Cleaning is not my favorite activity. Who’s with me on this? I have enough neat freak tendencies to keep my house “surface clean” all year long. That’s why I try to set aside a week for Spring cleaning each year. II use this as my opportunity to tackle those deep cleaning chores I put off the rest of the time. Even though I set aside a special time to clean, I’m not averse to shortcuts that make my life easier. I’ve discovered these 5 Super Kitchen Cleaning Hacks that keep my kitchen sparkling. Try them yourself and see how they work for you!
5 Super Kitchen Cleaning Hacks
1. Easy Microwave Cleaning Hack: This tip thrills me because I no longer have to scrub grimy messes. Here’s how to do it: Pour one cup of white vinegar in a microwave-safe bowl. Use the cheap kind for this hack. It doesn’t matter!
Place the bowl in the microwave and heat the vinegar on high for 3 minutes. Use a paper towel or a dishcloth to wipe away the mess. Sometimes I substitute baking soda for the vinegar. Just don’t combine the two unless you want the volcano effect.
2. Kitchen Sink Cleaning Hack: Don’t throw away the vinegar you’ve used to clean the microwave! Try this instead. Pour one cup of baking soda into your sink drain. Pour the hot vinegar mixture over the baking soda. Allow the mixture to finish foaming then pour two cups of boiling water into the drain. . This helps freshen the sink, remove odors, and, if done about once a month, can help prevent clogs.
3. Dishwasher Cleaning Hack: Dishwashers can accumulate small particles of leftover food in the filter or crevices of the machine. Not only does this cause a smelly dishwasher unless it’s cleaned out periodically, but it can also breed germs. Yuck! Thankfully, it’s easy to keep the dishwasher clean with this easy hack.
Run the dishwasher through an empty cycle but include either one cup of vinegar the cheap kind) or one package of lemonade soft drink mix (like Koolaid or Flavoraid.) This will remove grease, grime, and help get rid of odors. When the cycle is finished, wipe the dishwasher clean with a paper towel or a clean dishcloth.
4. Blender Cleaning Hack. This is my absolute favorite tip. Sometimes, when I’m cooking, I need to use the blender for two or three different ingredients. Here’s how to clean it fast. Add a drop of dishwashing liquid and 1/2 cup water to the blender. Turn it on for five seconds. Rinse the blender thoroughly with warm water and it’s ready to use again!
5. Pot or Pan Cleaning Hack. Do you ever get busy doing something else while cooking? The next thing you know you smell burned food. (Yes, I’m looking at me. I tend to get into the middle of a project and forget I’m cooking.)
Here’s how to remove burned-on gunk and save that pot. Pour 1/2 cup baking soda and 1 cup water into the pot. Over high heat, bring the water and baking soda mixture to a boil. Allow the mixture to boil for 2 or 3 minutes. Then, remove the pan from the heat. Allow the mixture to cool. This should remove a large portion of the gunk and allow the rest to be scrubbed away with a minimum of elbow grease. If the pot is really scorched, you might need to repeat the process an additional one to two times.
Other Time-Saving Kitchen Tips
- Keep all your cleaning supplies in one place. Pick up a tote from the dollar store and keep everything you need together. This makes it easier to transfer supplies from room to room.
- Purchase a cheap spray bottle from the dollar store. Make your own homemade kitchen cleaner and disinfectant by mixing one cup of water with one cup of white vinegar. Store the cleaner in the spray bottle to have on hand whenever needed.
- Make a list of all the cleaning supplies you use regularly (like baking soda and white vinegar. Keep the list on the fridge or somewhere you can access it easily. When you’re running low on an ingredient add it to your shopping list immediately. It’s much easier to remember to purchase needed ingredients!
Hopefully, these 5 Kitchen Cleaning Hacks will save you as much time as they do me. What are your favorite kitchen cleaning tips? Share them with us in the comments. We’re always looking for new ways to simplify our lives.
I need to clean our dishwasher, it’s due for a cleaning. I personally love and use the Viva paper towels daily. They can tackle the toughest messes yet still keep it’s shape, perfect!
I was just thinking today about how stainless sinks always spot and stain and what a pain they are to clean. I’m going to try this.
These are great cleaning hacks. I need to get down to the business of Spring cleaning.
This is nice. I like this kitchen hacks
I love the blender hack – I always get so paranoid that I’m going to cut myself, and it’s my least favorite thing to clean.
I’m a paper towel junkie. I have them in every bathroom and in my kitchen. They’re so useful for a variety of cleanups.
These are great tips for cleaning some of those harder-to-clean items in the kitchen! Thanks for the advice!
Great cleaning tips! My house always feels so much better once my kitchen is clean. It’s like the one thing that always has to be done.
Great ideas! I always make a detailed list of every room, and start with one room at a time. Makes it much easier!
We need to clean our dishwasher. I didn’t realize you could just use vinegar. We had been buying expensive soap made especially for cleaning the dishwasher.
These are great kitchen cleaning tips. I will have to pick up some supplies so i can get my spring cleaning done.
Viva paper towels are the best for cleaning. I am doing all my spring cleaning this weekend. I will have to try these tips.
These are great tips! I love cleaning the kitchen!
Cathy
I love the microwave trick too! I hate scrubbing the microwave so it is a game changer for sure!
These are all great kitchen cleaning hacks, totally love that you shared some ideas as I work towards Spring Cleaning my home!
I have been a fan of VIVA for years. I agree that it works magic when cleaning the inside of my microwave. I actually like using it more than a sponge. Thanks for these hacks
This is crazy. I was laying in bed this morning dozing and I started dreaming about cleaning my stove with baking soda and vinegar. How weird is that?!
I’m all about these tips for sure. I like the idea of refreshing up the garbage disposal and preventing clogs. This one is a keeper.
I am not sure we have Viva here but I will have to check. I hate cleaning my kitchen, it’s one of my least fave rooms to clean but I do it anyway. These would be helpful! Great tips!
I LOVE Viva paper towls. I swear they feel like a super soft rag. Back in my couponing days I managed to rack up a years worth of Viva paper towels. Best year ever 🙂
I am here for all of these hacks. The microwave cleaning hack is my favorite. I hate cleaning that thing!
Thanks for sharing these kitchen hacks, pretty useful! I haven’t done any cleaning, busy spending time with my kids
I love any cleaning hacks for the home, thanks for sharing this!
These are definitely some great Kitchen Cleaning Hacks. I LOVE the blender tip. What a thoughtful/clever way to clean the blender with ease. I’ll definitely have to try that out next time.
We do something similar when we are cleaning the microwave but we use lemon water instead. Leaves the microwave smelling fresh and looking clean!
I shudder to think of how bad my kitchen really is… ugh!
These tips came just in time for me. We are selling our house soon and need to get it as clean and spiffy as possible to impress a buyer!
These are some awesome tricks. I’ll have to do some heavy duty kitchen cleaning soon.
Great cleaning tips! I really need to clean out my dishwasher. I never thought to use vinegar.
I just love Viva and it’s really the only paper towel I would buy because it is so strong and really does the job. I usually use a dishwasher cleaner to clean my dishwasher but I think I’m going to use your hack.