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Mar 19, 2024

32 Things To Transform A Messy Home

We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed collects a share of sales and/or other compensation

We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed collects a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.

Mess, dirt, and sad-looking floors and walls, you've met your match.

BuzzFeed Staff

Former BuzzFeed Shopping editor Kayla Suazo uses this and raves: "This mildew remover can destroy any stain in its path. When I moved into my apartment, it looked like there hadn't been repairs since the '60s, and that included re-caulking the bathtub. I tried bleach and every type of shower cleaner at the store, but nothing removed the mold and mildew stains that had been there for like, 40 years. UNTIL I BOUGHT THIS INCREDIBLE MAGIC GEL. I am one happy customer."

Promising review: "I have scrubbed this caulk hundreds of times trying to clean it; it always stayed so gross. I decided to try this stuff and I am so glad I did!!! 10/10. I highly recommend you get this if you have any gross caulk. Follow the directions and it works like a charm. Some spots were a little wet, so I am going to redo a couple of spots, but I couldn't be happier!" —Reviewer

Get it from Amazon for $14.99.

Promising review: "My metal barstools were left on the balcony all winter because of a surprise three-day blizzard. After being buried in snow all winter I thought for sure I would have to throw them out when I saw them in the spring. Looking at them now after using the product, no one would suspect that they weren’t new ones!" —Mom@home

Get five wipes from Amazon for $14.52.

Promising review: "I just bought my first house, and because of COVID I have not had the funds I wanted to fix it up. This was cheap, and the backsplash in my new kitchen was an eyesore. I wasn't expecting much because of the price, and I am absolutely stunned. My kitchen looks so much better! It was easy to use, no odor, and quick! I did two coats because the color was dark brown. Some places I did more, but I didn't mind doing it because it was actually really satisfying. Definitely recommend this product!" —Kim

Get it from Amazon for $8.99+ (also available with a wide tip).

One tray fits up to 24 pieces of cutlery.

Promising review: "THE BEST silverware storage organizer compartments I’ve EVER had in my entire life! We have a large family and therefore have the need for a lot of silverware. Unfortunately we have a small, shallow, and narrow drawer in our house and it was always full! Constantly disorganized before, and now amazingly organized. The only reason I would hesitate would be if your drawer is not adequately deep, but from reading reviews people said if they had 3.5 inches of depth it would be just fine which is exactly what I have and there’s adequate drawer depth for me. I measured my skinny drawer and realized I still had space for two units and took the plunge and am so glad I did! Silverware goes quickly from the dishwasher straight into the drawer and you don’t have to stack perfectly to put a lot in!!! ADD IT TO YOUR CART NOW, you’ll be glad you did if you have the same problem as we did!" —oceantiff

Get it from Amazon for $11.99.

The four-piece set comes with a base cover and three individual cushion covers. AND these covers are also available in a smaller version for armchairs!

Promising review: "I have never been so excited about a slip cover. Total transformation of our couch and loveseat. I was worried about it not working on our leather couch, but it stays on really well due to the straps and the separate cushion covers. LOVE." —Brian/Liz

Get it from Amazon for $37.95+ (available in five sizes and 11 colors).

This formula features a protectant to prevent future damage *and* a salt neutralizer that repairs areas that have been scorched by pet urine.

Promising review: "I have lacrosse players and dogs, and this stuff is amazing. My yard looked like an abandoned lot before this, and it literally 'grew anywhere' just like it said. The bag I planted last year actually came back strong this year, so I put more down, and it is working like a dream!" —chchmom

Get it from Amazon for $13.10+ (available in five sizes and multipacks).

It even has a minty scent, so you don't have to worry about that harsh chemical smell most cleaning products usually emit.

Promising review: "I have tried for weeks to get rid of some very tough hard-water stains on my glass shower panel. They had been there for three years while my apartment was rented and never cleaned. I have tried just about everything from toothpaste to vinegar to different types of chemical products. Then I found this product...PURE MAGIC!!! The nontoxicity of the product is definitely a plus, it doesn't smell bad and doesn't sting your lungs like some hard chemicals do. Its biodegradability is a plus! I feel better knowing I'm not dumping some more toxic chemicals down the drain. Most importantly, it works!!! After 10 minutes of work it has removed 90% of the hard-water stains that simply would not come off in the past!!" —O.R

Get it from Amazon for $19.99+ (also available in multipacks).

Promising review: "Used this to attempt to clean up my 45-year-old solid wood couch that I inherited and reupholstered. Got the water stains off after one application! Perfect!" —Stacy A. Berkin

Get it from Amazon for $8.99.

This kit contains spackle, primer, a putty knife, and a sanding pad! And reviewers mention that if you add a lick of paint after using this, your walls will look as good as new.

Promising review: "I slipped in the shower the other day and grabbed my towel bar outside of it so as not to die. Doing so, I ripped the bar off the wall, including the screws and anchors, so I had four small but kind of nasty holes in my wall. I've never done any sort of drywall repair/spackling etc. and I figured this would do the job. I applied the spackle, smoothed it with the flat end of the tube, and allowed it to dry. I was able to sand it smooth and then paint over the spackle. It looks fine now. I give it 5 stars for convenience." —John C

Get it from Amazon for $11.98.

The set includes five drawers and one egg holder.

Promising review: "I’m in love! I don’t know if it's my obsession with being organized but it’s a game changer! No longer trying to reach for stuff in the back of the fridge and knock over a bunch of stuff in the process. I just slide it out, grab what I want, and slide it back!" —Libbey Durkee

Get a six-pack from Amazon for $16.99+ (available in four colors and also in packs of 12).

Organise Life is a small business in Australia that focuses on pantry and home labels.

Promising review: "My fridge looks so organized. The words are clear and easy to read, and they look fantastic." —Etsy Customer

Get it from Organise Life on Etsy for $1.42+ (available in small, medium, and large with multiple labels and font size options).

Promising review: "I had a disgusting disposal and this thing is a miracle worker. After using all the pouches, I have noticed that the smell has greatly improved in my kitchen. Very easy to use as well!" —F. Zschiegner-Bleich

Get a four-pack from Amazon for $3.78.

Check out a TikTok of the storage bag in action.

Promising review: "I really like this for my kid's Duplo Lego bricks, but I think it could be used for a lot more than that. I want to get one for my kids' train track. The fabric part is really large and would fit the track on it. I found the cleanup is extremely easy; all you do is lift up the fabric, and it all goes in the bin. An added bonus, my 2-year-old can dump over the bin, and it stays on the fabric part. I also would like to add that I like the fabric on the outside of the bin; it looks durable and good quality." —KFundy

Get it from Amazon for $58.99 (available in four colors).

Hey! You can also use this on clothes and other surfaces like concrete and hardwood. Just be sure to follow the instructions carefully for non-carpet use.

Rocco & Roxie is a family-owned small business named after the Magleby family's pets Rocco, a Labradoodle, and Roxie, a former shelter tabby cat. They make a variety of pet supplies, including cleaners, treats, grooming tools, accessories, and toys.

Promising review: "I have six elderly cats, and a few of them oftentimes leave smelly pee puddles to register their disdain at whatever cats get 'peed off' about. It's not a litter box problem and, although I've caught one or two of them doing it, I can't blame them all. This product works great on fresh messes as well as dried ones. After blotting up fresh pee, I saturate the area with Rocco & Roxie's odor remover and let dry. For dried stinky stuff, I just saturate the area and let it dry. It has a pleasant odor and completely eliminates the ammonia odor. Believe me, I've tried all kinds of products, and this one works the best. I buy gallons now just to have on hand. It's better than smelling that awful pee!" —mona mia

Get it from Amazon for $19.97+ (available in two sizes).

Check out our in-depth Rocco & Roxie Professional Strength Stain & Odor Eliminator review for more!

Promising review: "Rather than ditching furniture into a landfill, which is bad for the environment and one's pocketbook, this product allows you to give new life to existing furniture. Between the Soto touchup and new handles, my entertainment center looks like new....for less than $35. If you can use liquid paper, you can use this. I just ordered another bottle for porcelain. This is a fantastic product. You will love it!" —LexiNYC

Get it from Amazon for $18.95 (available in 25 colors).

Promising review: “This product is the perfect consistency to spread easily. It cleans leather deeply without harming it. Dries fast so that there's no residue on your leather. I used it on a chair and a coat. It doesn't seem to leave any lasting noticeable smell either. Just nice clean leather. The chair was a favorite for my dog, which is the reason I bought this in the first place. She's not supposed to be on the chair! So yes, it's desperately needed cleaning. The leather honey works great. The leather coat had been in a closet for two years in Florida where humidity can get to it. Once again, great job. Easy-to-use and the coat looks like new! Another good thing is that it seems to condition the leather as well. It felt much more supple after the first simple cleaning. I just put the leather honey on a washcloth, kept moving the the washcloth to a new clean area and adding more product. And both the chair and the coat felt like new leather again. And looked fantastic." —N3rd Girl

Get it from Amazon for $16.99+ (available in three sizes).

Promising review: "This is truly the perfect power washer. First, it is very easy to put together, with clear step-by-step instructions. Second, it has a very small footprint, so it fits nicely anywhere in the garage without protruding out. Third, it is very powerful. We used it to power wash all stone and concrete surfaces around our house and pool and then even the sidewalk in front of the house. Many of the stone/concrete surfaces that we cleaned had dark stains and/or green moss, which had developed for many years (some up to 20 years). This Sun Joe was able to clean everything. Fourth, it is very reliable. We have now used it for three weekends in a row. And each time, we used it continuously, nonstop for several hours at a time." —EdS

Get it from Amazon for $169.

The kit comes with one Baseboard Buddy and three reusable pads which can be used wet or dry.

Promising review: "Buy it NOW. Honestly, I had huge reservations for this thing. Yet another miracle cleaning tool that will break or bend or something. I was so wrong. It was easy to put together and I sprayed it with Mean Green and went to the baseboards. No more kneeling and no broken back. This thing is amazing. It is durable and the pad is super absorbent. I am so happy. I can't wait to do the rest of the house!" —artgirl

Get it from Amazon for $24.99.

Promising review: "I’ve been wanting to try peel-and-stick tiles for a long time and I’m so glad I found these for our kitchen facelift! They are so easy to apply and look amazing! I love that they are actual-size subway tiles as well! They’ve given our kitchen the last very important piece that it needed!" —April Grill

Get it from Amazon for $39.99+ (available in 11 colors).

Promising review: "WOW!!!! This stuff is amazing. I literally just have to spray it, let it sit for a few minutes, come back, and depending on what I’m using it for, I either wipe it and it comes right off, or I just use a scrubbing pad and it comes off. There’s nothing out there that is anywhere in comparison to this product!!!! This stuff is the absolute best. I highly recommend purchasing this. I can tell you that half of my cleaning products are now going to be thrown out because all I need is The Pink Stuff. Whoever invented this stuff is an absolute genius; if you’re a clean freak like me, this really is the way to go. Also it doesn’t have that nasty chemical smell; it smells great. Just buy it; you won’t regret it." —Twin33

Get the original cleaning paste and multipurpose spray from Amazon for $19.99.

And by kit, I mean a brush and 16-ounce bottle of nontoxic fireplace cleaning formula.

Promising Review: "Unbelievable! My daughter just moved into her first home. She thought she would have to paint her brick fireplace because of the heavy soot stains that had been there for years. We applied the product twice and put in a whole lot of elbow grease, but what a difference!! It’s a messy process, but well worth the time and energy." —MM

Get it from Amazon for $16.99+ (available in two sizes).

Promising review: "My first reaction was 'Why did I buy this?' because when I opened the box and wasn't too convinced by the way it looked. Then I gave it a try with a couple of shirts I had just washed and next thing you know I simply had to do my entire drawer! Everything folds so pretty, neat, and easy. I still couldn't believe it, so I ended up organizing our bedsheets and towels. I am amazed at how much of a game changer this is. It's a must-try! I am in love with how beautiful it leaves my clothes." —Jesus Antonio Vedia

Get it from Amazon for $14.44+ (available in four colors).

See it in action on TikTok!

Promising review: "Works like a charm. This is the answer to my dog hair prayers! I have a Shepsky and the amount of hair he leaves around the furniture and my comforter is overwhelming. He is brushed daily and still sheds like wild. I was constantly vacuuming and using a disposable lint roller. The ChomChom is the best thing around to remove dog hair from rugs, comforters, car seats, sofas, pillows, dog beds and any object that has dog hair. You need to realize that it is small back-and-forth motions, not long strides, that pick up the hair. It easy to use, easy to clean and does the job! Not to be used as a lint roller on a person, just furniture etc. I have recommended it to everyone I know that has a pet who sheds!" —tonkers54

Get it from Amazon for $24.99.

Each cleaner comes with a trial size of Bissell's Spot & Stain Formula, which is also available on Amazon for $16.99!

Check out a TikTok of the Bissell cleaner in action.

Promising review: "I saw this on TikTok, and our toddler has turned our apartment into such a dirty place. Stains everywhere! Our sofa was in such bad condition (we only got it two years ago) that we were thinking of getting a new one. We decided to try this, and it is a miracle worker. I’m so glad we bought this. It’s worth every penny!" —shahzad mahmood

Get it from Amazon for $123.59.

Promising review: "Excellent! Easy to use and clean up. My outdoor patio is a little rough and it took a full gallon to cover 200 square feet." —RLB

Get a gallon from Amazon for $29.47+ (available in two colors).

Promising review: "I purchased this cable box to hide a bunch of cords for a router, mini cell phone tower, etc. I shopped around a bit because I wanted something that looked nicer than just a plastic box. This was the best solution I found, I like the faux-wood top of it, I actually wish the sides were the same design but again I do like the aesthetic of this box. It fits a ton of cords and wires. This was a fast and satisfying fix to my cord problem. I will be purchasing another one of these boxes for a different area of the house. It was worth the money for me as it looked better than the other cable boxes I could find and it really did solve the problem." —Kindle Customer

Get it from Amazon for $24.99 (available in two colors).

The naturally-derived ingredients include: eucalyptus, lemon, and peppermint oils, as well as pumice stone and baking soda.

Everneat is a Fairfield, Connecticut-based, all-natural cleaning shop from Claudia and Angelo Zimmermann. Their oven cleaner comes with a professional-grade metallic scrubber you can use to scrub your appliance before wiping it down with a microfiber cloth.

Promising review: "I was skeptical because I had tried so many products to clean the glass on my oven doors with no luck. The auto-clean cycle just baked it on the glass. THIS STUFF IS AMAZING! It took me about 15 minutes to get the glass on both my oven doors clean. Very minimal scrubbing effort required. I will be telling all of my friends." —Teresa Casner

Get it from Everneat on Etsy for $19.99+ (available in three scents).

Promising review: "I have a small three-tier water fountain in my patio, naturally the birds in the community have come to rely upon it for drinking and bathing. I literally sprayed this product and walked away, I actually left it on overnight, I got busy with other tasks. When I checked back all of the mold was gone, everything, with no damage to the painted stucco wall or cement and no scrubbing. Literally spray and leave." —Mark

Get it from Amazon for $16.99+ (available in three sizes and multipacks).

Our BuzzFeed Shopping home editor Sally Elshorafa has used these and says: "This product SAVED MY SHOES! I have an awkward set of built-in shelves in my closet, and it was the only place I wanted to put my shoes. As you can see from the before pic (above), it was a big mess; my shoes were piled on top of each other and getting really dirty. Traditional shoe caddies or boxes didn't really work because there's not much horizontal space, so I tried the Shoe Slotz. It fixed the problem perfectly! Because the design smartly stacks one shoe on top of the other, you save 50% of the space you'd normally use to store your shoes."

Promising review: "I will spare you the horrific 'before' picture of the complete nightmare that was my closet floor. Just imagine a dusty mess with shoes thrown all over each other in a sad attempt at giving some appearance of order, and you will have a good idea of why buying this shoe organizer was one of the best ideas I've had this year. The floor now looks so neat and tidy I can't believe my eyes every time I open my closet doors." —Veronica, just an average reader, you know?

Get a set of 10 from Amazon for $32.95 (also available in other pack sizes).

Humble Suds is a Denver-based Etsy shop creating plant-based cleaning solutions that are safe, effective, and come in cute packaging (bonus!).

BuzzFeed Shopping writer Danielle Healy uses this stuff and says: "I recently moved into a new apartment, so lately I've been cleaning A LOT. Shortly after moving in, my partner and I went to store something on the top of the kitchen cabinets, only to find them caked in a thick layer of grime. 🤢 After going at it with regular multipurpose cleaner (with little success), we broke out the scour paste as a last-ditch effort, and OH BOY did this miracle product deliver (pics above). If it can handle that grossness, it's going to have no problem with day-to-day messes like soap scum and burnt-on food. Plus, it smells delightful and comes in minimal, low-waste packaging!"

Get it from Humble Suds on Etsy for $15.95+ (available in two sizes).

Promising review: "Changed the oil on my girlfriend's car and some oil spilled on my NEW driveway...which I didn't notice 'til four days later. Four spots all about the size of a dollar bill baking in the Arizona sun for four days. Found this searching on Amazon and I thought, whatever. That's one less vodka soda tonight for dinner. Put the stuff on (sits on the stain like pancake batter — don't be afraid to pour liberally) and let it sit from 6 p.m. 'til about 9 a.m. the next day. It dried and the instructions said to just sweep the stuff up (right, like I am not going to need a scraper and wire scrub pad for an hour. HA). Well it broke apart with the broom and the stains were gone, just swept up the powder pieces — took about a minute. I WAS SHOCKED! Something that actually works on oil and it's easy. Absolutely NO sign of anything that was there. My driveway is smooth concrete so I can't vouch for what would happen with a rougher surface but whoever makes this stuff is a genius. If they tried to take on World Peace, Earth would be a better place." —AmazonBob

Get it from Amazon for $17.97+ (available in two sizes).

Pardo Naturals is a Black-owned and woman-owned small business helmed by Rita Pardo, a mom who was looking for natural hair, body, and home products that wouldn't irritate her daughter's severe eczema.

BuzzFeed Shopping editor Melanie Aman uses these and raves: "For all the folks who don't enjoy cleaning the toilet — myself included — these dissolving tablets make quick work of a grimy bowl. The tablets are a little hard to dislodge from the plastic container (although that does make me feel confident that they're secure during transit and won't break; mine all arrived intact!), but once you get one out, you drop it in the toilet and let it do its thing. It'll start fizzing — just like a bath bomb — loosening any stains and streaks in 10 minutes so they come away with a light brushing. I never let the toilet get too bad (and usually it takes awhile for me to notice any buildup since there are only two people in the apartment), so I can't vouch for them if you have really set-in hard water stains or haven't cleaned the commode in six months. But if you're looking to ditch the harsh cleansers in your toilet cleaning routine, this is a great addition to your lineup."

Get six tablets from Pardo Naturals for $10.50 (available in seven scents).

The reviews in this post have been edited for length and clarity.