Do you often look at your kitchen after a busy week, and every corner feels completely overwhelming. There’s a greasy film on the stovetop, a mysterious crust on the counter, and a weird smell coming from somewhere near the fridge. Before you run out and spend a small fortune on harsh, chemical-laden cleaning products that make your eyes water, look inside your pantry first. You likely already own the most powerful degreasers, scrubbers, and deodorizers on the planet.With just six basic kitchen staples, you can deep-clean your entire space from top to bottom without breaking a sweat or burning your pockets.White VinegarIf your stovetop or microwave looks like a disaster zone, white vinegar is your secret weapon. It is highly acidic, which means it cuts through stubborn grease and cuts down mineral buildup effortlessly. Mix equal parts vinegar and warm water in an old spray bottle, spritz it generously over your greasy range hood or sticky countertops, let it sit for five minutes, and wipe it away. The strong salad-like smell completely disappears within fifteen minutes, taking all the bad kitchen odors with it.Baking SodaFor the stuff that vinegar can’t melt away—like burnt-on food at the bottom of a pot or dried-on spills inside the oven—you need baking soda. It is a mild alkali, which makes it perfect for breaking down organic grease, and its fine crystals provide just enough abrasive grit to scrub away crust without scratching your stainless steel or porcelain. Sprinkle it directly onto a damp sink, add a splash of water to form a thick paste, and use a sponge to buff your sink back to a mirror-like shine.Fresh LemonsLemons are nature’s deodorizer and disinfectant rolled into one. The citric acid inside a lemon kills household bacteria, bleaches out stubborn stains, and leaves everything smelling incredibly fresh. If your wooden cutting boards are looking dingy and smelling like old garlic, cut a lemon in half, dip the raw side in coarse salt, and scrub the board vigorously. You can also toss the leftover lemon rinds right down the garbage disposal to completely eliminate that rotten sink smell.Dish SoapWhile it’s meant for plates, a bottle of blue Dawn dish soap is actually one of the best heavy-duty cleaners for your walls and cabinets. Kitchen grease floats through the air and settles on top of your upper cabinets, turning into a sticky dust-magnet. A few drops of dish soap mixed into a bucket of hot water creates a sudsy mix that binds to oil molecules and lifts them right off painted wood and tile backsplashes without stripping the paint.Hydrogen PeroxideThat dark, greasy gunk trapped in the grout lines between your kitchen tiles is notoriously hard to clean. Instead of scrubbing until your arms ache, grab a bottle of hydrogen peroxide from your medicine cabinet. It’s a completely non-toxic oxidizing agent (basically a safe form of oxygen bleach). Pour it directly onto the stained grout, let it bubble and fizz for ten minutes to lift the dirt out of the porous cement, and give it a quick wipe.Coarse Kosher SaltNever use soap on a seasoned cast-iron skillet, but don’t leave it crusty either. Coarse kosher salt is the ultimate dry abrasive for heavy-duty cookware. If you have stuck-on bits of meat or charred veggies at the bottom of your pan, pour in a quarter-cup of coarse salt while the pan is still warm. Use a folded paper towel to scrub the salt around like sandpaper. It will scrape off every single piece of burnt food without ruining the non-stick black seasoning you’ve built up over the years.
