Keep Flowers Fresh, Sanitize Sponges—11 Things You Didn't Know You Could Do With Pine-Sol and Clorox
The Queen of Cleaning and The Pine-Sol Lady streamline spring cleaning.
March is known for competition—there's March Madness, the second half of the NBA and NHL seasons and spring training.
But the real competition is between Pine-Sol and Clorox, at least if you've been on TikTok this week. Vanesa Amaro (TikTok’s Queen of Cleaning) and Diane Amos (The Pine-Sol Lady) have teamed up with Clorox to help people whip their homes into shape in time for warm-weather entertaining.
In the video, Amos is, of course, team Pine-Sol—the comedian has served as the brand's spokesperson since 1993. Amaro, a former housecleaner who started sharing cleaning tips during the early days of the pandemic and now has amassed 5 million TikTok followers, is all about sharing ways to use Clorox.
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In real life, the pair says the two products are some of the only ones you need to make your home sparkle this spring and beyond.
"It’s a competition, but it’s a good kind of competition," Amaro says. "We both win at the end of the day."
So do people. Amaro and Amos shared under-the-radar spring cleaning tips, including unexpected ways to use Pine-Sol and Clorox.
Courtesy Clorox
Why You Should Spring-Clean Your Home
Spring cleaning may not excite you in the same way as, oh, al fresco happy hours, but it's a form of self-care.
“A clean home is kind of sexy," Amos says. "It promotes a feeling of health. When spring comes around, that’s your chance to get your house ready for the guests you’re going to have—get your house ready for the energy that spring brings."
Amaro agrees.
"Having a clean house can affect how you feel mentally, emotionally and even spiritually," she says. "When you’re in a cluttered, dirty house, I feel like your whole mood just changes. It can make you feel more blah. When I have a freshly clean house…it’s a different mood."
11 Things You Didn't Know You Could Do With Pine-Sol and Clorox
Make glassware sparkle
Over time, glassware can start looking dull and loses its sparkle. But no one wants to think, "Dang, my dishwasher missed a spot" when clinking glasses to sunnier days ahead. Recapture that brand-new look with Amaro's favorite dishwasher hack.
"Just a teaspoon [of Clorox] in your dishwater, and it makes the biggest difference ever," Amaro says.
Seriously? Seriously. Amaro admits that she, too, was a doubter at first.
"I tried that on myself…and yes, it does work," Amaro says. "People in my comments section were going nuts.”
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Clean toys
If you're a parent, you may have already spent cold and flu (and RSV, COVID, et al.) season cleaning your little ones' germs off their toys. Spring marks the end of sickness season, but kids are still tiny germ buckets—sorry. Amos, a grandmother of an eight-year-old and 18-month-old twins, discovered a genius way to streamline toy cleanings year-round.
"A big bucket with a little amount Pin-Sol and warm water," Amos says. "Throw them in, move them around, get them clean and rinse them off. They have clean toys.”
Freshen your kitchen trashcan...
When you can't figure out why your kitchen smells rancid, Amaro says the most obvious place often gets overlooked.
"Sometimes, your whole kitchen smells, and you don’t know why, and it’s the trashcan," she says. "That’s the guilty one.”
You prep food in the kitchen. When you entertain, people often huddle in there too. Amaro says it's important not to let your trash stink up the joint. She suggests using a bit of Clorox and a long brush to clean the trashcan. Rinse it thoroughly and let it dry.
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...And all your trashcans
The kitchen trashcan isn't always the culprit. Amos says people like to have trashcans in most rooms of their homes for convenience, but they all have their (stinky) moments. Don't allow them to become memorable ones when guests are around.
"You don’t want them funky when people…go to throw away a paper plate," Amos says.
Amos recommends pouring some Pine-Sol on a cloth when cleaning them. It's not putting lipstick on a pig. Not only do they smell fresh and clean, but they are also actually fresh and clean—no residue of whatever you previously threw in there.
Keep flowers fresh
Amaro gets a floral delivery every two weeks. She credits her grandma with sharing a Clorox hack to help keep her flowers looking fresh between deliveries: She uses about a quarter of a teaspoon of Clorox for every third of a gallon of water she puts in a vase.
"It makes your flowers stay fresh for longer, which is just amazing," she says. "It’s a trick a lot of people didn’t know."
Related: OMG, You'll Definitely Want These Ear-resistable 'Bunny Succulents' for Your Home This Spring
Sanitize bathmats and sponges
If you're not washing your bathmats and sponges, you should be. Throw them on a hot cycle to nix bacteria and extend their shelf life.
"You want your bath mats in the best shape," Amos says. "That’s where they’re putting their feet. That’s where they are noticing what’s around in front of your tub and all that."
The secret sauce?
"Putting some Pine-Sol in your laundry keeps those nice and fresh," Amos says. "I always encourage people to put some in there when they're cleaning sponges…and brushes."
Clean clear shower curtains
Clear plastic shower linens can become a magnet for dirt, grime and mold. Guests don't love to see it, and neither do you.
“Just a little Clorox removes slime and mold," Amos says.
Related: Here’s Exactly How To Clean a Humidifier (Plus, How Often You Should Clean It)
Put hotel-like sheets on your own bed
“Who doesn’t like to go into bed with fresh, crisp, nice linen?" Amaro says. "It sounds like a luxury hotel.”
But you can still get the fabulous night's sleep you would at a five-star resort even without living the jet-setter life. Amaro uses Clorox when she's doing a load of white linens.
“It makes them crisp, white and so clean," she gushes. "I get my best night’s sleep when I have super-clean sheets.”
Clorox.com notes that people with standard washers should dilute two-thirds cup of bleach in one quart of water. Let it start agitating and wait five minutes. Then, add it to the washing machine. People using high-efficiency loads can add bleach to the bleach dispenser up to the "max" line.
Wipe down window blinds
They say the eyes are the window to your soul. But the actual windows of your home also need some TLC—and people often forget about them at their own peril.
"Those are surfaces that hold a lot of dirt," Amos says.
A little Pine-Sol and warm water can get rid of dust and dirt.
“They’re so clean and nice," Amos says. "You open them…and you’re not looking at dust, you’re looking at sunshine."
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Get blood out of carpets (and other stains too)
If you have colored or patterned carpets, Amos and Amaro both suggest skipping bleach.
"When you have patterns and colors, that’s when Pine-Sol can be really beneficial," Amos says.
Mix it with water to get stains out. But patience is a virtue when you're trying to get blood out of carpets.
“Let it sit a minute," Amos says. "That’s the other secret. Put it on there, and give it a few minutes to just kind of sink in.”
Then, do a little brush-up to pat it out.
Get your kids involved
Though small children shouldn't use Pine-Sol and Clorox, cleaning can absolutely be a family affair.
"[Kids] love to knock stuff over, have them take the trashcan and lay it on its side…involve your family in cleaning," Amos says.
Other ways to get kids involved: Have them put their toys back in the bin after you wipe them down, sort laundry and help dust.
Bonus tip: Don't forget this step on hardwood floors
Cleaning hardwood floors is supposed to be a cinch. But they can often highlight every last dust bunny. That's often because people skip dusting when cleaning hardwood floors.
"The first thing you need to do before you clean your floors is to dust,” says Amos, who uses Pine-Sol with warm water to give her hardwood floors a "nice sheen" or a gloss
“Clean and sheen go together," Amos says. "Pine-Sol really helps with that—not to mention the smell. When you come in the house, you want that smell."
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