Cleaning Tip No. 1: Don't make your bed

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- After readers enlightened us about putting sponges in the microwave to get the germs off, we figured we'd come up with some more top tips on how to cheat on your cleaning.

1: Don't Make the Bed

Don't listen to what mom told you about making the bed.

Dust mites, those microscopic monsters that produce allergens when you sleep, thrive on moisture. So when you get out of bed, not only are you leaving behind skin cells that these mites feed on, but you're trapping these mites in moisture when you tuck in the covers.

If you just can't stand a messy bed, leave the covers at the foot of the bed for an hour or so the moisture can dry, or make the bed when you get back from work.

2: De-hair Your Furniture

To get dog hair off of the curtains or furniture, fill a spray bottle one quarter of the way with liquid fabric softener. Fill the rest of the bottle with water, and stand near your fur-covered drapes and furniture and make sure you mist the air with the solution.

The hair will lose its static charge and fall to the floor. This will make the hair easier to vacuum too. You can also warm up a drier sheet in the dryer and wipe it across your furniture, according to Jeff Bredenberg, author of "How to Cheat at Cleaning."

3: Use Denture Tablets

Get at all those hard-to-reach places without having to lift a finger. Plop, plop..fizz fizz. Invest in some denture tabs.

Fill the tank of your drip coffee maker with hot water. Drop in a denture tablet and let it dissolve. Turn the coffee maker on so that the all the water drips into the pot. Empty it and refill it with fresh water so the coffee maker can run though the cycle again.

If you want to clean the buildup in the bottom of an old vase, or a bottle, fill the vessel with hot water and drop in a tablet and voila! Denture tabs can do their cleaning in as little as 15 minutes!

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