What r/CleaningTips keeps coming back to
Complaints raised here by more than one person. One-off posts are not included.
327 recurring problems · 3740 threads read · read since September 2026 · Reddit
Raised more than once here
Most people first.
- 128How do I identify if these bugs are bed bugs?“I’ve poured so many chemicals and gallons of boiling water down those that if anything has survived, it’s a mutated superfly with godlike powers”
- 99How to identify a weird bug found in the house“recently I started to see small insects (sorry for the resolution) and have no idea where they are coming from and how to get rid of them.”
- 91What are these tiny red beads in my house?“before I got into bed i noticed this black speck on my pillowcase.”
- 80How to clean burnt food off a stainless steel pan“Brand new pan, son used it before i could wash/unpack. What will clean this as soap will not?”
- 63How to get stubborn makeup out of white clothes“I wish I took a before and after but I have tried everything to get quite dark prominent make up stains out of my white work blouse (dishwashing liquid, expensive stain remover, expensive all white stain remover, soaking over night etc) and nothing worked.”
- 57How do I know if I can DIY a repair or need a pro?“I'm going to move into a flat soon for the first time. Agency says their cleaners will deep clean it but I doubt it'll be to a good standard so I'm wondering whether it's worth hiring a cleaning company to do it for me or do it myself?”
- 46How to get dried paint stripper off hardwood floors“I followed the instructions and left it to dry. This was yesterday so it's dry by now but the ugly markings remain.”
- 44How to get rid of tiny flying bugs coming out of wooden furniture“I’ve had this continuous issue for weeks now and I can’t seem to get rid of fruit flies.”
- 43How to clean a room when you are too depressed“Been there. Same set up. Mattress on the floor, one dresser, and suckling Franzia straight from the twist spout. Toss the empties aside because I'm too depressed to go to the dumpster.”
- 42How to get a stuck bathtub stopper cap off“I fricked my shower up and I need to fix it before my dad notices”
- 42How to get bright, oily bath bomb stains out of a tub“i left scrubbing bubbles sitting on it for 5 minutes, no improvement. went at it with a bathroom mr. clean, no improvement.”
- 37Why does flushing one toilet pull water out of another?“Bought a house 3 months ago, the bathroom sink was a little stinky. Tried some hot water and dishwashing liquid which helped a bit but only temporarily.”
- 37Why is there a mystery wet dog or sour smell in the house?“I could also describe it as maybe like stinky feet, maybe kind of sour.”
- 34How to unclog a drain blocked by hardened materials“So I have an issue with food down the bathroom drain and hair. Any advice on something to break up food and hair in PVC pipes?”
- 31How to remove thick, baked-on hard water scale“Chrome faucet is also really built up hard water scale. Any product recs to really get that off too would be great.”
- 31Should I use foam or caulk to seal gaps in exterior walls?“This space between their stairs and the siding on my house is full of dirt and who-knows-what, and I’m employing a broom, a snow brush for vehicles, and a battery-powered blower to try to clear the space.”
- 31How to remove old dried adhesive before laying LVP flooring“I have tried so many things to get this stuff to a point that I can scrape it off.”
- 30Why are toilets and kitchen sinks impossible to clean behind?“I have personal beef with 1. Cabinets that dont reach the ceiling 2. Textured concrete floors 3. Badly laid out tiny mechanical closets.”
- 30Why does my sink drain keep clogging up?“My apartment came with a (removable) stopper that prevents any water from going down the drain. I have a weird routine where I manually remove liquid from the sink instead of letting it go down the drain.”
- 29How to figure out how much to charge for freelance work“I’m trying to make sure I’m pricing this appropriately and not undercharging.”
What this forum worries about more than the rest
How much more often a topic shows up here than across every forum we read.
stain removal18.5×cleaning tips18.5×housekeeping18.5×mold removal18.5×