If you’re a follower of Pinterest, a certain shower cleaner recipe has been all the rage lately. I’m not always a big fan of homemade remedies, because sometimes they don’t quite seem to work, but it got me to thinking about which homemade cleaning shortcuts I do like (and the shower cleaner is one of them :)).
- Homemade shower cleaner – This is the best recipe I have come across for quickly cleaning your shower – heat up 8 oz of white distilled vinegar in the microwave until really hot, then mix in 8 oz of Dawn original dish detergent. Use in a spray bottle, and you will have an incredible soap scum remover. I used to hate cleaning the bathroom not because of the toilet, but because I could never get the tiles perfectly clean, but this stuff really works. The vinegar also acts as a disinfectant.
- For caked-on food from an over-boiled pot – There have been times when I forgot to watch my pot of heated milk when I make homemade yogurt, and the result is a dark mass on the bottom that is really hard to scrub off, even with soaking. The solution? Fill the pot with hot water, pour in 1-2 Tbsp. baking soda, and bring to a boil. The caked on food should come off immediately.
- For greasy dishes or pans – Washing greasy dishes is no fun. Sometimes the film never seems to come off. I read once, though, in a homeschooling science book, that if you rub dish soap into the grease first until it gets nice and creamy looking (and you don’t need much dish soap to do this) it comes off easily after that. It truly works, and now I can stare down any greasy pot and not flinch.
- Cleaning stove grates – in our last apartment, we were blessed with a new stove range, but unfortunately, those pretty little bisque-colored grates quickly became mottled with baked on grease and grim spots, despite how much I scrubbed. I finally tried a tip my sister suggested – remove the grates and spray with ammonia, and put them in a sealed plastic bag (you can use gallon-sized ziplocs, or just do what I did and put them
I don’t have a microwave. Can I heat the vinegar (you said white distilled, so I thought it must be vinegar) on the stove?
I just re-read my post and found a couple of typos – thanks for mentioning that to me ;). I would think that you could heat the vinegar on the stovetop – it only needs to get hot, not boiling.