Homemade Cleaning Solutions for General Kitchen Clean-Up

Cutting Boards

Clean thoroughly and soak with the vinegar-3% peroxide combo from the list of general purpose green cleaning recipes . Allow to sit 30 minutes and rinse thoroughly.

Burned on Food in Saucepans

I have used all of these homemade cleaning solutions - and in one particularly bad case, I alternated between them for a couple of days. So far, the only pan I have had to toss was the one where I was really distracted and the copper bottom melted off! 1/4 cup of baking soda in the bottom of the pan, then fill with warm water. Boil on the stove until the scorched parts loosen and float to the top.

You can do that with vinegar and baking soda too, just use less liquid so that it doesn't bubble over from the chemical reaction between the vinegar and baking soda.

Add a single 'serving' of dishwasher detergent to a water-filled saucepan. Boil and allow the pieces to lift off.

Stains from Plastic Containers

To get the orange-colored carrot stains off of plastic, rub with a little vegetable oil, then wash the oil off with dishwashing liquid.

Place container in the sun. If it's really bad, put a little lemon juice on first.

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

Combine equal amounts of baking soda and borax and mix thoroughly. Use 4 tablespoons per load in the dishwasher dispenser.

Washing Dishes

Add 1/2 cup of vinegar to your rinsing water. It gets any remaining oil off surfaces (especially of plastics), and gives glass and metal a nice shine!

Cooking Odors

Boil some lemon slices or lemon juice in water for 10 minutes or so (particularly effective for burnt food odors)

Boil some vinegar for 10 minutes or so (particularly effective for fried-food odors)

Laminate Countertops

For stains that don't come out with normal cleaning - the easy homemade cleaning solutions are to make a paste from cream of tartar and lemon juice. Let it soak well, and then wipe away with a damp cloth.

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