Clean Your Kitchen Even Faster With These Helpful Hacks
On average, most people spend 20 to 45 minutes cleaning their kitchen. But you can drastically shrink this time. If you know how to wipe away grease quickly or collect dust, your kitchen will become much cleaner in seconds. Learn what steamers, vinegar ice cubes, and mesh bags have to do with this. Once you learn these cleaning hacks, your kitchen will sparkle.
Polish A Steel Sink With Flour
Over time, water stains, grease, and streaks will mar your kitchen sink. If your sink is made of steel (most are), you can polish it with flour. Yes, regular all-purpose flour can make your sink look like new.
Clean your sink with soap and warm water. After it has dried, cover it with 1/4 cup of flour. Then, grab a clean rag or paper towel and dust it in a circular motion. The flour will buff the sink's surface and make it shine.
Throw Vinegar And Lemon Ice Cubes In The Garbage Disposal
Vinegar and lemon are common DIY ingredients to clean and remove odors from surfaces. You can use both to quickly clean your garbage disposal. How? By freezing them into ice cubes and crushing them in the disposal.
Cut a lemon into tiny pieces. Place one piece into each of the ice cube tray's cavities, and fill them with white vinegar. The liquid should freeze overnight. When it does, toss an ice cube into the garbage disposal and turn it on. It's the fastest way to deodorize the drain.
For Grease And Grime, Turn On A Steamer
Steamers are usually used to remove wrinkles from clothes. But if you own one, you can add it to your kitchen cleaning gear. Steamers add moisture to loosen grease, which allows you to clean it more easily. This works on stovetops, countertops, ovens, and more.
First, spray the greasy or grimy area with your steamer. Once it's loose, scrub the grime off with a mixture of dish soap and warm water. That's much easier than scrubbing it dry!
Vinegar Can Unclog Faucet Heads
Many people think about the drain clogging, but few consider the faucet head. If your water pressure slows, or if the faucet struggles to spray, you might need to unclog the head.
Pour distilled white vinegar into a ziplock bag. Using a rubber band, tie the bag around the faucet head, so that it dips into the vinegar. Leave it there for 20 minutes. The vinegar should dissolve any residue, and you can rinse it by turning the water on.
Clean The Oven With A Dishwasher Tablet
Dishwasher tablets can clean so much more than just plates. You can also use it to scrub your oven. The best part: it hardly takes any work!
Hold the tablet in warm water until it becomes soft, but not so much that it crumbles. Then, scrub the tablet across your oven door. You don't even need a sponge! If it dries, dip it into the water again. And when you finish, wipe away any residue with a damp cloth.
Don't Toss Mesh Bags--Reuse Them!
If you've ever bought lemons or avocados, you've probably noticed the mesh bag that they usually come in. Don't throw that away! You can transform it into a scouring pad used to scrub your dishes.
First, you'll have to save three or four mesh bags. Once you have them, stuff one mesh bag with the other ones. Roll them up tight! Then, wrap the mesh bag and tie it. You can put soap in it and use it to scrub dishes.
Collect Dust With A Wet Paper Towel
Dustpans cannot pick up every bit of debris on the floor. Believe it or not, you'll have better luck sweeping with a wet paper towel. Dust will stick to the wet towel, and then you can easily pick it up.
Before you start sweeping, wet one side of a paper towel (or thin cloth). Place it on the floor, with the wet part facing up. While you're sweeping, push all of the dust onto that towel.
How Can You Clean Your Dishwasher? Tang!
If you want clean dishes, you'll need to clean your dishwasher once a month. The best and cheapest product to use is Tang. Yes, the fruity drink mix. Tang's citric acid can dissolve hard water spots, food gunk, and soap scum.
First, unload the dishwasher. Put a few scoopfuls of Tang into the detergent receptacle or on the bottom rack. Without any soap inside, run the dishwasher. It should be very clean afterward, and it will smell like oranges!
Prevent Drain Clogs With Dish Soap
Does your sink drain frequently clog? If so, you can take precautions to prevent it from stopping up so often. Do this every time you wash the dishes.
As the warm water is running, pour some dish soap down the drain. This soap is designed to dislodge grease. Aaron Mulder, co-owner of Mr. Rooter Plumbing, told The Kitchn that a few squirts of dish soap should keep your drains clear. It will improve the smell as well!
Oven Cleaner Can Wipe Black Marks Off Your Pots And Pans
Stoves and ovens leave burn marks on your glassware, pots, and pans. These black streaks are notoriously difficult to clean. But if you have some spray-on oven cleaner, you can use that.
First, heat the pot or pan. Once it's warm (not burning hot), spray some oven cleaner on it. Leave that on for between 20 and 30 minutes, and then scrub it off. You should be able to clean the burn marks before rinsing.
An Easy, Quick Way To Sanitize Your Fridge
Cleaning the inside of the refrigerator can feel like a hassle. To make it ten times easier, screw a spray bottle top onto a container of hydrogen peroxide. Because hydrogen peroxide is non-toxic, it's perfect for sanitizing the fridge.
After you empty your fridge, wipe away any food scraps with warm water and dish soap. When the surface dries, spray the shelves with hydrogen peroxide. Wipe it down with a paper towel or fresh cloth. And you're done!
Make Your Own Disinfectant Wipes
If you use disinfectant wipes all the time, you can save time and money by creating your own. One Good Time published a simple DIY recipe using rubbing alcohol, dish soap, and essential oil.
Combine two cups of rubbing alcohol and one teaspoon of dish soap in a jar. For smell, add up to 20 drops of your favorite essential oil. Stuff the jars with small cloths. Once they have soaked up the liquid, you can use them to clean your home.
Why People Cut A Corner Off Their Sponge
In 2019, a study found that boiling or microwaving your sponge will only kill about 60% of bacteria. If you use your kitchen sponge to wipe down the counters, you'll only be spreading germs. That's why many people have a "utility" sponge and a dish cleaning sponge.
To easily identify your utility sponge, cut one corner off of it. This corner will help you scrub in between tiles and other tight spots. Plus, it will help you distinguish between your dish and utility sponges.
Steam Clean Your Microwave
When surfaces are damp, it's easier to scrub away stains. Keep this in mind when you clean the microwave. With some vinegar and water, you can "steam clean" the inside of your microwave.
Pour two cups of water and two tablespoons of distilled white vinegar into a microwave-safe bowl. Heat it in the microwave until it boils, usually between five to ten minutes (keep an eye on it). When the timer ends, leave it for three minutes. Then, carefully remove the bowl, and use a sponge or cloth to wipe down your microwave.
Pick Up Glass With Bread
If you drop and break and glass, watch out! Broken glass is incredibly dangerous, especially when fragments are flung across your kitchen floor. A broom will sweep up the large pieces, but what about the small, nearly microscopic ones? For those, use a piece of bread.
Bread slices are porous, so they will pick up tiny glass pieces more effectively than a cloth. After removing the large glass pieces, swipe a slice of bread across the floor.
Keep Chalk On Hand As A Stain Remover
Grease is notoriously difficult to wash out of clothes. Keep chalk in your kitchen so that you can prevent food grease from staining. Because chalk can absorb liquids quickly, it might remove some grease from your clothing before it stains.
If something spills, get the food off first. Then, press a piece of chalk onto the stain. It might take a few minutes for the oil to absorb. After you eat, throw your clothes in the washing machine, and the stain should disappear.
Freshen Your Trash Can With A Cotton Ball
Many people struggle with terrible trash can odors. Febreze and other scented sprays only offer a brief relief, but there's a longer-lasting solution. You need a cotton ball and a container of essential oil.
Grab your cotton ball; if you don't have one, a square of toilet paper will suffice. Pour a few drops of your preferred essential oil onto the cotton ball, and drop it onto the bottom of the trash can, under the bag. Your trash will smell much fresher.
Dryer Sheets Can Wash Pots And Pans
If you want to wash a pot or pan and deodorize it simultaneously, grab a dryer sheet. According to Today, dryer sheets contain conditioners that remove all sticky residues. They also smell fresh.
To do this, pour warm water into your pot or pan. Add a dryer sheet and a few drops of dish soap. After at least 20 minutes, remove the dryer sheet and scrub off the residue with a sponge. This is especially helpful for burnt food.
Have You Ever Cleaned Your Electric Kettle?
You should clean the inside of your electric kettle at least four times a year. As mineral deposits gather inside of it, the kettle will not work as well and might even contaminate the water. You can clean it easily with vinegar.
Pour a mixture of half water and half vinegar into your electric kettle. Boil it, and when the kettle turns off, leave the mixture for 15 to 20 minutes. Then, pour it out, and wash away the vinegar taste. The kettle should look new.
Keep A Laundry Bag In Your Dishwasher
Tiny utensils, such as measuring spoons, soy sauce bowls, and mug caps, will rattle around in the dishwasher. To prevent this, put them in a laundry mesh bag. These bags are designed to keep socks and other items together in the washing machine, and they will do the same in the dishwasher.
Mesh bags can handle the soap and hot water, and if you put items inside, they won't fly around the dishwasher. It's an easy and convenient hack.
Got Rust? Grab Some Aluminum Foil
If you have a rusty kitchen tool, don't fret. You only need some water and aluminum foil to clean it. Crumble a ball of aluminum foil and dip it in water. Use it to scrub the rust right off of almost any metal surface.
This works because of a chemical reaction. When the wet aluminum touches rust, it removes the oxygen. Aluminum can handle corrosion, but rust cannot; that's how the foil scrapes off rust.
Vinegar Removes Hard Water Deposits Off A Faucet
Have you ever seen white marks around your faucet or knobs? Those are hard water deposits. You can remove them with white vinegar, a clean rag, and a little patience.
Soak a clean rag or paper towel in vinegar, and wrap it around the faucet or knob. Make sure that the wet part of the rag is touching the mineral deposits. Wait for 30 minutes to an hour, and then scrub the spot with warm water and the soft part of a sponge.
Tackle Wood Cabinets With Baking Soda
Wood is tricky to clean. You cannot use many sprays, vinegar, or soap, because they are too abrasive. If you want to polish your wooden cabinets, use baking soda. It is abrasive enough to get rid of grease and food stains, but it won't harm your cabinets.
Whisk baking soda with just enough water to form a thick paste. If you have sticky substances in your cupboards, let the paste sit on it for 15 minutes. Then, scrub it off with a cloth.
Wash Oven Racks In The Bathtub
Nobody wants to bend over for extended periods while trying to scrub the racks inside of their oven. Instead of leaving them in the oven, wash them in a large container. The bathtub is perfect for this.
Pour hot water into the tub. Place the oven racks in there with some dish soap, and swish them around. Once the soap foams and loosens the grease, use a sponge or cloth to wipe the racks clean. It's far easier than reaching into the oven.
Clean Your Toaster With A Pastry Brush
Toasters can be a hassle to clean because of all the bread crumbs that fall inside of them. But you can sweep those away with a pastry brush. Most toasters have a crumb tray at the bottom; remove it, and brush the crumbs away. Make sure that your toaster is unplugged first!
You can also wash the crumb tray with warm and soapy water. For the exterior, wipe it down with a disinfectant cloth. Stainless steel toasters can be buffed with vinegar.
Sprinkle Baking Soda On Baking Sheets
Over time, residue burns onto baking sheets. While this is not dangerous, it is unsightly and can get annoying. You can remove these stains by soaking your baking sheet in baking soda and hydrogen peroxide.
Sprinkle an even layer of baking soda onto the sheet. Then, pour hydrogen peroxide into it, and add another layer of baking soda. Allow it to soak for at least two hours. When it's done, wipe the baking sheet with a sponge. It should look new!
Pour Vinegar Into Your Coffee Maker
You do not need to disassemble your coffee maker to clean the interior. Instead, you can pour one cup of distilled white vinegar and one cup of water into the reservoir. Run the coffee maker with nothing but the water and vinegar.
Because vinegar is acidic, it will dislodge any coffee stains or loose grinds inside the coffee maker. After the vinegar solution has gone through the pot, run one or two more cycles with just water. These will get rid of the vinegar taste.
If Your Usual Mop Isn't Cutting It
If your kitchen floor still has black grout after mopping, you might need a different solution. Make your own with half a cup of water, half a cup of dishwasher detergent, 2/3 cups of baking soda, and two tablespoons of water vinegar.
Mix the solution until no clumps are left, and pour it on the floor. After you mop it, rinse the area with warm water. You must do this step if you don't want baking soda streaks across your floor. The tiles should appear much cleaner.
How Your Blender Can Clean Itself
Cleaning a blender--especially the blades at the bottom--can be hard. But you can clean your blender in 30 seconds by making the machine do all the work. All you need is dish soap and warm water.
Pour enough water into the blender so that it can reach all the dirty parts. Then, include a few drops of dish soap. Turn it on. The blender will whisk the soap around and clean itself. If any large chunks are left, wipe them off.
Stainless Steel Absorbs The Garlic Smell
When people cut garlic or onions, the smell tends to linger on their hands. If this scent bothers you, don't wash your hands. Turn on the water, hold a spoon underneath it, and rub it against your hands for around ten seconds.
This works because of a chemical reaction. Garlic and onions contain sulfur molecules, which cause their odors. Sulfur molecules bind with stainless steel. This works so well that some companies even make stainless steel soap bars.
Coffee Stains? Use Baking Soda
Soap and water might not be strong to remove coffee stains from mugs. If that is the case, use baking soda. This alkaline ingredient is abrasive, but not too acidic. It should be just strong enough to remove the stain.
Sprinkle baking soda into the mug and mix it with a bit of water. When the solution becomes a paste, use a sponge, cloth, or brush to scrub the paste into the mug. Rinse it out when you're done.
How To Polish Wood DIY Style
If you want to polish wood bowls, utensils, or cabinets, you do not need to buy a polisher. Make one yourself by mixing half a cup of olive oil with half a cup of vinegar. The vinegar gets rid of dust and stains, and the olive oil shines it.
Put this solution into a spray bottle. Spray the wood, but don't overdo it. Then, wipe it down with a clean cloth. The mixture should not strip any finishes.
Wipe Down The Range Hood With Vegetable Oil
The range hood is the overhang that ventilates your stove and traps grease. As such, it becomes incredibly greasy over time. The easiest way to clean the range hood is to use vegetable oil, which can lift and soften grime.
Pour some vegetable oil onto a clean cloth and get wiping! The oil contains non-polar compounds that dissolve other compounds in the grease. After all the stains are gone, clean the range hood with soap and warm water.
Clean Your Microwave Easily And Naturally!
This tip comes from the blog Simply Stacie. All you have to do to transform your grubby microwave is take a couple lemon slices and put them in a bowl of water with a tiny bit of vinegar.
Cook the mixture on high for five minutes. When you take out the bowl, the stuck-on food on your microwave will be so loosened that you can essentially wipe it right off. Brilliant!
Shaving Cream Is A Surprising Ceramic And Porcelain Save
It may seem counterintuitive to use, but shaving cream is a surprisingly good cleaner.
Andrea Jean Cleaning on YouTube simply puts it on a broom and brushes it over dirty countertops and plumbing appliances, rubs it in, then wipes the grime away. It's easy to use and tackles hard odors as well!
De-Grease Your Oven While You Sleep
If you're struggling to get rid of the built-up grease in your oven, grab some hot water and ammonia. You can use this trick to dislodge the grease while you sleep.
Heat your oven to 150 degrees, and then turn it off. Put one pot of boiling water on the bottom rack. On the top rack, place an oven-safe container with one cup of ammonia inside. The two will evaporate overnight and soften the grime, making the oven much easier to clean.
With A Toothbrush, Scrub Beneath Your Sink's Garbage Guard
If you clean your sink and it still smells, you might need to clean beneath the garbage disposal guard. The guard is the rubber device that keeps water and food inside the sink when the disposal is running. A lot of food gets trapped under it.
Use a toothbrush to clean the guard. While wearing gloves, remove it, and put it in warm, soapy water. Then, scrub away with a toothbrush. Obviously, don't use the toothbrush after this!
How To De-Gunk The Range Hood Filter
If you clean your range hood, you also need to de-gunk the filter. Doing so will improve ventilation and prevent fires. To clean them, you need to detach the filters and place them in a pot that is large enough to fit them.
Pour boiling water into the pot. Add a bit of dish soap and 1/4 cup of baking soda. The water should foam; if it doesn't, add a bit more baking soda. Do not include too much! Let the filter soak for ten minutes before wiping it down.
Use A Knife To Clean Between Countertops
Have you ever noticed the narrow gaps between countertops? Crumbs often fall in there, but you can't reach them with normal cleaning tools. But you can if you use a butter knife.
Soak a clean rag (the thinner the better) in warm, soapy water. Lay the rag across the gap between counters. With your butter knife, stab in between the counters. The rag will dislodge any crumbs between the counters. Afterward, wipe the area with a paper towel.
Scrub Stove Burners Without Struggle
Burners have a lot of nooks and crannies, which makes them hard to clean. But if you soak them in ammonia, all of the burnt parts will fall off. You also need a large enough Ziploc bag to hold the burner.
Place the burner in the bag, and add enough ammonia to cover it. Close the bag. After letting it soak overnight, drain the ammonia and wipe off all the grime with a cloth. Rinse the burner, dry it, and you're done!
As For The Drip Pan, Those Are Easy To Clean!
All stove burners include chrome drip pans to catch any falling food. Fortunately, those are much easier to clean than the burners. You only need the classic mixture of baking soda and vinegar.
Dust the drip pan with a layer of baking soda. Add some vinegar; the best method is to use a spray bottle. Let the mixture fizzle for a bit before scrubbing it. This should be much more effective than using soap and water.
Clean Between Tiles
The crevices between tiles can be hard to clean. But with a toothbrush, baking soda, water, and vinegar, you can easily remove any build-up that's on the grout. First, you need to make a baking soda paste by combining the powder with a tiny bit of water.
Cover the tile crevices with the baking soda paste. In a spray bottle, combine half a cup of warm water with the same amount of vinegar. Spray the tiles and let them fizzle. Finally, grab your toothbrush and scrub away!