Taking care of a space is no easy task especially when it’s an apartment and you’re low on cash.

However, keeping up with some maintenance on your apartment and keeping it clean doesn’t have to be as difficult or expensive. Much of the upkeep can be done with a little ingenuity and a few household items you probably already own. So what are you waiting for? Get some baking soda and a few rags, and get ready to make your apartment look a lot better. 1. Baking soda is your grime specialist. Essentially, baking soda is the number one cleaning product that isn’t actually a certified cleaning product. It gets all types of grime cleared away, as you’ll realize while reading the rest of the article. Firstly though, if you have any pots and pans that have burnt metal on the inside, baking soda can help get rid of those. Just use some hot water and baking soda, let sit for a while, then scrub and rinse to do away with those stubborn bits. This technique can also work on some metal stovetops with a baking soda and water paste. 2. Buff away spots with dryer sheets. Keeping your sinks and faucets clean is also a huge hassle when water spots seem endless. You try and clean them with cloths and wipes only to find that those leave unsightly spots too! An easy trick to getting rid of tough water spots is to buff them off with a dryer sheet. That’s right! Just scrub them off with a clean dryer sheet and you’ll be spotless in no time. 3. Remove hair with a squeegee. If you have pets, or even just long hair of your own, you might know the struggle of hair getting absolutely everywhere. Of course, you can try to vacuum this up, but this usually only leads to clogs and frustration. If you need an easy way to get the hair up and out of your carpet, try using a squeegee to scrape out all that hair. 4. Clean your oven with vinegar and baking soda. Baking soda returns again to another part of your kitchen. If you’re having difficulty with your oven’s self-cleaning cycle, you may want to take things into your own hands. Putting some vinegar and baking soda in a spray bottle is a very effective way to spritz and wipe down the inside of your oven without investing in fancy cleaning sprays. 5. Clean vents with a knife and rag. Noticed that your vents have that awful lint buildup on them? Your duster probably isn’t thin enough to get the insides of your vents so you need another solution to keep them looking pristine. Try getting an old rag and a butter knife. Cover the knife with your rag, spritz some generic cleaning spray on the rag and use the knife to clean the insides of your vent slats. 6. Optimize storage with ottomans. A major problem with most apartments is the sheer lack of space available. Your closets are already filled to the brim — how can you keep your apartment looking clean with all your stuff spread out all over? An ottoman with space inside for storage is a wonderful idea to keep your things looking clean, organized, and hidden. You can hide almost anything in an ottoman, whether it be blankets or board games. Your extra space is sure to come in handy. 7. Clean your drains with baking soda, vinegar, and hot water. Just like your ovens, pots, and pans, your drains can be cleared with some baking soda, vinegar and hot water as well. The baking soda reacts well with hot water to break up any grime that it comes across. Of course, this might not be a permanent fix for all your drainage problems, but it’s sure to help you when you need a quick solution to a clogged up sink.