Let all that you do be done in love.
1 Corinthians 16:14 ESV
As soon as the stove has cooled enough to touch (but isn't so cool that the spill has hardened), wipe away the mess.
Cover dried-on spills with a wet, soapy dish cloth and let it sit while you tackle another cleaning challenge. Use the cloth to wipe up the softened spill.
For stubborn, neglected messes, make a paste of three parts baking soda to one part water. Apply to the spill, leave on for 10 minutes, and wipe away with a damp paper towel.
As soon as the last burger comes off the grill, brush down the rack with a stiff, long-handled brush and close the lid. The dying coals will continue to burn off anything that remains on the grill, and it will be well seasoned for next time. If you have a gas grill, leave the heat on for a few minutes after brushing. If you brush the rack down after every use when it is still hot, there's no need to remove it for cleaning.
Cream sauces, custards, and other cooked-milk mixtures nearly always adhere to pans. To fix this problem, fill the pot with warm water and add several tablespoons of baking soda. Bring to a boil and let boil until the scorched milk loosens and floats to the surface.
For liquids such as pickle juice and milk, simply place a microfiber cloth on the spill and wipe it up. Even better, the microfibers are slightly abrasive, so if the jam jar has left a ring on the refrigerator shelf, wet the cloth with warm water and gently scrub the jam away. To get rid of meat and poultry juices, use paper towels soaked with a diluted solution of bleach and water, since juices from meats can carry bacterial contaminants that can remain trapped in cloth dish towels and microfiber towels.
Tomato sauce and other acidic foods leave stains on plastic that even the dishwasher won't remove. Set those plastic pieces out in the sun to naturally bleach the stains away. (Rub lemon juice on especially stubborn spots first. Baking soda also works well in bleaching color out of plastic, and it helps get rid of strong odors.) A great way to prevent stains is to spray with PAM first and then put the food in.
Let the oil cool completely, then empty it into a plastic container with a lid, such as an empty margarine or cottage-cheese tub. Cover and put in the trash. Never dump fat down the drain, since it can cause clogs. Plus, liquid and solid fats don't break down easily, an issue if you have a septic system.
To make grater cleanup a breeze, spritz with nonstick cooking spray before grating cheese and the residue will wipe right off.
To clean a stained porcelain dish or sink, fill it with warm water, drop in some denture-cleaning tablets, and watch the stains dissolve like magic.
I don't know about you, but I love foaming hand soap. However, I hate the price! It is such a convient product. Especially when you have an active two year old boy in your house. So I had to figure out how to make your own. I have been doing this for over a year now and I still have some left under the cabinet!
Start with an empty foaming hand wash pump and Goo Gone to get the label off.
{Mix one part of liquid hand soap with 5-6 parts water}
To avoid a household of unwanted guests who come looking for food and water, make a nontoxic, homemade repellent.
Pour equal amounts of water and white vinegar into a spray bottle, and shake to mix. Then spritz the solution in water-resistant areas where ants are common, such as kitchen floors or the crevices in painted baseboards from which the pests often enter. You can also use the repellent outside, spraying patios, porches, and picnic tables before family and friends gather.