Household Tips for the Kitchen
The kitchen is probably one of the most used rooms in the house. We sit at countertops visiting, kids do homework, we prepare and eat meals in the kitchen, and we sometimes have to put up with kitchen smells and odors.
Below are handy tips for removing odors, helpful savings tips, and cleaning tips.
A Handy Savings Tip:
I still use SOS pads, they do come in handy on stubborn baked on foods. The only problem with these pads is you can't help but get the whole pad wet and eventually they rust and you have to throw them away - after only using it a couple of times.
What I do now is cut them in half. The box of SOS pads now lasts longer and it's more economical.
Smelly Dishwasher:
Have you ever noticed that sometimes your clean dishes and glasses have a funny odor? It's caused by a smelly dishwasher. Here is a simple solution that should help you with this problem.
Every Sunday night before bedtime, put one cup of white vinegar into the bottom of your dishwasher. Turn the dishwasher on and go to bed. Do not do this with dishes in the machine. Do this every week and you will always have clean, fresh kitchenware, and a dishwasher that does not smell.
How to Clean and Remove Food Odors From a Cutting Board:
Many meals we prepare require the use of a cutting board. When we are done cutting most of us will wash it with a liquid dish washing detergent and warm or hot water. This works fine but we should frequently disinfect them too. This will also help to thoroughly remove any lingering smells of fish, onions, garlic, etc. Here are some cleaning and odor removal ideas.
Vinegar and Water:
Vinegar is a great disinfectant. Fill your sink with just enough warm water to cover the cutting board, add 1 cup vinegar then swish through the water. Add the cutting board and let sit and soak for a few minutes. Rinse clean and dry. This can also help to remove food odors from your hands after preparing a meal.
If you have a wood cutting board, Do Not soak it in water as this can cause cracking when it dries. Mix 75/25 vinegar and water in a spray bottle, spray on the wood surface, clean and wipe dry.
Coarse Salt and Lemon:
If you have a cutting board that smells, sprinkle coarse salt on the board and rub it in. Then cut a lemon in half and scrub this over the board also. Let this sit a few minutes, rinse, and wipe dry. The salt and lemon can also be used by themselves and work just as effectively.
Keep in mind for wooden cutting boards, you may have to re-season after a good cleaning.
How to Remove Fingerprints from Stainless Steel Appliances:
Stainless steel appliances are very popular. The sleek look makes them very attractive in any kitchen. Everybody loves them but who likes the fingerprints that are left behind?
Its not as hard to clean as you might think. Simply adding a few drops of baby oil to a soft cloth works very well for removing prints and smudges. Clean with the grain and the spots will be gone quickly. Wipe dry and shine with another clean soft cloth.
Freshen The Air:
Because we do spend so much time in the kitchen, we want it to smell fresh and nice. No need to spend a lot of money either. Extracts work great to freshen any room of the house. For the kitchen pick a scent like lemon, orange, or cinnamon.
- Put a cotton ball in a small jar such as a baby food jar.
- Pour 1 teaspoon extract on the cotton ball.
- Seal jar and poke holes in the lid to release the fragrance.
