Last week we started our review of kitchen cleaning hacks with lemon ice cubes, boiling filters, and giving your oven racks a bath. This week, we continue going over some of the top tips and tricks for cleaning your kitchen. Read on for even more kitchen cleaning hacks to get your kitchen in order.

The Perfect Granite Cleaner (Works For Marble Too)

Stone countertops are a beautiful addition to any kitchen, but the porousness of stone makes it difficult to clean. Luckily, we have the perfect solution for cleaning your stone counters to make them shine.

  • 16 oz. spray bottle
  • ¼ cup of rubbing alcohol
  • 3 – 5 drops of Dawn dish detergent
  • Water

Add the rubbing alcohol and dish detergent to the spray bottle, then fill the rest of the bottle with water. Shake the solution vigorously to combine. Use this mixture in combination with a microfiber cloth for best results.

De-Funk Your Dishwasher

Dishwashers have a reputation for getting grimy and smelly thanks to the food debris that is constantly passing through it. Despite the fact that dish detergent moves through it, that doesn’t always kill the odor or stains.

Start the cleaning by wiping out the area around the arm at the bottom of the dishwasher. While food is dissolved by the washer, glass and plastic chips, along with bone shards can get caught in this area of the washer.

Place a small, dishwasher safe bowl in the top rack so that it is held securely in place. Fill the bowl with white vinegar, then run the washer on the hottest setting possible. Once that is finished, then sprinkle baking soda around the bottom of the washer and run again. After these two rinses, your dishwasher should be refreshed and smell clean again.

Steam Clean Your Microwave

Microwaves can get absolutely disgusting on the inside. Dried bits of old food, grease, not to mention spills, are all common issues. To add to all of that, microwaves are at an awkward height to try and scrub. The simple solution? Steam clean your microwave.

Soak a sponge with water and place it in the center of your microwave. Make sure that the sponge is as wet as you can get it without leaking water everywhere. Then, fill a small spray bottle with water combined with a few drops of lemon essential oil. Spray that solution all over the inside of the microwave. Coat the surfaces as thoroughly as possible.

Finally, run your microwave for two minutes. Carefully open the microwave to avoid getting a face full of steam, and remove the sponge with an oven mitt. Then, take a cloth and wipe down the inside of the microwave.  The steam rehydrates the food bits and makes everything very easy to wipe off. You’ll have a clean microwave in minutes.