As a realtor, what’s worse than getting a call from a prospective buyer when the house you’re selling is not ready to be presented?   Who hasn’t had the experience of walking into their seller’s property thirty minutes before an open house only to find the place dusty, unclean and unkempt?

This could make the difference of hearing a polite, “No thank you” or an excited “We’ll take it!” closing the deal to earn that big commission.  Sure, that last minute cleaning process can be a major headache, but we all know delaying the showing of a clean, tidy home also means jeopardizing the chance for the purchase.

Don’t fret.  We’ve compiled six of the most brilliant cleaning hacks that will make your last-minute cleaning a breeze.

Without further ado, let’s take a look the list.

1. Use Vinegar To Cure Water Spots Problems

From kitchen faucets to shower heads to jet washers, white vinegar can be the quick and simple fix for water spots and rusts. In fact, you can also use white vinegar for other metallic material around the house.

How to do it?  For heavy water spots and rusts, fill a small plastic bag with white vinegar, and fasten the plastic bag opening around the faucets, shower heads, or anything that needs cleaning. Secure it with a rubber band or a twisty tie.

You can also use old towels or old socks in place of the plastic bag. Simply dip the old towel or sock until it’s soaked, and fasten it on the faucet or shower head.

2. Easy Fix For Blinds

Remember that walk-through when a potential buyer raises the blinds to find it covered in dust? Dirty blinds are a major deal breaker!

In this situation, white vinegar again can be the quick fix, and will speed up the blind cleaning process.

How to do it? Mix equal parts water and white vinegar, and dip just the tip of the towel or old sock in the solution. Now run it over each slat of the blinds and behold, washed blinds with no dust that look like new.

3.Easy Shine On Stainless Steel Appliances

While stainless steel appliances are free from rust and erosion, they do come with another kind of challenge: fingerprint stains.  Well, we have the quick fix.

How to do it? Simply rub those stubborn fingerprints with a few drops of olive oil on a dry towel and those stainless steel appliances will shine like new.

4. Easy Carpet and Fabric Furniture Cleaning

For carpets and furniture with fabric finishes such as the couch, baking soda will do the trick. It will also help remove any lingering smells while removing any stains.

How to do it?  Brush off the surface of the carpet or couch and sprinkle baking soda on the area you want to clean. Wait 20-minutes and vacuum the baking soda up.  For harder to clean stains, pour a small amount of white vinegar directly on the badly stained area before sprinkling the baking soda.

5. Cheap and Easy Tile Fix

Mix equal parts dish soap and white vinegar, which creates a great solution for cleaning tile floors and tile walls.

How to do it?  Simple.  Use a toothbrush.  For the tough spots, add some elbow grease.

6. Simple Trick For Windows

For windows and glass doors (or anything made of glass, really), again white vinegar will do the trick.

How to do it?  Fill a sprayer bottle with vinegar, grab a dry newspaper and use it to clean the glass. You’ll be amazed how clean and shiny you’ll get them, and we all know how important that bright natural light is to make the house attractive and cheery.

These simple, quick cleaning hints can save a showing and be the difference between a sparkling, dazzling open house or a dull, uninspiring house.  Realtors know that a little good old-fashioned elbow grease can be the difference in closing the sale.

If you have an open-house coming up, or end-of-tenancy lease, and need a sparkling living space, don’t hesitate to contact Maidstr at support@maidstr.com. We’ll make you look good.