Kitchen cleaning tips, hacks, shortcuts; they’re all basically the same thing. The one thing for sure is, everyone loves a good tip that will make their life so much easier. Why wouldn’t we? Most of us either have to get the kids ready for school, head off to work, rush to get to the doctors or go grocery shopping. With all of our daily activities, it’s a wonder we can get anything done.
I’ve tried a lot of kitchen cleaning tips in my day, and today I’d like to share with you 8 of my favorite cleaning hacks to make your time in the kitchen quicker and less painful than it should be. Stick around until the end because I’ll be debunking 2 cleaning myths, and one, I can’t believe people actually do.
Kitchen cleaning hacks that will rock your world.
Use antibacterial kitchen cleaner to kill bugs
There’s some chemical component that neutralizes those nasty critters neurological systems, killing them faster than bug spray. My favorite is S.O.S antibacterial cleaner. It usually sells anywhere from .88 cents to $1.
Best ways to freshen up your kitchen trash can
Soak two cotton balls in perfume or essential oil and place them on the bottom of your trash can. You can either place the cotton balls under the liner if you’re rather thrifty or add it directly into the trash bag.
In a hurry to dry your hand washed dishes?
Just pop them in a clean dishwasher and turn on the heat cycle.
Cleaning dried coffee stains from your glass carafe
Add a small layer of baking soda to the bottom of the coffee carafe. Add a little water to form a paste and scrub. Before rinsing fill the carafe up with water and ice cubes. Slosh around for a few minutes. The action of the ice cubes along with the baking soda paste will dissolve the burnt coffee mess.
Clean the inside of your microwave with lemon
Fill a bowl with 8oz of water and either 1/2 a lemon or 1/2 freshly squeezed lemon juice. This is the one time in life I’ll say you can use the juice from a fake plastic lemon. Place the glass on the microwave spinning dish and cook on high for 5 minutes. Once the buzzer goes off, let it sit for an additional minute. Remove the glass, and wipe off all the gunk with a clean paper towel.
Clean your oven racks in the bathtub
When I first heard of this I didn’t think it would work. Man, was I ever wrong? Place your oven racks in the bathtub. Add laundry detergent of your choice, but I’ve found Wisk works the best. Secure the bath drain, and add enough hot water to cover the racks. Let soak for ½ hour. If your racks are really grungy, it won’t hurt to let them soak for a full hour, or even overnight.
Vacuum your refrigerator
Not the inside of your refrigerator, silly. I’m talking about the filter coils on the bottom of the refrigerator. The back of the unit and of course the top. The top of the refrigerator somehow is a magnet for grease and dust. Unless you have a handheld vacuum it will probably be difficult to vacuum the top of the fridge. If that’s the case use a dry Swiffer pad to remove the initial dust. If it’s caked on with grease, use antibacterial cleaner.
As for the coils on the bottom of the refrigerator, all you’ll have to do is pull the bottom grate off, and use the hose attachment of your vacuum. Don’t forget to pull the refrigerator out and vacuum it behind there. Not only will you vacuum up years worth of dust, but you may also find your son’s pacifier he lost 7 years ago, as well as other missing treasures you thought the dog took.
Removing grease from cabinet doors
The best solution to this would be to use a Magic Eraser. If you don’t want to spring for the real one due to being thrifty, you can get comparable ones from the dollar store. Word of caution. They may cost $1 for 2, but don’t last as long.
Tips for a clean kitchen that works, but totally unsafe
Using dryer sheets to clean cookware – OMG, when I first read about this, it sent shockwaves through my body. I was like, how can people seriously think using a dryer sheet to clean their cookware was safe.
Although this does work for the simple reason, the anti-static agents weaken the bond between the food and the pan; I can’t recommend you try it.
If you’re doing this, please stop. Most dryer sheets contain chemicals that react to the air to create a chemical substance called formaldehyde. You’ve heard of formaldehyde. That’s what they put in dead people during the embalming process.
Yummy, I’d like my spaghetti sauce with a side of dead people juice.
Debunking Kitchen Cleaning Hacks
I’ve tried all of these hacks, which have all been debunked, through reputable organizations and scholarly articles. (I’m a research geek).
Using vinegar in the dishwasher
You may have heard putting a bowl of vinegar in the dishwasher during the wash cycle will help get rid of hard water film, water spots, and lingering odors.
This doesn’t work at all. The acid in the vinegar may actually eat away at the rubber seals, causing leaks later on in life.
The best bet is to buy yourself some JetDry and use Finish brand dishwashing detergent. The combination is the best out there. (The Reckitt Benckiser company isn’t paying me to say this, but they really should, because I LOVE their products)!
Old fashioned string mops are best for cleaning up spills
Nope. Actually all they do is push the dirt, grim and bacteria around, making an even bigger gross mess.
The best bet is to use either a microfiber “string” type of mop or use my personal favorite, the Swiffer Wet Vac. Wipe the spill up using the dry Swiffer wet vac pad. Once the spill is gone, put on a fresh pad and proceed with cleaning.
Putting coffee grinds down the garbage disposal will remove the smell.
Nope. Although depending on the coarseness of the coffee grounds, some will remove gunk from the blades. If you use fine grounds, it won’t do anything to the disposal blades.
The best bet is to use baking soda. Make sure to run both the hot water and the disposal at the same time. The baking soda will combat the smelly gunk in the disposal, and the acidic content from the foods that are laying in the p-traps of the drain.
Your turn
So, there you have it. This was my list of 8 of the best cleaning hacks for the kitchen. What’d you think? Are any of these you’ve been using over the years? I’d really love to know your hacks and tips. Share in a comment.
Until we meet again,
Stacey
Swiffer & Magic Eraser is a registered trademark of Procter & Gamble. Jet Dry & Finish are registered trademarks of the Reckitt Benckiser company
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