Tips for Cleaning Your Kitchen
If your pan has burnt food caked on to it, put in a little dish soap. Then add about a half inch of boiling water and let it sit until the water cools. This should soften the food so it is easy to remove.
Mixing two tablespoons of lemon juice (or vinegar) and two cups water can clean your microwave. Mix it in a microwave safe bowl, and ‘nuke’ it on high for about two minutes. Then wipe off the inside of the microwave.
If your garbage disposal gets smelly, use limes or lemons. Put a few small pieces in the disposal every few days. A few tablespoons of baking soda will do the trick too.
When you mange to get a bread wrapper melted onto the toaster, don’t sweat it. Wait until the toaster has cooled, then use nail polish remover.
Vinegar can be used to clean the inner workings of your coffee pot. Run a cycle with half vinegar and half water, and then run 3 cycles of plain water to adequately rinse.
Blenders and food processors can be cleaned easily too. Put a few drops liquid dish soap in with some water. Blend/mix for a few minutes and rinse.
Cooking odors can be eliminated by simmering water for about five minutes and adding a cup of vinegar.
If your stove hood has grease that will not budge, try using foaming tub and tile cleaner. Foaming shaving cream may also help, after letting it sit for a few minutes.
Ovens can be the home of many tough messes in your kitchen. To clean your oven racks, place them on an old towel in your tub. Fill the tub with a half cup of ammonia and the rest with warm water. Let the racks sit for a half hour, and keep the bathroom ventilated. Be sure to rinse, too.
Sticky oven messes can be cleaned with salt. The salt makes the mess become crusty so it can be removed with a spatula later.
General oven messes can be cleaned with equal parts of water and white vinegar, which will even help prevent grease from building up.
Ovens can even be cleaned with very little scrubbing. Place a bowl with one cup ammonia in a cold stove and let it sit overnight. The next morning you can add the ammonia to warm water and use it to wipe off the mess. Be sure to wear gloves when you do this.
Sources:
http://busycooks.about.com/library/lessons/blcleaning1.htm
http://www.goclean.com/kitchencare.htm
http://home.howstuffworks.com/how-to-clean-large-appliances4.htm
