Tips to make cleaning in the kitchen easier!

I did a couple of small things today that I thought might help you. Here are some quick cleaning ideas:

I see so many people with these plastic scrapers always scraping away at kitchen counters and it never really dawned on me that I have never had to use one before. I didn’t know why until today.

One of the key rules of professional cleaners is to let your cleaning products do the work for you. I didn’t realize it but my mom taught me this many years ago when I started doing dishes. I always rinse my dirty dishes and then place as many dishes as I can into the hot soapy water in the sink.

Before I start washing my dishes, I take my super wet and soapy dish rag and run it quickly over all the kitchen counter tops and the stove. I’m not really wiping it, I’m just getting a nice film of soapy water on it.

Then I wash my dishes. When I’m done, I thoroughly wring out my dish rag and re-wipe the counters. When I do it this way, every bit of pancake batter, syrup and honey wipes right up. This works every time and I never have to scrape my kitchen counters.

I don’t do this every time I do dishes. If we only have sandwiches I know there is probably not much sticky stuff on the counter so I wash the dishes without focusing so much on the counters ahead of time.

Years later, this practice worked for me even better because it forced me to put all the dishes into the sink and get my counters cleared. When I had unexpected customers or company, even though the dishes weren’t done, the counters all looked cleared and nice.

I also had to clean my trash can today. I took it outside, filled it full with soapy water and a little Clorox bleach. I placed the lid and a broom that needed to be cleaned into the water and let them soak for a couple of hours. Later, I went out and all I had to do was rinse them. I didn’t even need a rag or anything. All that nasty sticky stuff that gets in the bottom of the trash can just dissolved away. When you can, let things soak.

      -Jill

Jill, I just want to say, YOU WERE RIGHT!!! You mentioned how wiping down counters with soapy water eliminates the need for scrubbing and scrapers. Well, I’ve needed to clean the dreaded microwave for a while now. Every time I’d heat something in it I’d cringe and put off cleaning it because of all the food stuck to the inside.

Well, I took your advice. I got my dish rag nice and soapy and wiped down the entire microwave first. Then I went over to the sink and wiped down the glass microwave plate with hot soapy water and let it sit, too. Then I went back to the microwave and really started cleaning. Everything came off quite easily.

After finishing rinsing the plate, I realized that this "dreaded task" only took five minutes. Who knew?

Thanks! Sarah

Mom always says the best cleaner is Hot Soapy Water. Use it more and you will save more!!!

      -Tawra

Hot soapy water and soaking work wonders!

      -Jill

Photo By: karen_2873

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How do I Clean Screens on My Storm Doors?

From: Linda T.

I have a question about Cleaning Screen on Storm Doors. They have glass on the front & neither the glass nor the screen is removable for cleaning. The screens get full of dust and dirt and if I spray anything on them to clean them, it spots up the glass on the inside where I can’t get to it to clean it off.

Has anyone else had this problem & how have you handled it?  How to clean these screens and windows without leaving the glass a mess is a pet peeve of mine. Thank you sincerely for all of your information and ideas about living the good life for us all. -Linda

Linda, you might try our window washer recipe. It seems to work pretty well. -Tawra

For a dry method, you might try getting a scrap piece of carpet and briskly running it over the screen to loosen the dust. For more heavy duty use, you can use your vacuum cleaner with the upholstery brush on it. Cleaning screens on storm door is a pet peeve of mine too and I hate doing it!

      -Jill

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Cleaning Burned Pots and Pans

From: Janine

I have a problem with my pots and pans. I can soak them all day and night but still I can’t get them clean. I was told to use aluminum foil but it still won’t work all the way clean. Any other tips? I’m desperate. God bless you guys.

I normally would soak a pan in hot soapy water first. If that fails and things are really bad, try some of the formulas I’m including here. The one that works best will depend on what type of pan you’re using.  If a pan is burned beyond being able to use it, whether you ruin the finish or not is the least of your worries.

Because I’m not sure what kind of pan you have, I will have to be a little bit general in my answer. I really should be an expert at this now. My daughter, who is going to kill me when she reads this, has been burning pans on a daily basis for years and I’m talking really burning pans. Once, she burned a pan so badly that she fused the pan to the burner and we couldn’t get them apart. : )

(Note from Tawra: The sign up above my stove says: "I kiss better than I cook"

Needless to say, we have tried every method known to man. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t. The best method to use depends on what you have burned on the pan and what type of pan you used so you may have to try a couple of different things to find the best one.

The easiest way to clean a burned pan is not to burn it in the first place. I know that may seem like a less than brilliant statement but sometimes when we continually have problems with burned pans, there may be an easy solution to it.

1. It could be the pan itself.

The problem isn’t always your cooking. If you find yourself burning one pan frequently but you don’t have problems with other pans, it could be something about the pan and you may have to get rid of it. I hate to say that because I know pans can be expensive but if you keep ruining everything you cook in a pan and you must keep throwing food away, it might be cheaper in the long run to replace the pan. Sometimes when a pan has been severely burned it will have a tendency to burn again and again if you aren’t careful with it.

2. It could be your stove.

I had always had an inexpensive set of pans, which worked beautifully for me. Once, I was given a set of very expensive stainless steel pans to use. The first time I cooked with them I burned everything. I kept adjusting the heat (I was down to using simmer and low on my burner) and trying to do different things to prevent it but I still kept burning things. Finally I discovered my stove cooked hotter than many other stoves and the pans I was using simply wouldn’t work on it.

3. You always cook on high.

A lot of people cook on too high of a temperature so if you have trouble with continually burning things, try turning your heat down a little and paying more attention. Follow the directions in your favorite cookbook!

4. Watch what you cook.

Ninety percent of the time something gets burned because we haven’t paid attention to what we were cooking. If you have to step away from the stove even for a minute, turn the heat down or off or set a timer. (I really must practice what I preach. Would you believe the day after I wrote this, for the first time in ages, I put some oil in a pan, walked away to check the mail and forgot it?!?!)

(Note from Tawra: Oh, you’re supposed to pay attention to what you’re cooking?)

Now to your question Janine.

Often, you just have to use good old fashioned elbow grease. (For you who don’t know what that means, it’s hard scrubbing). The kind of pan you’re working with will make a difference in the way some of these methods work so you may have to try a couple of methods to find one that works for you.

I know you are not supposed to use a steel wool pad (SOS) on pans but, to be honest, I use one most of the time. Like I said before I have very inexpensive pans and I’m not too worried about ruining them. I paid less because I wanted to be able to scour my pans rather than having to leave a pan soaking for days to get it clean.

I even use SOS pads on non stick coated pans and I’ve never had trouble with flaking or ruining a pan. If you have expensive pans and don’t want to use steel wool, I completely understand, but if I am ever in a situation where I have to either scrub a pan and put a few scratches on it or throw it away, I would rather keep the pan with a few scratches than get rid of it.

Here are a few formulas for you to try. You may have to scrub the pan no matter which formula you use but, with the right formula, you shouldn’t have to scrub as much. You don’t really have to use exact measurements. I just dump the ingredients in. The measurements are just to give you a general idea of the proportions.

Burned Pan Cleaning Recipe #1 

In the pan, place about:
1 inch water
1 Tbsp. baking soda
2-3 Tbsp. hydrogen peroxide
1-2 drops liquid dish detergent (no more or it will bubble like crazy)

Boil (don’t simmer) 10-15 minutes. Check it to make sure it doesn’t boil dry. If necessary, just add a little more water.

Burned Pan Cleaning Recipe #2

In a pan, place:
1 inch of water
dishwasher detergent tablet (You could try 1-2 Tbsp. powdered dishwasher soap instead.)
1 Tbsp. baking soda
2-3 Tbsp. vinegar

Boil (don’t simmer) 10-15 minutes.

-Jill

P.S. I know there are many cleansers to use on pans but that is another whole different subject that I’ll have to touch on some day. This article is only about removing things that have been burned on.

For more easy cleaning tips to make your life easier, check out our Keeping It Clean e-books.

photo by: quinnanya

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I want to know about that "Daily Shower Cleaner." I spray it around in my shower every day. There are several brands – One is CleanShower, Tilex makes one, etc.

I think the product works quite well. It helps keep my shower squeaky shiny clean, BUT…cheapskate that I am, I would like to know if I can mix it up myself rather than buying it all the time. It SEEMS like it should be a fairly simple blend…I have thought that it might be made from denatured alcohol and dish soap blended into water, but I am chicken to try doing that without a little guidance. Can you help? -Maryellen

Here you go, Maryellen! This Daily Shower Cleaner recipe is in the Dining On A Dime Cookbook! Once again, when we say we have unusual things in our cookbook, we really do. -Tawra

Daily Shower Cleaner

8 oz. concentrated cleaner (Lysol is a good one.)
16 oz. isopropyl alcohol
water

Pour cleaner and alcohol into a gallon bucket. Add enough water to make one gallon. Pour into a spray bottle. Thoroughly clean shower before using. Spray on shower daily. Use daily to prevent water deposits and soap scum.

photo by: spring dew

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Easy Drain Cleaner And Drain Opener

1 cup baking soda
1 cup vinegar
4 cups boiling water

Pour baking soda into drain and then pour vinegar on top of it. Let it sit for 30 minutes. Pour boiling water down the drain. You may need to repeat this process if your drain doesn’t come unclogged the first time. This will clean out a lot of clogs so try it first before running to the store to buy a commercial drain opener.

Tip: Don’t throw away the baking soda used to freshen your fridge. Use it as a cleaning scrub or pour down your drain to clear clogs.

From Dining on a Dime

Photo By: powellizer

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1 gallon water
1 cup ammonia
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup baking soda

Combine all ingredients. Put in a spray bottle to clean showers, toilets, sinks and counters. Great for most cleaning needs. Use all-purpose cleaner to clean your floors. Just spray on and wipe off as you would counter-tops.

From Dining on a Dime

Photo By:  toofarnorth

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Hand Cleaner Recipe

1/4 cup Fels Naptha*, grated
2 Tbsp. fine sand or pumice
1 cup water
2 cup plastic container (16 oz. cottage cheese container works great)

Place soap and water in a saucepan. Place over low heat; stir until soap is melted. After mixture cools, add mason’s sand or pumice. Store in a cottage cheese container or margarine tub. Dip fingers into soap mixture and lather hands. Rinse well.

*Any grated bar of soap will work but Fels Naptha removes the stains better.

Tip: Buy 1 gallon of bubble bath and use instead of liquid hand soap. It is much cheaper and smells better than regular hand soap.

This recipe is from the Dining On A Dime Cookbook. For more easy recipes like this, check out Dining On A Dime here!

Photo By:  Arlington County

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1/2 cup – 1 cup baking soda or Borax
aluminum pan (no substitutions)

Place aluminum pan in the sink and add your sterling or plated silver. Add enough baking soda or borax to cover silverware. Pour boiling water to cover the utensils. When the tarnish disappears, remove silverware and buff with a soft cotton cloth.

From: Dining on a Dime

photo by:  knitsteel

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Fruit and Vegetable Wash

You really don’t need a special cleaner for your fruits and vegetables. Just wash them with a weak solution of dish detergent and a scrub brush works just fine. If you still insist on using a special wash. This is a good recipe that is the same as the "natural" stuff in the store.

1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. baking soda
1 cup water

Put ingredients in a spray bottle. Be careful because it will foam up. Spray on vegetables, let sit 5 minutes then rinse with a scrub brush.

From Dining on a Dime

photo by: visual07

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2 Tbsp. ammonia
1/2 cup rubbing alcohol
1/4 cup vinegar
water

Put ammonia, alcohol and vinegar in a spray bottle and fill with water. This works especially good for counter-tops but may also be used to clean showers, toilets and sinks. Great for most cleaning needs.

Important tip: NEVER mix ammonia and bleach.

From Dining on a Dime

photo by: nancyhugo

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