5 Quick Kitchen Cleaning Tips

Oh, the kitchen… It can either be the central hub of creativity, conversation, and company or the bane of your existence. Becoming the latter is a lot more likely when your kitchens current state is overwhelming mess, which happens much more often than any of us would care to admit. Whether there are kids, dogs, you, ya mans, all of the above, or something in between I think we can all agree that this particular chore is never quite done.

But there’s hope to be found with some clever cleaning tips to take the grease out of more than a few places (elbows included).

Tip #1: White Vinegar, Period.

Vinegar is definitely a must on the shopping list in this house because its so versatile when it comes to cleaning. I keep a bottle in just about every room in the house but for the sake of continuity lets focus on it’s kitchen cleaning qualities.

  • Coffee Maker – Run vinegar through your coffee machine on a regular cycle as if you are making a fresh pot. Toss used vinegar and run warm water through a few cycles until the vinegar smell dissipates. Your coffee maker will look good as new.
  • Clogged drain – Pour 1/2 cup of white vinegar over top 1/2 cup of baking soda and quickly cover with drain plug to loosen stubborn clogs in your kitchen sink. Add 1 pot of boiling water about fifteen minutes after the vinegar/soda mix.
  • Stainless Steel Shine – Fill a spray bottle with undiluted white vinegar or pour about a tablespoon onto a microfiber towel. Gently wipe your stainless steel appliance until satisfied. Pat dry with towel, paper towel will sometimes leave residue behind so I don’t recommend for this particular task.

Tip #2: Soak Your Burners

Stove-tops can be a nightmare to clean especially the stuck on food and grime in or around the burners. Instead of dedicating yourself to scrubbing for a day try soaking your burners in ammonia overnight. I like to put my burners into a bin, preferably one with a lid, and pour about 1/2 cup of ammonia into the bin with the burners. I put the lid on the bin and let them soak overnight, when you wake up the previously hard on grime will now be a wipe-able slime. Not the best visual but you get the point. Some people recommend a garbage bag but burners and grates can be so clunky and heavy so I don’t find that to be a viable option, unless you have heavy duty bags.

Burner with Ammonia vs Burner without Ammonia

Tip #3: Name Brands Aren’t Always the Answer

So I’ll admit I can be a snooty shopper sometimes and there are definitely some bougie habits that I need to shed but NOT when it comes to cleaning supplies. I remember reading an article awhile ago where a dentist was saying that it didn’t matter what brand of toothpaste you bought it was all the same and the price only varies because of packaging and nothing more. I have a sneaking suspicion that applies to more than just toothpaste so I exercise the power of skepticism when it comes to purchasing cleaning products. I shop mostly at the dollar store, specifically Dollar Tree when I need to re-up on sponges, gloves, scrubbers, mop pads, etc. You do have to be discerning and make sure you purchase the correct sponges (they’ll trip you up because there are some that are cheaply made and not double padded) but it will save you a ton of money in the long run. My favorite hack is Dollar Tree has mop pads that will fit the Swiffer WetJet for a fraction of the price name brand pads would cost.

Dollar Tree Mop Pads

Tip #4: Start From the Top

This is something I’ve done since I can remember not because I was born a cleaning goddess but because I was lazy, sneaky lil kid… who knew it would end up working in my favor. We always used to split chores when I was younger or my sisters and I would end up bartering each other into assisting with the others chores for a quicker end collectively. I was usually on counter duty so I would just wipe everything onto the floor since it wasn’t my job to clean it up (rude, I know). Turns out that is actually a wonderful technique for saving time and preventing backtrack cleaning. Start from the top of the room, like the shelves and cabinets and make your way down to the floor. If were being honest I just throw any trash from the counter, shelves, or cabinets onto the floor and sweep it all up when I’m done.

Picture of organized top shelf

Tip #5: Every Space Can Be A Designated Place

I really wanted this to rhyme, can you tell… Anyway what I mean is name the spaces in your kitchen for an easier cleanup. We all know that humans are creatures of habit so if you start to put your peanut butter and jelly in this one space then that space is where you will almost always find your peanut butter and jelly. I don’t have it completely down packed but I organize my kitchen into sections. I have a place for pets supplies, a place for spices, a place for grains, a place for snacks, etc and it makes cleaning up so much easier and faster. Not only does it make cleaning more efficient it makes cooking a breeze! If everything is in a place I can remember cooking is easier, putting away groceries is easier, its a win win win.

  • Our designated places

A Beginner’s Guide to Restoring Faded Cabinets

OK, first let me state that this whole project was a happy accident… a grueling, disgusting, six-day accident but happy none the less. I also cannot stress enough that we are walking into every project with my 1 year of high school wood shop and Dakarai’s accumulated 60 minutes of welding experience so bear with us. What we lack in tactical skills, appropriate resources, and an abundance of free time we make up in effort, ingenuity, and positivity!

Our house has passed through many hands during its lifetime and has maintained its unique charm throughout. When it was our turn to carry the proverbial torch we found it had one additional quality to complement its allure….. DIRT! The house was filthy and while I’d love to dish on our dirty laundry, literally, we’re here to talk about cabinets. The kitchen cabinets were a complete nightmare and stained black from years of built-up dirt and grime. Just rubbing your fingertips against them was enough to warrant a full-body shower but whatever no harm no foul, we got right to work.

Step One: Clean the Cabinets

My initial thought was to clean the cabinets so that’s what I did. I grabbed a pack of Dollar Tree scour pads and LA’s Totally Awesome cleaner (because we all know this stuff will clean ANYTHING.) and started scrubbing. It took hours of elbow grease to clear the grime and reveal these delightful wooden cabinets but to my dismay, our overzealous scrubbing (because I did have help) and whatever is in my girl Lala had completely stripped the finish off of the cabinets.

So basically I improvised on sandpaper with 100 grit scour pads (this is a joke) and saved on a chemical stripper by visiting the local dollar store. Genius, right?! Since our cabinets now possessed a sad, faded disposition among the bright whites and blues we had no choice but to restore.

Before photo of the cabinets

Step Two: Restore the Finish

I did some research and found that Howard’s Restor-A-Finish was the cheapest and easiest product to use for the job. We went to Lowe’s and chose the Walnut stain as it was the best match to the before photos. I had purchased some kitchen cloths from Dollar Tree when I bought my other supplies and they were the perfect application tool. I recommend wearing gloves and a mask because you are working with chemicals and safety is important. It took just a few swipes and my cabinets were restored to their former illustrious color and formidable beauty.

After cleaning with LA’s Totally Awesome

Step Three: Seal and Maintain

We left the cabinets to sit overnight, a little bit of overkill but after all that work I didn’t want to risk making any mistakes. The next morning we used the same kitchen cloths (clean ones, lol) to apply the wax to protect the new finish. We went with Howard’s Feed-N-Wax because the Restor-A-Finish box recommended it and it was also the cheapest wax protectant they had at Lowe’s. The wax was slightly harder to work with than the finish because it has a clumping quality to it that makes it difficult to spread. To combat this issue and achieve an even spread we added the wax to the cloth and then worked the wax between our fingers. I also used an old toothbrush to get in all the nooks and crannies with the polish.

Cabinets after applying finish and wax

Step Four: Enjoy a Job Well Done

We gave ourselves about thirty minutes before we wiped off any excess polish and Viola! our cabinets are good as new! What started as a clueless venture into a wormhole of mass exhaustion and almost certain death… ended with our first completed project as brand new homeowners and natural DIYers. Hope this helps you as much as my hubris thinks it will.