Quick Fixes

Cooking, cleaning, working around the house is bound to bring up some challenges! Most of the challenges border around cleaning up messes, fighting bad odour or tarnished taps…but did you know there are some handy things in the kitchen that make excellent cleaners…

• Food is burnt and stuck to the bottom of a pan. Add some dish wishing liquid and soak the burnt part in water so that it is covered. Bring to a boil, then let the liquid cool in the pan. The burnt food will be easy to remove.
• Juices spill over, bubble over and end up with scorched blobs on the oven floor. Sprinkle a handful of salt on the mess. The smoke will be reduced and the spill easier to clean after the oven cools. You can add some cinnamon to the salt to help reduce odour.  Or if you prefer to use a commercial oven cleaner, for best results, spray the messy parts generously with cleaner and let it soak overnight. If your oven trays, racks are messy and greasy soak overnight in soapy solution.
• Clean the insides of your microwave oven – remove all the stuck food: mix together two tablespoons lemon juice or vinegar and two cups of water in a four-cup glass microwave safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH for two to three minutes. Carefully remove the bowl and wipe the microwave with paper towels. Repeat if necessary. A common tip which sometimes eludes us!
• Drains clog too often. To clean sluggish drains, pour 1/2 cup baking soda down the drain. Add 1/2 cup white vinegar and cover the drain. Let this mixture foam for a few minutes, then pour 8 cups of boiling water down the drain to flush it. Do not use this combination after using any commercial drain opener or cleaner. It will be a waste.  
• Got a garbage crusher installed. But it does reek of bad smells once in a while. Run through lemon pieces through the garbage disposal every few days for a clean fresh smell. Alternatively, sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of baking soda down the drain, drop in two ice cubes and turn it on. Then run the hot water for a few minutes while the disposal is working.
• Bread wrapper stuck on the toaster. It looks bad and smells bad. If plastic from the bread wrapper melts onto your toaster, use a little nail polish remover to get it off. Let the toaster cool before you try this.
• Always have fresh aromatic coffee. Clean your coffee maker every few weeks by filling the water reservoir with equal parts white vinegar and water and putting it through the brew cycle. Then use clean fresh water and repeat the brew cycle to rinse the machine. Repeat with fresh water two more times.
• For glass cooktops, there are special commercial cleaners that work well. Use them with a hard plastic scraper to remove burned-on food. Clean your glass cooktop as soon as it cools to avoid having to scrub burned food.
• Your blender jar has developed aromas that are not desirable. Very easy to clean a blender jar - squirt a few drops of liquid soap into it, fill halfway with warm water, cover and blend. Rinse and repeat if necessary. You can also use this method for food processors.
• For lime and mineral deposits on your kitchen sink faucet, wrap vinegar-soaked paper towels around faucets for about an hour. This breaks down the mineral scale, and the chrome will be clean and shiny after buffing with a dry paper towel.
• Cream of tartar and water mixed to a paste will clean porcelain.
• A paste of baking soda and water will clean coffee stains.
• Use a cut lemon half sprinkled with salt to clean copper.