10 Brilliant Kitchen Cleaning Hacks That Actually Work
Your kitchen goes through a lot in one week. Whether it's a sauce-splattered stove top or coffee-stained counter, cleaning every surface in your kitchen on a daily basis can be challenging, especially on a tight schedule. Not to mention, your kitchen is easily one of the most trafficked rooms in the house and where you prep your meals—making it even more important to clean regularly.
These DIY kitchen cleaning hacks will help you degrease, deodorize, and sanitize in less time. Plus, they're a fun way to switch up your same old cleaning routine.
1. Keep your disposal smelling fresh
Few things are quite as offputting as a smelly disposal. One of our favorite kitchen sink cleaning hacks is lemon ice cubes. To make them, simply fill an ice cube tray with lemon wedges, rock salt, and water. Once frozen, pop the cubes down the drain and run your garbage disposal until the ice is gone. Rock salt scrubs the blades while ice helps knock off any gunk and grime. The lemon? That’s to keep your sink smelling fresh, of course!
Related: 21 Ways to Clean with Lemon
2. Rejuvenate old baking sheets using hydrogen peroxide and baking soda
The dynamic duo of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide can restore more than just your sinks and tub—it can make even your most battered baking sheets (get it?) look brand new again. Simply layer your sheet with baking soda followed by a few sprays of hydrogen peroxide, then finish with another layer of baking soda. Now go back to watching that show on Netflix and come back in a few hours to wipe your restored baking sheets clean. Now you'll have nothing but the best for your famous cookies!
3. Clean your oven while you sleep
Forget autoclean—the high-temp oven setting is known to set off the fire alarm and can leave your kitchen in a smelly funk. Instead, fill up a spray bottle with your own homemade solution of 1/3 cup water, 1/3 cup white vinegar, and 1/2 cup baking soda. After removing the grates from your oven, coat the inside with the solution, making sure to avoid the heating elements. Close the door and head to bed, letting the solution work its magic for up to 12 hours. When you wake up, clean the oven with soapy water and dry using a plush cloth. Try our instructions for cleaning your oven for more tips.
4. Give your oven rack a bath
Powder detergent isn’t just for laundry. Bring back the original shine of your oven racks without even scrubbing (and potentially scratching!) by soaking it in a bathtub filled with powder washing detergent. Let it sit for at least four hours before removing and rinsing with clean water.
5. Polish woodwork with lemon oil and vinegar
Prefer natural solutions to commercial cleaners? This DIY wood polish leaves both a lovely scent and shine. To make it, fill a spray bottle with 1 part lemon oil to 1 part white vinegar. Spray the solution directly onto a dry microfiber cloth and use it to wipe down your cabinets, pantry door, and baseboards.
6. Use your vacuum to clean out cabinets
Another kitchen cabinet cleaning hack we love? Using our trusty vacuum to clean out cabinets. Instead of wasting time trying to pick up crumbs with a cloth, look to your vacuum brush attachment to suck them up at the snap of a button. This cleaning technique works wonders on pantry shelves, too!
7. Wipe down your range hood with oil
Your range hood is a grease magnet, and as dust latches on over time, the surface gets harder to clean with ordinary sprays. But we've got you covered with one of our best kitchen stove cleaning hacks: vegetable oil! Just add a few drops to a cloth or paper towel, wipe the surface down, and grime is gone as fast as grease lightning!
8. Run Tang through your dishwasher
Did you know that hard water can build up in a dishwasher over time? If your dishwasher no longer gives dishes a thorough clean, it might be time to grab some Tang. (We know—talk about a throwback!) Pour an entire container of the fruity powdered beverage into an empty dishwasher. Let the machine run a full cycle. Add in your dirty dishes, run another full cycle, and get ready for some sparkly, clean plates.
9. Soak your range hood filter
Wonder why your stove's hood vent is hidden behind that clunky shield? It's because it gets greasy, dusty, and pretty gross... really fast. The filter is just doing its job, but you don't have to live with all that buildup. In your biggest pot, boil water and gradually add 1/2 cup baking soda. Next, place the filter in the pot to soak. The entire filter might not fit in your pot, so soak each side separately if necessary. Once one side is clean, turn the filter around and let the other side soak. It'll be hot, so make sure to use gloves!
10. Scrub your sink’s disposal guard with a toothbrush
Food waste can get stuck on the underside of your sink's garbage disposal guard and you might not even realize it's there. Soak a toothbrush in an anti-grease solution and turn the flap inside out. Move the toothbrush around the guard to scrub off any food waste.
