Ok, I’m exaggerating, but it’s a wonderful house gadget that has helped me so much in the last year. 

I got it last Black Friday, online, and I’ve used it ever since, 3 times a week, with no exception. 

The robot definitely decreased my time doing house chores, and thank god, I now have to do a proper vacuum of the place only once a month. I still think you need to use the big vacuum from time to time, even if the Roborock does clean very well. Just add it to your cleaning checklist. 

I know a lot of people are considering getting one, so I decided to write up my experience with the Roborock S5 MAX. 

The short version is that I loved it and I would definitely recommend it to you. 

The long version is below. I go through the technical data you need to know, and then my pros and cons, with a few pics and GIFs sprinkled through to help you get a feel for it. 

So let’s get to the Roborock S5 MAX review:

Technical Details – Everything You Need To Know About Roborock S5 MAX

Here is what the Roborock brand page says its main features are:

• Roborock S5 MAX is a robot vacuum, which means it’s a small machine you plug in and let it clean your floors. It’s automated, so you don’t have to do anything. 
• Accurate floor plans. The Roborock S5 Max can map out your home’s layout. “It spins at 300rpm, sending 360° area scans through a custom algorithm in real-time. Using that data, it creates a 98% accurate floor plan map, and it knows where rooms are.”
• Easy scheduling. A key feature we have used since day one is the scheduling. You can schedule cleaning sessions for the whole house, or for specific rooms, all from the Roborock mobile phone app.
• Mop cleaner. It can also mop the floors, although I must admit I don’t actually use this functionality. The website says it has a huge 290ml water tank that is enough to clean a 65sqm (700 sqft) apartment more than 3-times or a 200 sqm (2600 sqft) home in one go.
• Virtual no-mop zones and barriers. The mobile app also lets you create no-mop and no go zones for your cleaning schedules, and that’s extremely useful, especially if you have carpets. 
• Vacuum and Mop cleaning settings. According to the website, “From the app, [you can] choose the right water flow for any floor type, low-flow on stone, to high-flow for grimy kitchens. Similarly, for vacuum, inside S5 Max is a specialized fan spinning at 15000 rpm, channeling its airflow through carefully designed pathways.  From the app you can choose the intensity of the fan anytime.”
• Great for multiple floors. If you have multiple floors, no need to worry, it works great for that, too. The robot vacuum has Multi-level Mapping systems that use precision LiDAR scanning to recognize different levels of a home automatically. “Every floor can have independent No-go Zones, Invisible Walls, and No-mop Zones. And the current level is automatically recognized so you don’t need to open the Roborock app.”
• You can use it with Amazon Alexa, so bonus points for that. You can just shout “Alexa, turn on Roborock.” 

How to use Roborock S5 MAX

The first thing you need to do, after you unbox it, is to find it a place to stay & charge. Ideally, in a corner, or unde a table. I put mine under a coffee table in the living room, mostly because it’s close to an outlet. 

Second step is to download the app and connect it to the machine.

Third step, start mapping out your home with the help of the app. Here’s a great video showing you how to do it– the mapping part starts at min 2:30. 

Fourth step – schedule your cleaning sessions. I use it every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, at 9:30. But you might prefer doing it more often, if you have a bigger family. Or less, maybe even only once a week, if you live alone. 

And then start cleaning! We used it immediately after programming it, just to see what it does, we were so curious 🙂

The Pros and Cons of Roborock S5 MAX

I’ve been using the Roborock vacuum for almost a year now, so I can definitely tell you the benefits and the not so great parts of it. Here they are below:

The Pros

• The first and most important thing I have to mention about the Roborock S5 MAX is that it’s very convenient and easy to use. We set up a schedule for it: it cleans three times a week, when we’re already at work. That means we don’t have to plug it in, or run it ourselves, or do anything special. It just runs by itself, and that’s extremely helpful. We do have to make sure the bin is cleared out after a few cycles, but it’s worth it. 
• It cleans under the couch and bed. I’m in love with this functionality. The house used to gather a lot of dust under these two things, and now I don’t have to worry about it.
• It’s small, so it doesn’t take up a lot of space. My previous one was huge and I didn’t really have a space for it, so it occupied a part of my laundry room, I really didn’t like it. The Roborock S5 MAX lives under a small coffee table, in a corner of the living room, and it’s not in the way, so we don’t mind.  
• I love the fact it already knows the rooms, where each furniture piece is, and where it can go. It doesn’t go around blindly, bumping into everything. The first thing we did, when we got it, was to map out the rooms. We actually helped it, and “told” it where the kitchen ended and the living room began, for example, so we could easily make it go only there, if we needed to.
• Speaking of obstacles, the other cool thing about it is that it has amazing environmental sensors, which means it doesn’t fall off the stairs, or slam into walls. It knows the space very well (on most occasions). 
• I also like the fact that it doesn’t make a lot of noise. For example, you can talk on the phone while it’s on. It’s not completely silent, but it doesn’t bother, either. Better than a normal vacuum, that’s for sure.

The Cons – Not actual negative traits, just inconveniences

• It sometimes gets stuck. This happens rarely because the machine already knows its way around our house, and on most occasions, we clear the floor. But sometimes it gets stuck in cords or random things we forgot to pick up. Roborock usually alerts you, or it just gets stuck there. Either way, nothing is broken, it’s just a minor inconvenience you have to take care of. One way to avoid this is to make sure the floors are as clear as they can before starting it up. 

• You have to clear out the dustbin once every 3-4 cleaning cycles. Now, this is an obvious consequence of having such a small machine that vacuums. But you always have to be mindful of clearing out the dustbin because a full one can not clean the floors as best as it usually can. 
• It doesn’t clean the corners (obviously, because of its shape). Roborock S5 MAX is great for a quick clean-up bi-weekly, but it shouldn’t be used exclusively. Because of the corner issue, I usually whip out my big, trusty vacuum cleaner once a month, to make sure everything (and everywhere) is clean. 

Conclusion

I am very happy with my purchase. The Roborock S5 MAX is a great investment and it’s definitely worth the price. I think any home (and especially its owners) would benefit from having one clean up the floors weekly (or daily, suit yourself). Just make sure it’s not the only way, because the place needs a proper, thorough clean from time to time. 
In conclusion, I highly recommend you get the Roborock S5 MAX! Get it on Amazon here!

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission if you make a purchase using these links, at no extra cost to you.

The post My Honest Roborock S5 MAX review (spoiler alert: I love it!) appeared first on Cozy Home Hacks.

Cleaning white sneakers or white Converse shoes can be frustrating, especially if you don’t have the right tools. Thank God that over time I’ve developed the skills to take care of them. 

And you know what’s also a pain in the ass? 

Cleaning shoelaces, especially white ones. 

That’s why I’m here to help you learn how to clean shoelaces, white or any other dirty pair. 

There are two obvious ways to go at it: by hand or in the washing machine.

Go through each method and decide which one works best for you, they’re both pretty easy to do. Take into consideration that you need to dedicate a bit of time to the task because you might need to scrub them. 

HOW TO CLEAN SHOELACES BY HAND

Here’s what you need to get started:

• A large bowl of hot water 
• Liquid laundry detergent
• An old toothbrush, but clean
• Bleach (if they’re white and need extra care)
• Rubber gloves

It will take you about 30-40 minutes to wash shoelaces by hand, so let’s start.

1. Unlace your shoelaces and put the shoes aside.
2. Gently wash the shoelaces under the water stream for a couple of seconds, in order to get rid of the heavy duty soil that you might have. 
3. Then take the toothbrush, dip into the laundry detergent and start scrubbing each shoelace.
4. After you’re done, put them in the large bowl, with a half teaspoon of laundry detergent and bleach, if you want to wash white shoelaces. 
5. Let them soak in the warm water for 30 minutes.
6. Take them out, squeeze the excess water and let them air dry, ideally on a clothes hanger, if you can. 

HOW TO CLEAN SHOELACES IN THE WASHING MACHINE

What you need to wash shoelaces in the washing machine:

• Laundry detergent
• Mesh bag or zip up pillow cover
• An old toothbrush, but clean
• Bleach (if they’re white and need extra care)

The process is similar to the one by hand, so let’s go over it:

1. Take the shoelaces and gently wash them under the water stream for a couple of seconds, in order to get rid of the heavy duty soil that you might have. 
2. Use the toothbrush to help the stains get out faster;  dip it into laundry detergent and start scrubbing each shoelace.
3. After you’re done, put them in a mesh bag or a zippable pillow cover (so they don’t get mixed up with other items) and put them in a normal washing cycle*. If they are super dirty, add bleach to it, too.

*white laundry if they are white shoelaces, colored items if they are a different color .

4. Take them out the bag / cover and let them air dry.

NEVER put the shoelaces in the dryer; the high heat will distort the plastic tips shoelaces have at the end. 

Conclusion

If you wanted to know how to clean shoelaces, I hope this article helped. You can do it by hand or put them in the washing machine. Either way, they will come out squeaky clean. (Well, most of the time)

p.s. For more Laundry Hacks, check this blog post on Essential Laundry Hacks You Need To Know!

The post How To Clean Shoelaces (Even The White Ones!) appeared first on Cozy Home Hacks.

For the very fast answer, just scroll down a bit and read how to get rid of coffee stains from carpet. 

And know that I completely understand what you’re going through, because I’ve been in that situation exactly 6 days ago. 

I was getting ready to leave, so I decided to have one last sip of my iced coffee. I drank it and when I wanted to put the glass back on the table, I missed my mark and it tumbled down. Luckly, not all the coffee got on the carpet, but it was enough to make a rather large spot on my rug. 

The next 5 minutes were spent frantically trying to find a solution, Googling “how to remove coffee stains from carpet” and calling my mom to give me cleaning hacks. With the help of Google and my mom, I managed to get most of it out, and to the untrained eye, it’s not even noticeable. But I still want to try some other things, too, because I still notice it. 

Here is what I did to remove the stains from my carpet.

How to remove coffee stains from carpet

1. Quickly blot the stain, don’t rub

If the coffee stain is fresh, you have to move fast and make sure the stain doesn’t stick to the carpet or spread. So take a white cloth and blot the coffee, going from the outside to the middle of the stain. 

DON’T RUB THE CARPET, it will make it way worse to clean, because the coffee will be trapped in the fibers of the rug. 

2. Use the following homemade coffee stain cleaning solution 

Take out a bowl and mix 

• one tablespoon of liquid dish soap, 
• one tablespoon of white vinegar and 
• two cups of warm water. 

Then grab a clean cloth, dip it into the solution and apply it on the coffee stain. Similarly to the last step, go from outside to the middle of the stain. After you’ve covered the whole area, blot it with a dry towel. 

3. Rinse with cold water

Use cold water on a clean cloth to rinse the area, making sure to blot up the liquid, not rub. Then let the carpet air dry.

Easiest way to remove coffee stains from carpet

If you can and have the means to do it, just take it to the cleaners….or use a powerful carpet cleaner. Below you’ll find a decently priced alternative from Amazon.

The carpet cleaners have the best tools, are expert in removing all kinds of stains and will, most likely, do a better job than you would. Yes, they are a more expensive option, but if you want to save yourself the hassle, just take the carpet to the carpet cleaners. 

What I tried and didn’t really work

A while ago, I had a small coffee stain and, at the moment, the only thing I could think of is the classic clothes stain remover. So I used it, I sprayed it on the carpet, then rubbed it off with water. I shouldn’t have done that. I shouldn’t have rubbed it off, because guess what, it didn’t really work. 

Maybe I should have tried steaming it. I recently read about a hack for how to remove coffee stains from carpet where you apply the solution, let it sit for 10 minutes, then put a damp cloth over it and iron it for 30 seconds. Apparently that takes out the stain, but I haven’t tried it yet. 

How to remove old coffee stains

If a member of your family did the deed and didn’t tell you, or if you postponed the cleaning moment, don’t fret, there are solutions. 

Start by wetting the stain with warm water to loosen the dried coffee. Then follow the steps above as if it was a fresh new coffee stain. 

If it doesn’t work, well, I’m sorry to say you might need to take the carpet to the cleaners (or have them come by your place), they should be able to clean any difficult spots. 

I hope at least one of my solutions on how to remove coffee stains from carpet helped. Let me know in the comments if you have any other cleaning hacks up your sleeves!

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission if you make a purchase using these links, at no extra cost to you.

The post How to remove coffee stains from carpet appeared first on Cozy Home Hacks.

That’s why lately (in the last few years, ever since I started using it more often) I’ve acquired a number of kitchen cleaning hacks that have helped keep my space looking nice and clean. (even though I probably missed some spots, if you looked closely)

The key is to never do everything all at once, but instead allocate days (or weeks or months) to different parts of your kitchen (or categories). For example, you could have an easy cleaning schedule that looks like this:

• Clean the garbage can once a month
• Deep clean your microwave and oven once per quarter, so every three months
• Do a self care day for all your wooden tools (utensils, cutting board, you name it) every six months

This way, it won’t be overwhelming, and you will still get things done. Moreover, not everything named below has to be cleaned every day or week, so you can definitely spread it out, so it doesn’t seem too much to do. 

So, what are these cool kitchen cleaning hacks I’m talking about? Well, I’m going to help you clean things you probably haven’t cleaned in a while…OR EVER. (like I did with the cutting boards, until recently)

Some might be obvious (microwave, garbage can), while others might not be (wooden utensils, toaster). 

Either way, you HAVE to clean the following 7 things, because you use them everyday and they do accumulate germs (some more than others). 

So let’s start cleaning!

Actually, before you start, make sure your cleaning supplies are on hand. Things like dish soap, baking soda, paper towels, a spray bottle, rubber gloves, a microfiber cloth, your fave commercial cleaning products.

Here are 7 Kitchen Cleaning Hacks for things you aren’t cleaning often enough (or ever):

1. Clean and sanitize your garbage can

This is actually one of the most important and most urgent tasks on the list, because that place can get really dirty, really fast. Like, for example, if something spills from the bag or the bag rips when you take it out, and pieces fall back in the can. 

So, how to clean a garbage can? 

• First, remove any bag from it, it has to be empty. (duh)
• Then fill it with hot water, in which you can add soap and/or vinegar. 
• I suggest letting it soak for at least an hour, but 15-30 minutes should also do the trick. 
• Empty it out, then wipe it with a towel or let it air-dry, if you can.
• After it’s all dry, you just put a new garbage bag and you’re done!

2. Clean the microwave with lemons

Your microwave is probably dirty AF right now. It probably has grease stains, and dried up tomato sauce stains on the sides. It NEEDS to be cleaned. 

How to clean a microwave:

• Pour the juice of one lemon in a bowl of water and microwave it for 3 minutes.
• Wait for another 3 minutes.
• Then wipe down the interior of the microwave with a sponge. You can even use the water-lemon solution to wipe the interior, just make sure it’s not too hot. 

3. How to clean a toaster

I learned my lesson the hard way when it comes to toasters. I realized toasters retain crumbs and get dirty after a small roach invasion made my life miserable for a couple of weeks, and one of the infestation areas was the toaster area. So don’t make my mistake, and learn how to clean a toaster: 

• Unplug it. (duh)
• Use a toothbrush or something similar to dislodge all the crumbs inside the machine.
• Then shake the toaster over a trash can, or in the sink, and try to get as many out as possible. 
• Also remove and empty the crumb tray at the bottom. 
• The last step is to wipe the exterior with a cloth dipped in water or diluted vinegar. 

4. Clean your wooden utensils 

Did you know that too much water in the wooden kitchen tools can create mildew? That’s why it’s recommended to not soak them or put them in the dishwasher. 

If you want to clean them properly, do the following:

• Hand wash the wooden utensils with hot water and soap. 
• Hand dry them with a towel.
• Cut a lemon in half or quarter, then rub the wooden tools with the lemon to reduce bad smells. 
• If you really want to pamper them, rub a light layer of vegetable oil on them. 

5. Clean and organize your fridge

If you see this step and think to yourself “Oh, I already do this weekly/monthly”, then good for you. That means less work 🙂 

But if you’re lazy or haven’t even thought that the fridge needs cleaning, too, here are some easy steps:

• Empty your fridge, and while you’re doing it, throw out expired items or that you will definitely not consume in the future. 
• Wipe down the whole interior of the fridge with a sponge or some all-purpose cleaner and a cloth.
• Dry it with a clean towel.
• Put back the food, as nicely and organized as you can, so you can make your life easier (and prettier) in the next few days.

6. Your cutting board needs attention, too

Similarly to your wooden kitchen tools, the cutting board needs some cleaning (and love), too.  Here’s how to clean a cutting board:

• Sprinkle the board with chunky or coarse salt.
• Cut half a lemon, then squeeze the juice over the board.
• Use the other half of the lemon to rub the board (use the flesh side on it).
• Let it dry in a sunny spot, like outside, or facing a window.
• Wipe it down with a cloth or napkin, to get all the salt off, then rub some coconut oil on it.
• Let it dry for another 15 minutes, then wipe down the excess with a cloth or napkin. 

TA DA! 

7. How to clean the oven

This is not a difficult process, but it does take time. Let me tell you how to do it:

• Open the door and remove the oven racks.
• Mix ½ cup of baking soda with a little water until a paste is formed.
• Rub that paste on the oven’s “stubborn” spots.
• Let it sit overnight.
• Then the next morning, with a damp cloth, wipe away everything you can (paste, crumbs, dislodged greasy bits, etc)
• Spray some all-purpose cleaner (or water) all over the over, then wipe everything down with dry cloth until there are no bits left and everything feels and looks clean. 

So here are the 7 kitchen cleaning hacks that will help you keep a clean kitchen over time. What’s your least favorite task out of all these 7? Let me know in the comments!

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