Cleaning the kitchen is an uphill task; for many, it’s never going to be as fun as, say a weekend at the beach because really, who wants to pour lots of hours into a tedious and thankless job that only promises to return with another round of dirts?
While housekeeping is generally a wearisome task, the kitchen often poses its own troubles, especially when shared with some family members who are clueless as to how your utensils should be best placed. That’s still no excuse, because living in a squeaky-clean home is an integral part of being an adult.
Though we don’t have a solution for making those dirty plates in your sink disappear, we do have a long list of easy cleaning hacks that will keep your kitchen hygienic and germ-free. Use them and make your kitchen maintenance stress-free.
Choose baking soda over conventional cleaners
Baking soda truly has lots of different uses; not only does it come in handy whenever you bake pastries, but it can turn out to be a reliable, efficient, affordable and eco-friendly cleaner for your cooker and kitchen appliances. Replace the conventional cleaner that is full of dangerous chemicals and has an unpleasant odor with baking soda for a more convenient cleaning.
Natural refrigerator cleanser
Because it’s cold enough not to smell bad, the fridge is usually ignored when it comes to keeping every part of the kitchen clean. Since that’s where you keep your food, you should consider cleaning it more often.
All you need to do is give everything a quick spray with this mixture of some water and some portions of white vinegar (plus some lemon oil to make it smell nice), and wipe it out.
Eco-friendly kitchen sink cleaner
Stainless steel sinks have become a must-have for every modern homeowner – easy to clean, durable and economical, stainless steel sinks are certainly a hassle-free long-term investment. However, like every utensil, they can sometimes become greasy and dirty, so what is to be done when that happens?
If you want an eco-friendly and cheaper alternative, then look no further than this one: you will be amazed to see just how powerful lemon can be, when combined with some vinegar and baking soda
Clean your stainless steel appliances with flour
To get rid of bad odors, just cut a lemon in half and put it in garbage disposal. Grind content for ten seconds while the water is running.
Lemon and Vinegar – the ultimate cleaning hack
Lemon and vinegar can be used in many different ways around the kitchen: not only can you use these two seemingly magic ingredients to unclog your garbage disposal and to remove the grease from your stainless steel kitchen sink, but you can also use them to remove that unpleasant odor from your fridge.
Some foods can give off a foul smell, one that does not go away easily; this is a hack that will help you keep both your fridge and your kitchen fresh and nice!
Clean your microwave with water and lemon
The microwave can get just as greasy as your kitchen sink or your stove, this is why it must be cleaned regularly, and all you have to do is to fill a cup with water and add some lemon to it. Put mixture in the microwave and heat it up, the steam will make the grease a lot easier to remove. Try it out!
Clean your toaster the easy way
The toaster is one of the most difficult kitchen appliances to clean; removing the small bread crumbs is one thing, as all toasters come with a small bread crumb tray nowadays. But what about the dirt and debris that tends to accumulate both in and out of the toaster?
Here is a simple, cost-effective and quick way to make your toaster spotless; you will never have to worry about germs sticking to your morning toast ever again;
Unplug toaster and bring to sink. (WARNING: Don’t dip your toaster – or any other electrical appliance into water). Brush crumbs off the internal parts of the toaster with a small dry paintbrush. Afterwards, remove the crumb tray underneath, and clean off the crumbs into your sink with a sponge and mild soap or dishwashing solution. Rinse and dry the tray before putting it back. After cleaning the interior, clean the outer part of the toaster with a little diluted vinegar on the cloth.
Note: If any bits of plastic bags or containers have melted onto the toaster’s exterior, apply a little nail polish remover and then wipe it off after some time.
Quick blender cleaning hack
As delicious and nutritious as smoothies are, cleaning the blender afterwards is no fun. You can either do it under a basic water jet or you can use an old toothbrush to remove the fruits and veggies that are stuck there, or you disassembling your blender and washing it piece by piece.
Better still, you could simply fill the blender halfway with water and add two drops of dish soap. Turn the switch on and blend for a few seconds before rinsing clean. Voila!
Clean your pans with dryer sheet
This is by far one of the most amazing kitchen cleaning tips you can possibly come across. Simply add a dryer sheet on top of your pan and fill it with warm water. When the hot water touches the sheet, it will result in grease-removing bubbles and the sheet will simply absorb all the dirt fast and effortlessly.
Clean your wooden cutting boards with lemon and salt
Wooden cutting boards are super difficult to clean, given the fact that they have a roughened surface that creates the perfect environment for bacteria to dwell.
However, here is an innovative way to clean, degrease and disinfect your wooden cutting boards – all you need is a half portion of lemon, a generous pinch of salt, several drops of water and a sponge that you can use to rub all the food particles off the cutting board!
Clean your Microwave In 5 Minutes With Lemon Oil And Vinegar
You can seamlessly get the same outstanding results by ridding your microwave of those layers of gunk. Simply mix two cups of water and half-a-cup of white vinegar into a microwave-safe bowl and turn your microwave on for three minutes at full power.
Allow the bowl to steam inside for a few minutes, remove it, and then wipe all surfaces clean. You can add a few drops of lemon essential oil to give your microwave that good smell.
The Ultimate Copper Pots Cleaner
If you want to keep your copper pots shiny, clean and bacteria-free, you might want to take salt and vinegar into account. Vinegar is highly acidic, making it your best ally in the battle with hardened grease and dirt.
Simply add some salt to it, to give it a very potent effect. As a matter of fact, vinegar and salt is the ultimate combination if you have decided to clean your entire kitchen – it can work on just about any surface.
Clean your Oven With Baking Soda
Conventional oven and grill cleaning products can be extremely irritating for your eyes and skin, especially if you don’t wear gloves when using them. However, you can use baking soda and achieve the exact same results.
Clean the Greasy Stove Hood with Baking Soda
Cheap and readily available at just about any store or supermarket, baking soda can help you clean that greasy stove hood – if you have postponed cleaning, then perhaps it is time to take the matter into your own hands and finally deal with it.
Vacuum Your Refrigerator Coils
If you have one of those small, portable vacuum cleaners for your car, you can also use it to clean your refrigerator coils as well and also for your air condition system; both of these appliances attract dust like a magnet.
Make Socks on Slippers
Possibly the laziest kitchen cleaning hack of them all, this one simply requires that you wear socks as you do the chores. Add dusters or cloths to the bottom of your house slippers or socks to pick up excess dust and dirt as you move round the kitchen. They work so well that you won’t even know you’re cleaning.
Use Lemons to Polish Faucets
Cleaning such huge amount of gunk that forms on faucets is not for the faint of heart. With lemons, you won’t only remove all of the grime from your kitchen and bathroom faucets with ease, you will also leave your family in awe as they admire your work.
Simply just cut your lemon into two, rub one half of it continuously of the faucet. The acid in the lemon will leave the metal shining.
Use Baking Soda under the Sink to Quell Odors
The area beneath the sink can be prone to smells, especially in older apartments and homes. Place an open box of baking soda underneath to absorb and neutralize every offensive stench.
Aluminum Foil Scrubbers
If you’ve run out of steel scouring pads, you could simply take some aluminium and make a ball out of it. With a bit dish soap these DIY aluminium scrubbers work wonders on utensils especially glassware.
A Solution for Pan Burns
Kept your stove longer than expected and now your best pan is destroyed? Don’t worry! Vinegar is once again is the solution. Fill your burnt pan with water and two cups of vinegar, bring this to a boil. Then remove the pan from the stovetop and add two tablespoons of baking soda.
Allow the mixture to stay for two minutes before scrubbing; this will make the burnt stains to easily come off. When you empty the pan, you should easily be able to scour the burns away.
Cleaning up Broken Glass
You’re bound to break a glass or two at some point. After sweeping larger pieces up with a dustpan, take a piece of bread and press it into the floor to grab more minute fragments.
Cleaning the Food Storage Containers
If you have food containers that have been discoloured by sauces or soups, use lemon and the sun’s rays to remove the stains. Simply rub the containers with lemon, set them in the window (or outside) to soak up the heat from the sun for two days, wash, and then you’re done.
Add Baking Soda to Trash Cans
If garbage and odors are a persistent problem in your kitchen or waste bin, eliminate smells by adding baking soda to the bottom of your trashcan before you replace the plastic liner.
Create a Daily Cleaning Schedule and Set a Timer
By keeping a daily cleaning schedule, you can easily avoid those long and torturous cleaning sessions. Use a timer to break down sessions of 30-minutes into 10-minute periods.
Research shows that having a timer and completing a specific number of tasks within a defined time period offers a sense of accomplishment and even motivation to do more.
Renew disposable wipes
Disposable cleansing wipes can get pretty expensive; but it’s surprisingly simple to make your own reusable ones with an old T-shirt, put cloth in some portions of vinegar and filtered water, and some drops of essential oils (they smell awesome).
