Easy Kitchen Cleaning Hacks
Your New Best Friends
- Coarse Salt
Due to the nature of coarse salt, it can be used as an abrasive and scouring agent when cleaning, it is also all natural and food grade so it is not harmful at all like other products. Salt is also absorbent and creates a powerful chemical reaction (that is great for cleaning) when mixed with vinegar and other acidic liquids.
- Bicarbonate
Bicarb, also known as baking soda, is a leavening agent and is typically used in doughs and batters to help them rise. Bicarb is also your number one secret weapon when cleaning your home. Baking soda can help dissolve dirt and deodorise your home. (Bonus tip: you can sprinkle some in your takkies and shoes to keep them smelling fresh).
- Lemon Juice
Lemons are an amazing “green” option for cleaning. Lemons are a great antibacterial and antiseptic, but they are all natural and not as harsh as chemical cleaners. An added bonus of using lemon is its ability to flush out foul odours, leaving behind a fresh citrus scent.
- White Spirit Vinegar
Vinegar, like lemon juice, is highly acidic which is great for removing stubborn messes and grease buildups. Vinegar can be used on its own or diluted with water. You can also use vinegar with other household ingredients to clean blockages in both the kitchen and the bathroom drains.
Clean Your Kitchen Naturally
- Cutting Boards
Grab yourself a fresh lemon and some coarse salt for this one! Chop the lemon in half and dip the cut edge into some salt; use this half a lemon to scrub down your chopping board for a good, deep clean. Often we may think that we are properly cleaning our cutting boards, but the truth is a simple wash with soap and a rinse doesn’t do the trick. Grime still manages to build up, especially over time without proper cleaning, and creates the perfect environment for harmful bacteria to reproduce. So here’s a great trick for cutting through the grime and absorbing any excess liquid.
- Kettle
Does your kitchen kettle have mineral build-up and rust spots forming? Don’t worry, there is a kitchen hack for that! Descale and clean your kettle by combining 2 tablespoons of baking soda and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, diluted in water, and bringing to the boil. Allow stove top kettles to boil for approximately 30 minutes. Boil electric kettles no more than 10 times or until the rust and mineral build-up are removed.
- Dustbins
Baking soda is a wonder for smelly dustbins, it is great for absorbing odors! A quick hack to get your bins back to normal is to sprinkle some Bicarb in your dustbin before putting in the new garbage bag. Allowing the baking soda to sit will help it effectively remove the bad odor over time. This is actually a great trick for anything with a pungent smell, you can put it in your fridge, on pet beds, children’s teddy bears, it is magic!
- Microwave
We weren’t lying when we said lemons were your best friend. This is especially true when it comes to cleaning microwaves. You literally just pop them in the microwave and ta-da! Okay, well maybe it’s not that simple. You actually just have to dilute ¼ of a cup of lemon juice with ¼ of a cup of water, then microwave that for 5-10 minutes and wipe down the inside of your microwave. If you only have fresh, whole lemons on hand, that’s not a problem. Just chop 2 of your lemons in half, squeeze out the juice (keep the halves and microwave these along with your mixture), add a dash of water and microwave in a microwave safe bowl.