It’s been said that the kitchen is the heart of the home. For many it is also a source of frustration where clutter gathers and disorganization takes shape.  Keeping your kitchen clean and organized can be made a little easier and more eco-friendly with these simple cleaning tips and ideas. A common question that becomes a habit for some children at home is “What’s for dinner?” which can be a question just as intriguing for parents. To avoid this ongoing question, the one who prepares the meals each evening should set up a menu board to put on the side of the refrigerator where he/she can create a list of the weekly meals. A menu board will allow the family to check the menu themselves instead of pestering the one who cooks each evening. Although this idea won’t make your kitchen look any cleaner, applying this system can help relieve some disturbance, creating more time to clean and organize the kitchen. There are several cooking ingredients that you may already have in your kitchen that can also be used for cleaning. Some of these kitchen ingredients include vinegar, baking soda, lemons, and even kosher salt. All of these ingredients can help you achieve a sparkling kitchen and can also minimize spending on cleaners allowing you so save some money each month. Achieving a clean kitchen can be a daunting task and scrubbing the sticky stuff can be tricky. To get rid of the gunk and grime that can be found in pots and pans as well as dishes, try using a handheld steamer or some boiling water. Once you pour boiling water into your dirty cookware, you can easily scrub off the food residue. The hot water will help remove the sticky stuff from pots, pans, inside the oven, oven-tops, microwaves, as well as serve as a sanitation method to help sterilize your cookware. While some people have specialty coffee makers, those of you with traditional coffee makers that use filters will find that the filters come in handy for other purposes as well. Coffee filters are great to hold treats such as crackers, cookies, chips, and popcorn to prevent children from making a mess. They can also be effective when cleaning the counters or windows in your home as they are inexpensive, tear-resistant, lint-free, and are designed not to fall apart, even under extended water exposure. Coffee filters can also be used to cover your food when heating it in the microwave, eliminating one mess to clean up later. Baby oil can be an effective cleaner for any stainless steel appliances. Stainless steel is prone to smudges and fingerprints thus by simply wiping it down with a smooth cloth dabbed with a small amount of baby oil or olive oil, any marks can easily be removed and it will prevent new ones from sticking. Another eco-friendly and financial friendly tip is to use dish rags as an alternative to paper towels. Store cleaning rags in a drawer so they are easily accessible and wash them often to prevent spreading germs. Of course it is still a good idea to keep paper towels on hand, but you won’t be tempted to grab one for minor spills. For an effortless way to clean your microwave, start by placing a glass of lemon water inside your microwave then let it run for 3-5 minutes. The steam from the water will soften the grime, making it easy to wipe down. You can also place a small handful of wet paper towels inside your microwave and run it for 3-5 minutes, then once the paper towels cool down use them to wipe down the inside. Apply some of these cleaning tips to get your kitchen sparkling clean. You can also read some DIY kitchen hacks on our blog by clicking the link.