Our Very Best Cleaning and Organizing Tips So Far This Year
It’s almost July, which means we, somehow, have made it halfway through 2020. Your kitchen has either never been cleaner (you’ve had so much time at home to work on it!) or it’s a hot mess (all this cooking has really taken its toll!). Either way, we’re here to help. See, we’ve run more than 200 new stories on cleaning and organizing so far this year. And with the year almost halfway over, we thought we’d take a look back at the best (and most popular) stories we’ve run so far.
Here’s some of our best cleaning and organizing advice from 2020.
1. A dishwasher tablet works as a great oven cleaner.
We have a contributor who has tried so many ways to clean her oven. She’s loved a few (especially this method using a power drill!), so we didn’t know what to expect when we asked her to clean her oven with a dishwasher tablet. Turns out, it became her new favorite method.
Read more: I Cleaned My Oven Door with a Dishwasher Tablet — Here’s How It Went
2. Marie Kondo’s method for storing kitchen towels is the best method.
A disheveled stack of dishtowels helps no one. After all, the whole point is to be able to grab one when you need one (at a moment’s notice and/or with messy hands). Thanks to lots of trial and error, we are happy to report that Marie Kondo’s method is simply the best. Get your dish towels up and standing ASAP.
Read more: Marie Kondo’s Method for Storing Kitchen Towels Is the Only Way to Store Kitchen Towels
3. The best way to clean a baking sheet is with baking soda and hydrogen peroxide.
For a while now, we’ve said that a combo of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide was the best way to clean a baking sheet. We’ve used that method time and time again, but we recently decided to test it against other popular methods, and guess what? It won!
Read more: We Tried 5 Methods for Cleaning Baking Sheets and Found a Clear Winner
4. Oven cleaner can get your Dutch oven looking like new.
We took note of some Reddit chatter claiming that oven cleaner could clean the outside of a dirty Dutch oven. Unsure, we investigated to get some expert advice. We also tried it for ourselves and got some impressive results.
Read more: The Clever Reddit Tip for Getting a Le Creuset Dutch Oven Looking Good as New
5. A new bottle of white vinegar can act as a reminder to clean your faucet.
You may have noticed that we’ve started a series of posts where we suggest the first thing to do with a new ingredient or kitchen item. (If not, here’s one. And here’s another one!) One of our favorites in this series is about opening up a new bottle of vinegar. See, you probably don’t need a new bottle all that often, but when you do open one it’s a good reminder to use it to clean off the hard water deposits that have built up in your faucet.
Read more: The Very First Thing You Should Do with a New Bottle of Vinegar
6. Hydrogen peroxide doesn’t belong in your first aid kit — it belongs in your cleaning kit!
If you have hydrogen peroxide in your first aid kit to help clean out scrapes and cuts, consider moving that bottle into your cleaning kit instead. The cleaner’s fizzy action that damages the cell walls of bacteria also damages healthy cells that are trying to regrow. You’re better off using the stuff for cleaning.
Read more: Why You Should Take Hydrogen Peroxide Out of Your First Aid Kit
7. It doesn’t hurt to squirt a little bit of dish soap down the drain.
Dish soap is great at cutting through grease on your dishes … and in your drain. Every once in a while, drop a couple squirts of dish soap into the drain. Wait about 30 seconds for the soap to run down the drain, and follow with hot water. This will help prevent clogs.
Read more: Why You Should Start Squirting a Little Bit of Dish Soap Down the Drain
8. The best way to clean a burnt pan is with some baking soda and aluminum foil.
There are lots of ways to clean a burnt pan. We tried five different methods and found that a ball of aluminum foil (and a bit of baking soda) is surprisingly effective.
Read more: We Tried 5 Methods for Cleaning a Burnt Pan and Found a Clear Winner
9. A shower caddy makes a great fridge organizer.
The best way to organize all those yogurt tubes, string cheeses, and ketchup packets? Hang a suction-cupped shower caddy on a wall of your fridge and file them away!
Read more: The $8 Bath Accessory That You Should Be Using in Your Fridge
10. Condiment shelves need labels.
Raise your hand if the shelves on your fridge door are a mess right now. Got a mess of condiments scattered around all willy nilly? Try adding labels to the shelves for savory items (teriyaki sauce, A1, Worcestershire, and balsamic glaze), spicy stuff (hot sauces and pepper jelly), and sweet things (jams, jellies, maraschino cherries, and syrup). This way, you’ll know where to look for things and where to put them back.
Read more: The Super-Simple Tip That Changed How I Organize My Condiments
We’ve published tons of other cleaning and organizing tips so far this year. Do you have any other favorites that didn’t make this list?