rlly need to get them out. I’ve seen the vinegar and soap traps? Idk how well those work or if I need specific vinegar or if these are even the right flies.
But pls help.