12 Easy & Simple Kitchen Cleaning Hacks for Busy Moms
Cleaning the kitchen is usually not a task anyone looks forward to, but thankfully there are several time saving kitchen cleaning hacks that will make cleaning your kitchen a breeze! Everything from your dishes, to your microwave, to the sinks and more can be cleaned easily and quickly with some simple kitchen cleaning hacks. You will have more time to enjoy being in your kitchen with your family, cooking and eating and celebrating, if you can spend less time in the kitchen cleaning! I put together my list of 15 easy kitchen cleaning hacks for busy moms to save time and energy in the kitchen – here you go! (You can thank me later) 😉
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Cascade. As always, all opinions remain 100% my own. #PureEssentials
1. Use dish soap pacs to save time
Using a high quality, simple dishwasher pac will save you tons of time in the kitchen. Instead of scrubbing caked on grime for every dish before putting it in the dishwasher, I skip the pre-washing and use my favorite detergent, Cascade pure essentials ActionPacs, to save time and energy. It has the dependable cleaning power of Cascade that you expect, with a simplified formula infused with bio-based ingredients. Toss a pack in with your dirty dish load and watch as your dishes come out sparkly clean without all the hassle of pre-washing!
2. Use a wet towel to clean the microwave
Tired of trying to clean all the stuck on gunk in all corners of your microwave? Try this hack: heavily wet a kitchen rag with water and then microwave it for about 5 minutes. Allow the rag to sit in the microwave for 5 more minutes to let the steam loosen up all that gunk. Then wipe away and watch the gunk practically fall off!
3. Rinse the sink after each use
This might seem obvious but… clean the sink after each use. If you don’t it will start to have nasty build up that requires scrubbing. Rinse often and save yourself the hassle!
4. Use liners in the oven to catch spills
Have you ever made a pizza in your oven and found burnt cheese all over the bottom later? I have! My easy hack: just line the bottom of the oven with foil or a reusable nonstick liner. You will thank yourself later!
5. Clean wooden cutting boards with salt and lemon
For a fresh and easy cleaning solution for your wood surfaces, simply dust your wood surface with course salt and scrub with a ½ lemon, juicy side down. Wait 5 minutes then rinse with a wet sponge or with warm water.
6. Have your kids help with the dishes
Kids at all ages can help with the dishes. Get them all in the kitchen together and teach them to work as a team, the faster they work together, the faster they can get back to play time!
7. Use vinegar and lemon ice cubes to clean your disposal
Sinks stink. Usually that smell means your disposal is caked in foul odors. Simply make some ice cubes with chunks of lemon in white vinegar to solve this problem. Put a couple in the drain and turn the disposal on for an instantly fresh sink!
8. Wash all the little things in a mesh laundry bag in your dishwasher
How many little spots, straws, lids, and other small kitchen things have you found flying around in the dishwasher? My hack: just use a mesh laundry bag – fill it with the small things, zip it up, and place on the top rack when you run the dishwasher. Be sure to use a time-saving dish detergent pac (see number 3) like Cascade pure essentials that effective and a formula you can trust (even on the smallest things in your dishwasher!) No need to pre-wash these little things – Cascade pure essentials is tough on stuck-on messes – including all that gunk on your kids snack bowls and sippy cups!
9. Line the tops of your cabinets in wax paper
The tops of your cabinet (much to your horror) are one of the dirties places in most kitchens. No one ever really wants to climb up there and scrub grease. My hack: Line the tops with wax paper! Wax paper is like a magnet for all the grime and dust that loves to collect on top of cabinets.
10. Use cotton balls in the garbage can to absorb odors
Garbage cans STINK. Try this easy hack: Soak a cotton ball in essential oils and place it in the bottom of the can. Then put your bag in like usual. The ball will help absorb and mask those yucky garbage odors.
11. Use oil to clean up oil
It is a pain to scrub oil off the counter or stove, and ever more a headache to scrub the caked on gunk around the hood. An easy hack is to smear vegetable oil on a paper towel and wipe the oil easily away!
12. Wash everything in your dishwasher
Last but not least, my number one hack is to use your dishwasher for EVERYTHING. Besides dishes (duah) you can clean plastic toys, hairbrushes, vases, bath toys, shower poofs, sponges, sports accessories and more in your dishwasher. I love that the same dishwasher detergent I use for my dishes, I can use for these other things because Cascade pure essentials is a product I feel good about using for my family. Cascade pure essentials is free of phosphates and chlorine bleach and dye-free and the only perfumes in the formula are infused with essential oils (leaving a light and refreshing scent of either lemon essence or orange blossom).
You can pick up Cascade pure essentials from Walmart. And, from now until June 22, be sure to check your local newspaper for a P&G BrandSaver with $1 off coupon.
Happy cleaning!
