Cleanliness is Next to Quizliness: Test Your Knowledge of House Cleaning Skills

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What's the best way to clean a toilet? How do you make sure your rugs are free from dust? What's the key to keeping your surfaces shiny and your windows streak-free? There are answers to all these questions, and when it comes to cleaning tips, there's always a right and a wrong way. 

Let's face it- cleaning isn't fun, but it's a necessary part of life. In this DIY quiz, we'll test your knowledge of the tricks of the cleaning trade. From sponges to brushes to cleaning supplies, this is good, clean fun. Grab your mops, vacuums, and feather dusters, and let's get started!


I'm a 3-time Emmy-winning game show producer, writer, director and published author. I dig traveling, watching hockey, photographing wildlife and exploring the cultural and social fabric of society.

This quiz is about: clean tidy neat cleanliness

House Cleaning Quiz Questions

20 Questions · 793 Plays · No comments

Question 1

According to LifeHacker.com, what piece of sports equipment can you use to clean shoe scuffs off the floors in your house?

  • A
    Baseball bat
  • B
    Kayak oar
  • C
    Frisbee
  • D
    Tennis ball

Question 2

Martha Stewart knows all, particularly about obscure cleaning tips. According to the wisdom on her website MarthaStewart.com, what is the first thing to do to remove candle wax from a tablecloth?

  • A
    Heat it with blow dryer
  • B
    Cry into your wine
  • C
    Scrub it vigorously with a brush
  • D
    Throw it into the washer immediately

Question 3

In a 2018 Care.com article, what do their experts name as their "favorite go-to cleaning tool, better at cleaning surfaces than sponges, paper towels, and the like"?

  • A
    Microfiber cloth
  • B
    Brillo pad
  • C
    An old Washington Redskins t-shirt
  • D
    Terry cloth

Question 4

In other weird, but true household cleaning facts, some experts advise that the best way to clean what is to soak it in ketchup for 5 to 10 minutes?

  • A
    Delicate clothing
  • B
    Hardwood floors
  • C
    Silverware
  • D
    Sponges

Question 5

Fingerprints, smudges, and watermarks are the enemies of stainless-steel sinks and surfaces. According to Popular Mechanics, what should you pour into sinks to help beat these foes?

  • A
    Motor oil
  • B
    Maple syrup
  • C
    Milk
  • D
    Mineral oil

Question 6

According to an article on Today.com, why should all your home cleaning be done by 3 PM?

  • A
    You'll be too tired later
  • B
    To maximize light
  • C
    Cleaning products don't work well at night
  • D
    Houses aren't as dirty after that time

Question 7

There's a broad consensus among manufacturers like Sony, Toshiba, and Samsung that the best way to clean the surface of your flat-screen TV is by using what?

  • A
    A dry cloth
  • B
    Your smallest vacuum cleaner attachment
  • C
    Warm soapy water
  • D
    Windex and a sponge

Question 8

The feather duster is a staple of any house cleaning arsenal. But the first feather duster wasn't officially invented until 1881, when Susan Hibbard was issued a patent for it. What type of feathers did she use?

  • A
    Vulture feathers
  • B
    Turkey feathers
  • C
    Hummingbird feathers
  • D
    Robin feathers

Question 9

According to many experts, the best way to clean your coffee maker is to dissolve what into the water reservoir before running it through a brew cycle?

  • A
    Boullion cubes
  • B
    Tide pods
  • C
    Sugar packets
  • D
    Denture tablets

Question 10

There's an art to cleaning hardwood floors, as laid out by the experts at Today.com. They recommend you always use a pH neutral soap mixed with water - "pH neutral" means it has what value on the pH scale?

  • A
    14
  • B
    10
  • C
    1
  • D
    7

Question 11

As with anything, there's a method to the madness of house cleaning. As suggested by Better Homes and Gardens, what room should you always clean first?

  • A
    Teenager's bedroom
  • B
    Guest bathroom
  • C
    Kitchen
  • D
    Basement

Question 12

In a way, cleaning is chemistry - not that that fact makes it any more fun. What should you NEVER mix with bleach while making your own cleaning supplies, as the combo creates toxic chlorine gas?

  • A
    Baking soda
  • B
    Dish soap
  • C
    Water
  • D
    Vinegar

Question 13

When it comes to eliminating dog smells from your house, cleaning expert and dog owner Leslie Reichert, aka The Green Cleaning Coach, has an unusual suggestion. What does she recommend using to spray on areas where the dog lies?

  • A
    Windex
  • B
    Cooking oil
  • C
    Plain water
  • D
    Vodka

Question 14

Adding to the list of household staples that you didn't know were so practical, which of these products was once marketed a great floor cleaner?

  • A
    Wesson oil
  • B
    Listerine
  • C
    Pantene
  • D
    Desitin

Question 15

Refinishing wood furniture can be expensive and time-consuming. But there's a solution! What food can be used to remove scratches or scuffs from wooden furniture?

  • A
    Guacamole
  • B
    Walnut
  • C
    Peach
  • D
    Banana

Question 16

In 1886, after many months designing it in the shed behind her house, industrious housewife Josephine Cochran invented what device, forever making household cleaning easier?

  • A
    Window Squeegee
  • B
    Robot vacuum
  • C
    Dishwasher
  • D
    Garbage disposal

Question 17

One of the most dreaded of all household tasks is laundry day. But to be fair, it used to be harder when everyone used clotheslines to dry their wet clothes. As of early 2020, what percentage of American households still used clotheslines?

  • A
    48%
  • B
    21%
  • C
    2%
  • D
    10%

Question 18

You may be doing it all wrong. That's the takeaway from a 2016 CNET article about vacuuming your rugs. What do they describe as the right way to do it?

  • A
    Vacuum as fast as you can
  • B
    Vacuum in a back and forth motion
  • C
    Vacuum in rows
  • D
    Vacuum hexagonally

Question 19

Large windows let in a lot of light, but can be really annoying to keep streak-free. When using a squeegee to tackle outdoor window cleaning, what pattern do the experts suggest you use?

  • A
    Y pattern
  • B
    Top to bottom pattern
  • C
    S pattern
  • D
    Checkerboard pattern

Question 20

In 2011, scientists swabbed people's residences to determine the places and things in the average house with the highest number of germs on them. Which of the following had the most?

  • A
    Faucet handles
  • B
    Stove knobs
  • C
    Carpets
  • D
    Kitchen sinks

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