You clean regularly, but spring is a good time to roll up your sleeves and really dive into the grime that builds up in the kitchen. We’ve found some surprising tips and hacks to get your kitchen shining like a diamond.

1. Clean your oven easily without all the chemicals

You’ll need:

• 2 cups baking soda
• 2 tbsp dish soap
• Water
• Scour Pad
• Damp rag
• Dry microfiber cloth

Mix the baking soda and dish soap together, then stir in water slowly until you get a runny paste. Wearing rubber gloves, rub paste onto inside of oven and door. Leave oven door open and let sit for 15 minutes. Go have a coffee.

After letting it sit, wet the scour pad and scrub your little heart out, concentrating on trouble spots (it won’t take as long as you think, we promise). Once you’re done scrubbing, collect as much of the paste as you can and wash it down the sink, then use the damp rag to get the rest. This last step might take a few rinses of the cloth before it all comes off. Polish the baking soda film off with the dry cloth.

2. Take your oven racks to the spa

You can’t have a clean oven with dirty racks, so to get them up to snuff, soak them in the tub overnight with 1/2 cup of dish soap and 6 dryer sheets (yes, we said dryer sheets). Once they’re done soaking, rub off the dirt with the dryer sheets, then rinse them well under warm water.

3. Don’t forget that other oven

The microwave can quickly get covered with caked-on crud. Instead of the tedious spray-and-scrub-spray-and-scrub routine, put a handful of wet paper towels inside and run it on high for 3-5 minutes. The steam from the towels will soften the grime and save you a lot of elbow grease. Wait for the paper towels to cool down then use them to wipe down the interior (or put on your rubber gloves if you don’t have time to wait).

4. Clear up that coffee pot

Nothing like that brown film inside your coffeemaker to put you off your morning cup of joe. For a quick and natural clean, fill the empty jug a quarter full of ice, add the juice from half a lemon and 2 tbsp of salt. Swirl the mixture in the jug for 2 minutes, then rinse out with warm water. Voila! No scrubbing required.

5. Blast the grime off of your range hood

Ever tried to wipe off that layer of greasy fudge on top of your stove’s hood with a damp cloth? Doesn’t work too well, does it? That’s because it’s mostly made of cooled oil, which doesn’t mix with water. (Hello, elementary school science class!) The best way to loosen it up is with heat. Grab your hair dryer from the bathroom, put it on the hottest setting and give it a Brazilian blow out for about 30 seconds. Then wipe it down right away with a warm, soapy cloth. Lustrous!

6. Treat your wood cabinets right

Photo by wu yi on Unsplash

Wood cabinets add warmth to your kitchen decor, but wooden surfaces can lock in bacteria that is tough to get out, and harsh chemical cleaners can damage their finish. Baking soda is a great alternative for cleaning wood: mix 1/2 cup baking soda with a litre of warm water and use a clean sponge to rub it on the wood surface. Rinse with damp cloth, blot with a clean towel and allow to air dry completely.

If the finish is looking dull, use boiled linseed or vegetable oil with fine steel wool to rub it in. To seal it, add another coat of oil 24 hours later, wiping off the excess between each application.

7. Ugh. The fridge.

Cleaning out the fridge is a big job, but it’s worth it. Obviously, the first thing you need to do to tackle the fridge is to clear out any old food. But wait! Just because it’s past the “best before” date doesn’t mean that it’s not still good. The best before date isn’t the same as the expiration date–it’s just the date recommended by the manufacturer when the product should be consumed for the best quality. There are other food safety guidelines to keep in mind (read more here), but as long as it smells, looks and tastes normal, eating food that’s a little past the best before date might only affect the taste and quality and likely won’t hurt you.

Now that your fridge is cleared out, you might as well roll up your sleeves and really get in there. Unplug it, clear out the rest of your food and take out the shelves and bins. Fill a bathtub with six to eight inches of water and add a small box of baking soda. Soak the shelves and bins for about 15 minutes; rinse and dry.

Use a non-toxic cleaner or natural solution of 2 tbsp of baking soda in 1 litre of warm water and wipe out interior. Clean small crevices in the door seals with a pointed-tip cotton swab dampened with warm soapy water. Dry with a towel.

Phew. *wipes brow* Before you put away your food, check out this comprehensive guide on how to best store all of your groceries.

Do you have any surprising kitchen cleaning tricks? Share with us in the comments!