Expert Kitchen Cleaning Guide: 11 Simple Steps for a Sparkling Kitchen

Clean range hood grease filters with a degreaser

Running your vent hood grease filter through the dishwasher can yield disappointing results. Likewise with “grease cutting” household cleaners. Get great results with a water-based degreaser from the auto parts store. Fill the sink with hot water and degreaser, drop in the filter and let the degreaser do all the work. The filter will come out sparkling clean in just a few minutes. Then just rinse it off.

Learn the ways you’re shortening the life of your dishwasher.

Scour off grime with an electric toothbrush

Now that discount and dollar stores carry cheap electric toothbrushes, you can add a modern twist to routine cleaning. Rapid vibration will quickly scrub out stubborn dirt, while the long handle can get to hard-to-reach places without all the elbow grease.

Here are more toothbrush cleaning hacks you’ll wish you knew sooner!

Clean out disposer crud

Your disposer will smell better if you clean the splash guard. Lift the flaps and scrub them (especially the under side) with a toothbrush and grease-cutting cleaner.

These kitchen organizing ideas will save your sanity.

How to clean oven door glass

It’s a mystery how baking slop gets deposited between oven door glass panels. But it’s clear that you can’t remove it without disassembling the door. Get the instructions for removing the door and clean that grungy glass in less than an hour.

Here’s a little-known trick to cleaning your oven without scrubbing.

Scuff mark eraser

Clean off shoe scuff marks from vinyl flooring with a clean, dry tennis ball. A light rub and heel marks are “erased.”

Does your kitchen sponge smell? Here’s how to clean it!

Marker cleanup

When the permanent marker has ended up in the wrong hands, vegetable oil can clean it off lots of surfaces—even skin! Then just wipe up with a damp cloth and you’re done.

Do you ever think to clean these surprisingly germy kitchen items?

Clean hard floors faster

If you’re still using a regular old mop for everyday cleanup of your hard-surface floors, there’s a better way. Save the mop for really dirty or muddy floors and simply spot-clean using the tool the pros use.

Citrus peels and ice cubes for a stinky disposer

If your disposer has developed an odor, it may contain bits of rotted food. Here’s how to clean them out:

• With the water running at about half throttle, drop in orange or lemon peels. Run the disposer for five seconds. Citric acid from the peels softens crusty waste and attacks smelly bacteria. Give the acid about 15 minutes to do its work.
• Turn on the water and the disposer and drop in a few ice cubes. Flying shards of ice work like a sandblaster inside the disposer.
• Run the water until the bowl is about half full. Then pull the stopper and turn on the disposer to flush it out.

Lazy people will love these brilliant cleaning shortcuts!

Clean a stinky fridge

You don’t have to live with a stinky fridge. Follow these instructions for using newspaper and charcoal and the odors will be gone within several days.

Next, check out the pros and cons of stainless steel appliances.