Smart Cleaning Tips for Moms

Life as a mom is a balancing act. You need to feed the kids, you need to pay the bills and you still need to clean the house.

Well, instead of cleaning harder, try cleaning smarter. Check out these five smart cleaning tips any mom will appreciate!

1. How to Clean Your Microwave Without Using Chemicals

If you’re looking for a simple solution to clean your dirty microwave, but you’d prefer not to use chemicals, look no further. You’ll need two lemons, a bowl of water, and a dash of white vinegar for this cleaning solution.

Follow these steps to clean your microwave successfully:

1. Slice your lemons thinly and add them to your bowl. Add water and four tablespoons of vinegar.
2. Microwave the concoction for five to ten minutes.
3. Allow the bowl to sit for an additional five minutes so the heat can stay within.
4. When you open the microwave, remove the bowl carefully because it will be hot.
5. Take a damp cloth to remove all food debris.

When you follow this process, all stains within your microwave should wipe away easily.

2. How to Remove Sharpie Stains

You know you’re a mom when you’re Googling solutions on how to remove sharpie stains from your wall. Thankfully there are numerous household products you likely have on hand that can clean sharpie stains. Some of those items include the following:

• Distilled White Vinegar: Vinegar works excellent in removing sharpie stains from most fabrics. Start with a tablespoon of vinegar, a tablespoon of dish soap, and mix them with two cups of water. This cleaning solution should lift the sharpie from any stained fabric or material.
• Baking Soda: Consider baking soda your household “go-to” whenever your kid makes a mess around the house. Baking soda is remarkably powerful in lifting stains from fabric and material.
• Rubbing Alcohol: Use this product for stain removal on harder surfaces like countertops or leather.
• Hand Sanitizer: If you’re on the go and you don’t have any of your other household products, you can use hand sanitizer to work stains out of cloth.
• Toothpaste: Mix toothpaste with baking soda and apply it directly onto the stained surface for sharpie stains on your walls.

The crucial steps in successful stain removal are identifying where the stain is and gathering the necessary supplies to clean the surface.

3. How to Clean Baking Sheets

If your baking sheets have seen better days, try this smart tip to clean them. All you need to dislodge the grime that builds up on all baking sheets is hydrogen peroxide and baking soda.

Start by sprinkling the sheet with baking soda, then cover it with hydrogen peroxide. Let the sheet sit for up to two hours. Then wipe it down with a wet sponge to reveal a clean sheet that’s ready for a new season of baking!

4. How to Clean Your Showerhead

It might be time to clean your showerhead if you notice your water pressure is on the fritz. The shower holes often get clogged with mineral deposits, causing pressure problems. It doesn’t hurt to clean your showerhead once a quarter to eliminate the bacteria growing in the nozzle. The wet mineral deposits are the ideal breeding ground for mycobacterium, a type of bacteria that could cause respiratory illness.

While it’s unlikely you’ll get sick from the bacteria growing in your shower, it’s still an unsettling thought. Follow these steps to clean your showerhead quickly:

1. Grab a rubber band and loop it twice around your shower head neck.
2. Fill a plastic bag with distilled white vinegar and secure it over the showerhead. Fasten it securely with the rubber band.
3. Wait for one to two hours, then remove your bag and flush the shower with warm water.
4. Polish your shower head with a wet sponge or cloth.

If you feel like your shower head requires a deeper clean, try this approach:

1. With a wrench, unscrew the nut at the neck of the showerhead to remove it for cleaning.
2. Rinse it with warm water in a faucet to clear it of any debris.
3. Use a toothbrush and vinegar to clean the surface further. You can also poke the individual holes with toothpicks if any of them appear blocked.
4. Soak the parts in vinegar overnight.
5. Rinse the parts and reattach the following morning.

You’ll find one of these methods will clean out your shower head successfully. Then you can bask in that twenty-minute shower you deserve.

5. How to Clean a Scorched Pan

If you ever get distracted while cooking dinner, perhaps because you experience a sudden kid meltdown, you might end up with a scorched pan. Don’t throw out the dish quite yet–there are innovative ways to clean your scorched pans. Try this out first:

1. Start by rinsing your dirty pan with hot water.
2. Sprinkle two tablespoons of baking soda over the messy pan.
3. Add three teaspoons of hot water to your dish and start scrubbing with a ball of crumpled tin foil.
4. Continue to wash until the debris has been removed.

Likely this method will remove the scorched marks in one go. If you find it doesn’t, add more baking soda and water and try scrubbing for longer.

Clean Smarter, Not Harder

With these five smart cleaning tips, you’ll be able to clean smarter, not harder, at home. Free up time to enjoy with your family and a little time for you, mama!