Every social media platform has posts dedicated to cleaning hacks. Indeed, the Secrets from a Cleaning Lady group on Facebook has more than 500,000 members, who regularly offer tips and seek advice. The interest is understandable, given homeowners’ lives are increasingly busy, and consumers have accumulated a lot of, well, stuff. Not everyone can afford professional help. Plus, even if you hire a cleaning service, they likely don’t come daily.

Here are seven ways to tackle household chores.

HAVE A HOUSE CLEANING PLAN
You’re undoubtedly overwhelmed if you haven’t pulled out your cleaning caddy in some time. Annette Bye has a solution. “The best advice I ever got was to clean one room and then move on,” says the Brunswick, Georgia, resident. “Don’t work on the whole house at once. This has been life-changing for me. I can clearly see what I have accomplished; the clean room empowers me and inspires me to continue, and no matter how my day becomes derailed, I have at least one lovely room.”

If even one room is daunting, pick a corner, the closet or your desk, she says. Seeing the change—no matter how small—offers an emotional and psychological boost.

Another option is to delegate a specific task to a day of the week, says Aaron Christensen, vice president of growth for Homeaglow. You can also put aside a day for decluttering.

Procrastinators can benefit from a timer. Ryan Knoll, founder of Tidy Casa in Phoenix, recommends doing five to 10 minutes of cleaning on weekdays and two hours on the weekends.

“The more frequently you clean, the less chance that the mess will get out of control,” explains Knoll, whose company handles about 600 homes a month.

CLEAN A ROOM IN THE SAME ORDER
To ensure you don’t miss a spot, clean the room from top to bottom, circling the perimeter and then into the center, Christensen suggests. “Professional cleaners tend to move clockwise,” he adds. Going top to bottom means you’ll finish with the floors, which is smart given you likely wiped dust and crumbs off the surfaces. Pros recommend vacuuming horizontally and then vertically to catch each particle.

BUY MICROFIBER CLEANING CLOTHS
Most pros swear by microfiber cloths, which capture dust and dirt without harming a surface. Use them dry or wet—with water or a solvent.

However, use care when cleaning them. Shake out the dust and dirt first. Then, handwash or machine wash the dirty items with other microfiber cloths. (Washing them with different types of fabrics can ruin the fibers.)

And forget about bleach and fabric softener, which can coat the fibers. Air dry the cloths or put them in the machine without dryer sheets or balls.

REUSE, RECYCLE AND REPURPOSE
Simple household items are the inspiration for many cleaning hacks. Use an old or unused toothbrush to get into cracks and crevices.

A pillowcase over a fan blade will remove and capture dust—you don’t need to worry about dust bunnies cascading across your coverlet.

When cleaning blinds, slip a sock over your hand and dip it in a solution of equal parts water and vinegar. “The water grabs the dust, and the vinegar disinfects,” Knoll explains.

Because dryer sheets have antistatic properties, use them to clean blinds and electronics, says Chris Willatt, owner of Alpine Maids in Denver. Try them on baseboards to trap dust.

And keep minerals from building up on shower doors by applying an auto-glass treatment, such as Rain-X.

WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS
Pantry products can also come in handy. For instance, dust your carpet with baking soda to absorb odors before vacuuming.

Instead of making lemonade, toss a few peels into the garbage disposal and turn it on. “Not only does it clean, but it also leaves a zesty fragrance,” Knoll says.

Add lemon juice to a cup of water and pop it in the microwave for about five minutes. The steam will loosen the grime. If you don’t have lemons, try a few drops of vinegar, suggests Knoll, who learned the trick in his dorm days.

You can also use half a lemon to clean cutting boards and remove orders, Willatt says. “The acid in the lemon will disinfect the surface and leave it smelling clean.”

MULTITASK
Find opportunities to do two things at once, Christensen says. For instance, clean the sink while you’re heating water and lemon in the microwave. Or, while a solution breaks down grease on the stove, wipe the counter.

INVEST IN APPLIANCES
Make your household chores easier by letting inventions do some of the work.

Air purifiers remove allergens, including dust and dander, from a room’s air. In theory, they help reduce dust accumulation—depending on the size of a room.

Meanwhile, a vacuum with a HEPA filter (High Efficiency Particulate Air) prevents small dust particles from returning to the room through the machine’s exhaust.

And don’t forget to purchase top-quality HVAC filters. High-efficiency products remove airborne particles, including bacteria.