10 Tips to Clean your Kitchen
Use Tea to Save Your Stove from Splatters
This tip went viral when our books premiered on EVINE Live: Use tea to keep gunk from sticking to your stove. Brew a pot of tea that is four times normal strength, then wipe it on your stove. The tannins in the tea will make it hard for grease and food to stick, making cleaning quick and easy.
DIY All-Purpose Orange Cleaner
We love the scent of orange in our kitchen, and we love this all-purpose cleaner made from orange peels even more. It works great on all kinds of kitchen surfaces like countertops, sinks, and greasy stoves, and all you need are the peels of several oranges, plain white vinegar, water, a spray bottle, and a glass jar with a screw-top lid (a Mason jar works perfectly). Place the orange peels into the glass jar, cover with vinegar, and leave for several weeks in a cool spot. Then transfer some of the mixtures to a spray bottle and add two parts water. Shake to combine, and it’s ready to use. Your family will love the scent!
Second Use of Used Baking Soda
Instead of throwing away baking soda away when it’s finished its 30-day stint in your fridge, dump it down the garbage disposal with running water. It will keep your disposal fresh too!
Make Oven Cleaning Easy
The secret to making oven cleaning easy is to take care of spills the second they happen. If there’s a sticky mess on the bottom of your oven, sprinkle salt on top as soon as possible. After a little while in a hot oven, the spill will turn to ash and you can easily wipe it up with a wet cloth once your oven cools.
Top of the Fridge? No Problem
The top of the refrigerator can get gross, fast, thanks to tiny food particles that float into the air on steam and end up there. Make it easy to clean by topping it with a layer of plastic wrap each month. Then simply remove the plastic wrap and replace. You can barely see it, and you’ll never have to wipe down the top of your fridge again.
How to Clean Stainless Steel
Stainless steel appliances look great, but they can be hard to clean. Believe it or not, one of our favourite stainless steel cleaners is vodka. Place a little on a sponge or paper towel, then wipe. Your stainless steel appliances will soon be sparkling again, so pour yourself a little glass to celebrate!
Buff Up Your Sink
If cleanliness is next to Godliness, then a clean sink might be the gate to heaven. After you clean your sink (perhaps with some of that vodka), wipe olive oil, baby oil, or an oil-based wood cleaner like Pledge over it with a paper towel or dry rag. It will make your sink look new-kitchen shiny as well as create an invisible film of oil that prevents water and food stains from taking hold.
The Trick for Removing Cooked-On Grime
If you’re having trouble cleaning off the baked-on grease and grime on your range’s hood or other areas around your stove, make your job easier without the help of harsh commercial cleaners. Instead, warm it up by blasting it with your hairdryer. Once it’s warm, it will wipe right off with a soapy damp cloth.
A Lemony-Fresh Kitchen
To give your kitchen a lemon-fresh scent and get rid of cooking odours like fish or burned toast, you don’t need to buy expensive air fresheners. Just use a real lemon! Poke a few holes in it with a toothpick or skewer, then place it directly on the rack in a 300°F oven for 15 minutes. Leave the oven door slightly ajar, so that the wonderful aroma can permeate the whole room. Alternatively, you can slice a lemon and boil it in some water on the stovetop for 10–15 minutes as well.
Clean Every Appliance
Keeping countertop appliances clean is the secret to a fantastic-looking kitchen. Make it easier with our tips for cleaning all your kitchen appliances.