The Truth About Sponges

I’ve heard all sorts of tips on when to throw away sponges. From don’t use them at all, to toss them in the micro to kill off bacteria. I happen to be a fan of sponges and use them for all types of cleaning. That’s one of the reasons I was so excited to find this tip from the Unclutterers blog:

In our household, we discovered a trick: the Good Clean sponge [for dishes] is used as-is, straight out of the package. When it gets downgraded to the Wiping Sponge [for kitchen counters and the table], we cut one of the corners off. When the sponge gets downgraded again to a Skunging Sponge [the dregs of cleaning], we cut another corner off. This way, each sponge is easily identifiable by its shape. People who have more than 3 life cycles for their sponges could adapt this by cutting off additional corners as the sponge continues to move down the ranks.

Thank you Kathryn for that wonderful solution!

Ultimate Kitchen Cleaning Tips

Robbie’s Kitchen has come up with what I consider the Ultimate cleaning tip list for your kitchen. With over 100 different tips, you’ll be amazed at what you will find. I am particularly interested in asking my Chimney sweep if a handful of salt really will help keep the chimney clean! Here is a small sample of the many, many tips you can find at Robbie’s Kitchen.

Candle Wax: To remove wax from carpeting or other fabric, first scrape away any excess. Then, place a brown paper bag over the wax and run a warm iron over the bag. The wax will melt right into the bag! Continue moving the bag around as you pick up the wax so you are always using a clean section. If a little grease stain remains on carpet, sprinkle with baking soda and allow to sit overnight before vacuuming, which will remove the grease residue. If colored wax leaves a stain on carpet, blot with spot remover or carpet cleaner, following label directions.

Cast Iron Pans: To gently and effectively clean your cast iron skillets after most uses, wipe out excess food with a dry paper towel, then sprinkle salt inside the pan. Wipe clean with a clean, dry paper towel. The salt acts as an abrasive to scratch off any stuck-on particles of food without using soap and water, which can remove your seasoning. For stubborn stuck-on food, use a putty knife to scrape it off. You may, however, need to reseason the pan after doing this.

Small Gadgets = Big Savings

Sometimes you have to spend money to save money. Linsey Knerl from WiseBread.com shares information on 4 Kitchen Gadgets that will save the pennies in your pocketbook. She then goes into detail on how you can save even more when using these gadgets:

Number One: The bread machine

Buy supplies in bulk. Get the largest flour bag and yeast package you can find. (Check your warehouse stores for deals.)

Package your mixes ahead of time. My mom and I had a marathon event of packaging up do-ahead baggies with all the dry ingredients. We even used up all of those dried potato flakes I had hanging around.

Plan bread making into your week. It takes no time at all the dump in the ingredients and push the button. You just have to plan for it. Most bread machines have a delay option to bake while you are at work. Use this to have a nice hot loaf waiting when you get home, and plan a meal around it!