Kitchen Cleaning Tips & Tricks

Keep Your Garbage Disposal Smelling Fresh

Your garbage disposal works hard to handle all the food scraps you throw into it. However, it also provides the ideal environment for bacteria, mold, and other contaminants to thrive.

Here's a quick and simple kitchen cleaning tip to keep your garbage disposal odor-free and running smoothly. All you need is baking soda, white vinegar, and a lemon. Just follow these simple steps.

• Pour two cups of baking soda down the garbage disposal.
• Add one cup of distilled white vinegar and let the concoction sit for an hour.
• Turn the garbage disposal on and run cold water down the drain for about a minute.
• Cut a lemon in fourths and put them into the garbage disposal.
• Let the disposal grind the lemon while running cold water.

The combination of baking soda, vinegar, and lemons deodorizes and cleans to prevent odors from returning. Make this a part of your bi-weekly kitchen routine and avoid putting stringy vegetables, coffee grounds, pasta, and grease down the drain, and your disposal will continue to smell fresh. If you still smell a foul odor in the kitchen, check your kitchen trash can. Here are some kitchen trash can cleaning tips.

Keep Your Kitchen Sink Smelling Sweet

Even without the added odor-causing bacteria and other smelly stuff created by your disposal, the kitchen sink can get stinky. If your sink and kitchen drain emit a lingering odor, it could be caused by bacteria growth, mildew, mold, and buildup. The good news is you can use the same ingredients used to deodorize and clean the garbage disposal for your sink. Here are the steps to follow:

• Spray the sink to dampen it and wash any remaining debris down the drain.
• Cover the inside of the sink with a baking soda paste, then pour a cup down the drain.
• Pour one cup of distilled white vinegar down the drain.
• While the vinegar and baking soda deodorize and break down buildup, tackle the sink.
• Cut a lemon in half and squeeze the juice all over the baking soda on the sink.
• Let the cleaner and deodorizer work their magic, and rinse the sink with hot water.

As with your garbage disposal, make this a part of your bi-weekly kitchen cleaning routine. If this kitchen cleaning tip doesn't remedy the odor, it could be coming from somewhere nearby. If the kitchen sink and drain still smell and the water takes longer to drain than it used to, you may have a clogged sewer vent. If this is your situation, you may want to consult a local plumber.

Rejuvenate Old Baking Sheets

Unless it's stoneware, that patina dulling your baking sheets isn't helping them out. If aluminum and other metal baking sheets aren't cleaned often enough or correctly, they can get ugly. But you can rejuvenate baking sheets with safe but effective cleaners and have them looking new again.

Here's what you need:

• Baking soda
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Plastic gloves
• Plastic scraper
• Soapy water

Here's how to do it:

• Put on the plastic gloves to protect your skin.
• Cover the inside of the baking pan with baking soda.
• Sprinkle hydrogen peroxide onto the baking soda until it's all dampened.
• Let the hydrogen peroxide and baking soda break down the buildup overnight.
• Use the plastic scraper to scrape the paste into the trash.
• Wash the pan in hot soapy water with a nylon scrubber, rinse, and let it air dry.

Like what you see? You can also use this kitchen cleaning tip to clean pots, lids, and other cookware. Even greasy buildup on range hoods can be removed with this method.

Clean Your Oven While You Sleep

An oven, especially one in busy households, gets a lot of use on a weekly basis. All this cooking eventually creates a mess inside your oven. Cooking grease and residue build up on the interior walls. This buildup leads to odors that reduce indoor air quality and create a potential fire hazard if left unchecked. So, keeping the inside of your oven clean has several benefits beyond making it look better. Here are the cleaning supplies and steps needed to keep your oven clean, inside and out.

Oven cleaning ingredients:

• Baking soda
• Plastic gloves
• Cleaning cloths

Oven cleaning process:

• Soak the oven racks for at least a few hours in the sink.
• Mix two cups of baking soda and enough water to create a thick paste in a large bowl.
• Put on the gloves and spread the cleaning paste over the entire interior, except the heating elements.
• Let the baking soda break down the grime overnight.
• Use a cleaning cloth to brush the clumpy mix into a trash can.
• Wipe the inside of the oven with clean, damp cloths until there is no cleaner residue.

Finish by wiping down the outside of the oven and removing any residue spots. Don't forget the gap between your oven and the cabinet that never gets cleaned. To prevent buildup, wipe up spills immediately and use oven liners and roasting bags to contain the spatter.

Clean Out Cabinets the Easy Way

Your vacuum can do more than just clean floors and drapes—it can also make cleaning kitchen cabinets easier. You may need a step stool to reach the tops of the cabinets, but if the vacuum has a hose, crevice tool, and brush attachment, you're good to go.

• Remove everything from the cabinets and begin cleaning from the top.
• Vacuum excess debris using the brush attachment.
• Use the crevice tool to reach the upper and lower corners, front and back.
• Damp wipe the inside of the cabinet and the door.

Replace the cabinet's contents and wipe down the inside and outside of the cabinet door to remove dust and stains. While they're empty, why not do some quick kitchen organizing before putting things back?

Kitchen Cleaning Made Easy

Even though these helpful hints will help make your kitchen cleaning much easier to manage, oftentimes you don't have the time or energy. When you're tired of cleaning or just need a break to enjoy more free time, try house cleaning services from your local pros at Molly Maid. All our work is backed by the Neighborly Done Right Promise™. Contact us today to learn more or to get a custom cleaning quote for the kitchen or your entire home.