Making a mess In The Kitchen is a cinch; cleaning it up, not so much. Nevertheless It Is Important To Keep Your Kitchen Clean. To make life a little easier, we’ve put together six smart tips that not only make cleaning simpler, but can also help out nasty chemical cleaning products, focussing instead on what’s already in your kitchen.

1 Get By with Bicarb

Bicarbonate soda is a kitchen staple for so many different reasons. As a cleaning agent, it’s close to unbeatable. For stubbornly stained pots and pans, add a generous amount with a little water to make a thick paste and rub it in thoroughly.

2 Vinegar is Your Best Friend

When it comes to cooking and cleaning, vinegar is pretty much the kitchen’s most valuable player. Boil some in a stubbornly stained pot to help remove black bits, with the help of a little bicarb. Toss a cup of it Into Your Empty Dishwasher and run it on the longest, hottest cycle to clean the machine. Or pour some down your sink drain, let it sit for a few minutes and then flush with hot water.

3 Get Lemon-Scented

Some dishes tend to stink out the kitchen, and can leave a residual smell in the pot or pan they were cooked in. Boiling a lemon is a great way to counteract this.

Simply cut the lemon into slices or wedges, add to a generous amount of water and let it boil, allowing the steam to do all the work.

4 Cut Out the Paper Towels

Paper towels – we love them and they’re incredibly useful. But, we’ve become A Little Too Dependent on them. Save yourself some money by investing in some microfiber cloths that can be washed and reused for cleaning, and you can keep the paper towels for things like draining the oil from schnitzel!

5 Microwave Your Sponge

Sponges pick up an awful lot of dirt in their short life time. So when you’re done with the dishes, take a minute to Microwave your damp sponge. The high temperature will kill bacteria living in it. Just remember to let it cool before touching it!

6 Make Your Blender Self-Cleaning

If you’ve been putting off Getting That Blender because you fear cleaning it or are guilty of blending up a smoothie and then leaving the mess for someone else to deal with, take note! A little dishwashing liquid blitzed with some water turns your blender in a self-cleaning machine! Once you’re done, simply rinse and wipe out remaining bits of grime.