All-purpose cleaner - check. Glass cleaner - check. Dish soap - check. Everyone knows about the common things you need to keep your kitchen clean. What everyone doesn’t know is that there are a few things you should keep in your kitchen that will make cleaning it more effortless and less daunting. While these items might seem, well,
unusual at first, they can be true powerhouses in the kitchen, if you know how to use them!
Here are our five favorite, unusual items to keep in the kitchen to help you clean better, faster.
1. A razor blade A razor blade can actually be very useful in the kitchen. A razor blade is the perfect way to clean the residue from her glass stovetop.
A razor blade can also be incredibly useful for scraping dried, stuck-on foods from countertops and floors. A word of caution: be sure to hold the blade at just the right angle to make sure you don't scratch your kitchen surface with its sharp edge. As long as it's used properly, this little blade can go a long way.
2. Toothpaste and toothbrushOkay, so technically this is two items, but they're both worth mentioning. Toothpaste acts as a silver polisher, helping to bring silverware and silver dishes back to life.
Tara at
Clean Organized Family Home says to use a white paste (not gel) toothpaste with no whitening additives. Squeeze a small amount onto a sock or rag dampened with cool water, scrub, and rinse. Bonus: it smells much better than silver polish, too.
And the toothbrush? This regular household item isn't often found in the kitchen, but it is perfect for scrubbing any tiny crevices around faucets, buttons, or switches. Try it around your kitchen sink drain and disposal splash guard; it's incredible!
3. Dryer sheetsDryer sheets are for more than softening and freshening your laundry. Jillee on
One Good Thing By Jillee argues that you should keep these handy sheets in the kitchen, too. They are the perfect, easy way to polish chrome fixtures. If you happen to have a chrome kitchen faucet or chrome-finished light fixtures in your kitchen, rub the dryer sheet on them to remove spots and residue, and make them truly shine.
Jillee also mentions that dryer sheets are good for dusting, so they can be used in the kitchen to dust baseboards or the tops of cabinets.
4. WD-40While most people might think that this is one product that needs to stay far away from the kitchen, WD-40 is a great way to polish and protect stainless steel.
Simply spraying and wiping this product will get rid of water spots and fingerprints. Be sure to wipe away all excess, however, since this product isn't exactly something you want mixing with your food.
5. Baby oilIf your appliances have some built up grease residue, use baby oil and a soft cloth or paper towel to remove the grease quickly and painlessly, without a lot of scrubbing.
Alicia from
Thrifty and Chic is one proponent of this trick. She recommends using a vinegar and water solution to clean the area after you wipe it down with baby oil, to remove any excess oil from the surface. This is especially true if the cleaned surface will be heated any time in the near future.
These common household items aren't usually found in the kitchen, but keeping them there will help you in your efforts to make your kitchen shine with as little work as possible. Keep them on hand to make cleaning your kitchen cheap, fast, and painless!
