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Quick, smart solutions for everyday messes.
Pick up a bit of the paste on a damp sponge or cloth, then scrub the gunk off in small sections. This also works really well on cabinets, backsplashes, and stainless steel! From My Life As I Pin It.
Cream of tartar is a common baking ingredient you should be able to find at your local store, but if you need some it's on Amazon for $7.49.
I've had success doing this on my vent hood and stovetop, after I've cooked a few too many pans of easy frozen potstickers! Once the grimy buildup is gone, it's probably best to wash the oil off, too: dish soap works really well. Mineral oil's another very common item, but you can get it on Amazon if you need to for $7.99.
Oh, and you can also substitute almost any oil for this, including cooking and olive oil, but if you don't completely clean those oils off, they may go rancid (and make your kitchen smell). From One Good Thing By Jillee.
A box of 240 dryer sheets is $7.49 (or $7.12 with the subscribe and save option) from Amazon.
Then just vacuum up the clumps. From Thrifty and Chic.
If you don't have a squeegee lying around already (perhaps hoping to be used in your shower), you can get one on Amazon for $10.99. Or if you have a bunch of carpet you'd like to de-hair-ify, you can get a squeegee broom on Amazon for $12.98.
No scrubbing required. Just leave it anywhere from a couple of hours to overnight, pull it off, and ta-da! You'll have a Pinterest-worthy before-and-after.
To get the bubbles, add a dash of baking soda; I've had it work well with both straight vinegar and the combo. Some people swear the bubbling reaction's essential for loosening up particles; others note that, once the reaction's over and the bubbles stop, at least some of the vinegar will just be water with a bit of salt; I say, follow your heart.
Read more on The Kitchn.
A nine-pack of Extra Durable Magic Erasers is $6.97 from Amazon.
This pack of 20 is $9.97 from Amazon. Some reviewers swear they're exactly the same (if not better), but others say they disintegrate faster than the name-brand version.
Skip the detergent and the heat-dry cycle, especially if your vents are plastic. From Design Dazzle.
From My Homemade Happiness.
You can get a big Dawn refill (you'll use it all eventually!) for $23.99 and box of ten Heavy Duty Magic Erasers for $12.10, both on Amazon.
This stuff's a gel that clings to the wall for a bit so it can work to dissolve the stain. All you have to do is spray, walk away for anywhere between 20 minutes and an hour or two, and wipe or rinse it away. Get a bottle on Amazon for $4.98.
It may take some elbow grease, but it will actually work! Go to town on stainless steel pans, enameled cast-iron pans, and the *outside* of your non-stick pans. Just NEVER use on any nonstick surfaces. From The Kitchn.
A two-pack of Bar Keeper's Friend powder cleanser is $9.99 from Amazon.
Find out which other techniques work to remove crayons (and which ones don't!) on What's up, Fagans?
If your Windex supply's running low, get a bottle from Amazon for $2.94.
And wear gloves and a long-sleeved shirt to protect yourself. Read more on Family Handyman to find out the best (and safest!) ways to tackle mold all around your house.
And remember, never combine ammonia or any product containing ammonia with bleach — it creates a toxic gas.
Get supplies on Amazon: a mold gel cleaner for $13.99 (or two for $25.99), a deep clean brush set for $10.90, and a pair of latex-free protective gloves for $6.55+ (available in sizes S–L).
I've done this more than once, and it totally works! If they're heavily stained, you can also use a more intense mineral cleaner; from Two Twenty One, who uses CLR (Calcium, Lime, Rust) Cleaner.
Get two 28-oz bottles of CLR on Amazon for $17.95.
Sprinkle in the baking soda first, then dab the hydrogen peroxide on a sponge and scrub away. The baking soda will help bust up stuck grime, while the peroxide will act like a bleach to make the surface extra bright. From Lemons Lavender and Laundry.
In retail, rubbing metal racks down with wax paper mades hangers glide smoothly, at least according to Reddit. So the the same concept should apply to your shower curtain. From Apartment Therapy.
I've done this with my stainless for years, and it still works like a charm. Just clean off any big pieces of gunk first. From The DIY Girl.
If you need to restock, get three cans of classic Pledge from Amazon for $13.44. Or try Pledge Multi Surface (a cleaner and disinfectant) for $4.48 from Amazon.
From This Old House and Simplify 101.
I just tried it literally for this post, after reading about it in Handyman Magazine. And even though my window wasn't even so dirty, I was able to pick up a bunch of grime! You'd get even more if you frequently had your window or your screen door open in your kitchen.
Get a pack of five 95-sheet lint rollers on Amazon for $23.99 (that's 475 sheets total).
I do this, and, y'all, it is soooo satisfying. From Creekline House.
You can totally re-use that single bottle you're almost done with, of course! The goal = to waste less plastic AND save money.
Get two gallons of Simple Green concentrate for $25.93 (available in two scents) or a 1/2 gallon of Mrs. Meyers Clean Day concentrate (in the lavender scent) for $17.76. Or, for a plastic-free option, get Ethique's solid Kitchen Spray or Bathroom Spray concentrates for $9.49 each (I recently tried the kitchen spray — it's works really well, and was easy to mix up!).
If you don't have spray bottles you can reuse, get a set of four from Amazon for $10.97.