Cleaning and Housekeeping Tips

Dust it at least once a week!

It's a lot easier than you might think.

You already know they’re icky. And you probably know that if you have one mouse, you really have more than one (if you didn’t, I’m sorry). I happen to know, from an unfortunate experience in my last apartment, that they enjoy cookies most, pasta next, and Thai rice noodles least — at least, that’s the order they got into food in my pantry. Here’s some other stuff you should really know about mice in the kitchen.

I’ve mentioned before how much I love splurging on getting my house professionally cleaned. I like to think I know just how to get the best cleaning experience, but to make sure, I asked my awesome house cleaner to share the biggest things she wished her clients knew. Cleaning is hard work. Hard work makes you thirsty. Be respectful of the person doing that hard work in your home and get them some water already! Your house cleaner is a professional, but not a magician.

These methods all rely on the same basic technique, but have tiny tweaks depending on what you have in your kitchen.

A few years ago, my best friend bought a new house and had me over to check it out. Right away, I noticed how amazing her home smelled — like she’d infused the whole place with freshly washed laundry (she hadn’t). After I got home, I couldn’t help but fixate on one thing about my own space: It didn’t smell good. My house didn’t stink (no icky smells in my kitchen drain, thank you), but it also didn’t smell memorably good like my friend’s.

Whether company’s coming over or you find yourself with a few spare minutes, it’s never a bad time to think about polishing your silver for some extra shine. If your chest of flatware or julep cups are looking less than occasion-ready, worry not! This quick kitchen remedy made of simple ingredients can save you a lot of time and a big mess — and you probably already have everything you need. This simple setup isn’t too far from an elementary school science project.

One Saturday morning, years ago, we awoke to a rather horrifying sight: hundreds of little brown bugs pouring out of the pantry cupboard and across the kitchen floor. We’ve encountered ants, pantry moths, and grain beetles, but this was a new one for us. We did some research and learned that our new guests were grain weevils (aka wheat weevils). Grain weevils are pantry insects and before they multiply, learn how you can prevent them from invading your pantry.

Because a sticky, opaque pickle jar does NOT look great on a holiday table.

Learn how to eliminate smelly sinks with these reader-tested and editor-approved tricks.

Ready, set, clean!

There are cooks out there who see a three-hour cooking marathon as just another weeknight dinner. These are the cooks who like taking the long way; they do it for the challenge, the process, the joy of screwing up and starting over. (Oh, discovery!) These are the cooks who reorganize and declutter the kitchen for fun, and have never met a to-do list they didn’t like. If the previous paragraph makes you want to grab your pillow and crawl into bed: welcome.

You'll just need two things that are already in your kitchen.

Where would we be without refrigerators? If you’ve ever lost electricity for any period of time (as I have recently, thanks to the intense heat and an overloaded electrical grid), you understand quite quickly and keenly the crucial role the refrigerator plays in everyday life. That’s why it’s one of the five greatest breakthroughs in food science, and rightfully so.

PICTURED ABOVE • 1 Professional Kitchen Tip: Use Masking Tape to Label Containers • 2 Tip: Store Cookie Cutters on a Paper Towel Holder • 3 Store Your Sponges in the Dishwasher!

The "after" was so clean, I could see myself in the glass!

Get it now while it's still available.

It only requires two little ingredients you already have in the pantry.

The winner has actually been Kitchn's preferred method for years.

The winning method was certainly a surprise.

When it comes to cleaning, we talk a lot about cleaning as you go, but what does that actually mean? Other than washing every pot as you get it dirty (which isn’t always practical or time-effective), what does clean as you go actually look like? For me, the first step in cleaning up is this super basic thing that many of you probably do: keep a soapy bowl of hot water by the sink.

It only takes five minutes!

You basically *have* to buy some sort of organizer, but which one is best?

We have a tried-and-true cleaning method in the back pocket of our summer cutoffs.

Spoiler: It's the method Kitchn has been using all along!

You don't have to become a bacon-free household! Just know how to clean up that splattered grease.

Number 5 might be new to you!

Natural cleaners are effective, free of toxins, and affordable — if you make them yourself.

The stuff has more than 2,000 five-star reviews on Amazon. Here's what we thought.

It was nearly impossible.

Including tricks for cleaning the grill and keeping the kitchen sink free of clogs!

The Kitchn Cure Day 16: Monday, September 1 Assignment: Clean out the under-sink area and evaluate your cleaning tools. Throw out anything gross. Make a list of anything you need. Wash out the sink itself. (See all the assignments so far here) Sign Up: Sign up here for The Kitchn Cure Over the last three weeks you’ve cleaned your appliances, decluttered and restocked the pantry, and wiped out all the cupboards.

The Kitchn Cure Day 6: Monday, August 18 Assignment: Evaluate your pots, pans, and small appliances. Discard what you don’t need. (See all the assignments so far here) Sign Up: Sign up here for The Kitchn Cure Welcome to Week 2 of The Kitchn Cure! We’re moving on from the fridge and freezer this week to focus on your other appliances, both big and small.

One of my favorite reader tips for cooking without making a big mess was Make cleaning fun! Listening to a podcast while cleaning up the kitchen is one of my favorite ways to make even the most dreaded tasks a little more enjoyable. Need some new recommendations? Here are a few great food-related podcasts to check out while tackling that big pile of dirty dishes.

“Honey can you hand me the bottle of window cleaner? It’s right behind the bottle of stainless steel stuff but in front of the wood polish and next to the doggy carpet spray.” Sound familiar? Having the right tools for the job is a good thing, but what happens when you have too many? Clutter! (Insert dramatic music here.) How many cleansers do you really need? Which ones are essential? What’s the bottle with the smeared label way in the back?

While weeknights are all about just managing to get something (anything!) edible on the table in as little time as possible, weekends (and snow days!) are for larger-scale, more complex cooking projects. You know, the ones that have more prep time or require obscure ingredients. If you’re feeling ambitious, here’s how to get your kitchen ready to help you tackle even the most complicated recipe.

We’ll take a guess that like every other year, you’re making a resolution to be more organized in 2016. It’s a goal we fully support. The more organized you are, the easier (and more fun) it can be to spend time in your kitchen and get dinner on the table every night. Here’s some of our best advice from 2015 to help you make a fresh start in the new year. Your cabinets can always use more work: Take lessons from these beautifully organized cabinets.

There’s something special about Sunday habits. While the morning and evening rituals that make up the rest of the week keep our kitchen lives sane and steady, it’s what we do on Sunday that sets the tone. Good Sunday habits should both close off the week prior, and send you prepped and cheered into the week ahead. While there are many ways to spend a Sunday in the kitchen, here are five small things we like to do before the night is over.

We got lots of tips about getting stains out of fabrics.

This $5 cleaner got gross, greasy stove grates looking good as new.

And I'm so glad that I did!

It'll keep you from burning out.

When you can't see through smeary, crusty glass, well, that ruins an awful lot of the fun of cooking.

I got the idea while I was treating myself to a manicure!

You know, besides the dishes in your dishwasher.

Plus, what to do instead.

Still baking for the holidays? Then, read this!

Use it when washing dishes by hand or in the dishwasher.

It actually goes against what a lot of our staffers do.

The woman has some serious standards!

You'll be mad you didn't know this sooner.

Sometimes these one-handed wonders can work a little too well — particularly on polished and easily scratched areas.

Here's why.

It seems like taking a hard stone to a metal surface would be a bad idea ...

Here's what we could find out about the hack.

Keep these things in mind this Thanksgiving.