We all know the age-old adage, "work smarter, not harder," with the savviest homeowners and renters putting this principle into practice throughout their spaces. Whether decorating, renovating, or cleaning, we encourage finding ways to make the most mundane tasks easier. Instagram user @ericamuellerhome recently shared a handy kitchen cleaning hack that certainly falls into this category of clever home maintenance. All you need for it is a dishwasher pod, hot water, and a washcloth.
Erica walks us through their process of efficiently cleaning their kitchen surfaces and kitchen sink in one fell swoop. First, fill up your kitchen sink with hot water and toss in a dishwasher pod. As the pod breaks down and begins to clean your sink, dunk a washcloth in the water and use it to wipe down your cabinets, appliances, baseboards, and countertops along with any other kitchen surfaces that might need some TLC.
Video of the Day
Video of the Day
"The dishwasher pod cuts grease, cuts dirt, and looks amazing," says Erica in the video. Once you've drained the sink, give the surface a final scrub with the washcloth and rinse, and you're good go! Erica tells us that they run through this routine about once a week, and that it typically takes just 20 minutes for everything to look spick and span. "Anything to make life easier!" says Erica.
Fellow smart cleaning lovers have sounded off in the comments of Erica's post to share their own hacks. "I drop a dishwasher pod into a pan or dish that has baked on food. Fill the pan with hot water to soak, drop in the pod, and in a few minutes, the baked on burnt food wipes away!" says @kdsegerstrom.
"I use a pod and some good smelling fabric softener with my O-Cedar mop and my floors have never been so clean or streak free!" user @paulamirth contributes. Another user, @islandnance, adds a creative way that they clean their toilet bowls: "I put false teeth tablets (i.e. Polident) in the toilet bowl or tank every so often to freshen it up."
Some commenters jumped right into trying out Erica's hack and were already seeing encouraging results. "Literally doing this right now because if I keep scrolling, I'll forget!" says @dontpinchmysackk. "It already smells amazing in my kitchen."