4 Amazing Kitchen Cleaning Hacks

With the amount of time we’ve all spent indoors this past year, our homes have gotten so much more wear & tear than usual. This is exactly why I was so excited to connect with Jaclyn Houtman from Merry Maids of Houston for some amazing cleaning hacks for the kitchen. Along with being a third-generation business owner for Merry Maids, Jaclyn has so much passion for sharing her cleaning hacks along with tips & tricks for even the most stubborn kitchen issues. Read on to learn how to tackle some of the most common problems in the kitchen and see how easy it is to make your cooking space sparkle! Also be sure to follow her on Instagram for weekly tips related to the whole house!

Dishwasher

Tip #1: Check your filter every few months, run under hot water and scrub away any buildup with a brush.  If it’s grease or sticky, you can use dish soap. Run one cup of vinegar in the dishwasher to clean and deodorize every month or so.

Tip #2: Hard water stains around your sink, dispenser, or faucet heads: Dip a brush in vinegar and gently brush away hard water stains. If possible or needed, you can soak the built-up area in vinegar as well.  Half a lemon is great to rub under a faucet head to easily remove hard water or any other buildup in that tricky area!  Toss the lemon into your garbage disposal and run with hot water to freshen and clean that up, as well.

Microwave

Tip #3: Squeeze half a lemon into one cup of water, then microwave on high for 3 minutes until boiling and steamy – I like to just toss in the lemon half with the water, too.  Let it sit for a minute after the timer goes for the steam to settle, then carefully remove the hot water.  Wipe down your microwave with a cloth – the lemon juice and steam will eat away any grease or food splatters! 

Stove

Tip #4: Just a solution of warm water and grease-fighting dish soap!  Dip a cloth in and use it to wipe down your stove and areas around it, it will clean up grease quickly and effectively.  For a more heavy-duty clean, use a paste of baking soda and water on your stove and use it to gently scrub away grease and debris.  Then, wipe clean and dry!