Q: Can I use oven cleaner on a stainless steel pot without damaging it? The bottom has some "burnt on" residue and a plain scrubbie pad has not made a dent. Any suggestions?

Sent by Barb

Q: I have an old dirty oven, but I don't like using harsh cleaning products and I don't feel like scrubbing on my knees all weekend! Can an oven without a self-cleaning function still clean itself, maybe by leaving it on 500 degrees for a day? Any advice would be appreciated!

Sent by Kate

We do a lot more dishes around the holidays, what with all the extra cooking and baking and entertaining going on. The premium dish soap companies have caught on and have started offering limited-edition holiday scented dish soaps so that we can carry on with our holly-jolly even while we're standing at the sink, up to our elbows in batter bowls and cookie sheets. Do you switch to holiday scented cleaning products come December? More

Q: We received a wood butcher block as a wedding present and it gets a lot of use. We wipe it down and scrub it, but it still smells funky. I've tried everything from food-safe soaps to lemon juice. Does anyone have a foolproof trick for getting butcher blocks clean and odor-free?

Sent by Nicole More

We've spent far too much money on bottles of stainless steel cleaner that claim to wipe out smudges. We haven't had much luck—only buyer's remorse. But did you know you can use a super inexpensive product from the drugstore that does a better job? Several of you smarty pants mentioned it in this post. More

I can't lie. As a writer for The Kitchn and Apartment Therapy, I get amazing mail. Real mail, like from the mail man. I know you're jealous. Recently a magical wooden box appeared on my doorstep and judging by my reaction you'd think I had won the lottery. What was inside? Cleaners. I'm a simple person folks and this was exciting stuff! Here's why: More