I have mentioned this tip a year ago or so under the easy DIY bathroom cleaners post. I thought it was worth mentioning again though because I am in the process of a nice deep clean in the kitchen this week!
This was partly due to the fact that my wonderful husband went through a few packages of chicken I bought and put them into individual servings to stick in the freezer. He left all the extra chicken wrapping and trays in the trash and when I came home to our lovely sunny kitchen (on a nice warm day)…. well you can imagine how pleasant that smells.
So I thought I’d do a good scrub down of the kitchen and wanted to remind you how easy it is to freshen a sink and also clear up any gross clogging issues you might have.
This works 99% of the time for me in both the kitchen and the bathroom and is a very inexpensive and non toxic solution.
I like to do this in the kitchen sink about once a week to keep things nice and fresh and smelling good.
All you need is:
- 1 cup baking soda
- 1/2 cup vinegar
And get a plate out to cover up right away.
So you simply pour the baking soda down the drain and then dump the vinegar on top. It fizzes a little so grab your plate and put it on top of the drain right away.
Next just leave it alone for a bit- 20-30 minutes and then remove the plate and run hot water (make sure it is hot) for about 2 minutes.
And that is all there is to it!
A nice fresh and clean sink. If you want extra credit you can also put your lemon or other citrus rinds down the drain. I drink lemon water daily so I run those down the garbage disposal too.
And you want to check out more easy and nontoxic cleaners here.
Does anyone else have easy cleaning tips they want to share? I know I love shortcuts!
Stay tuned because I will be posting a few other easy tips to get that kitchen looking amazing tomorrow!
AHHH. I so need this right now. My sink and tub are clogged and i’ve used everything but they only work for a short period of time. Also, i’ve heard a lot about drinking lemon water daily recently. I tried it and it was disgusting. What are the benefits and how do you drink it?
6 weeks ago I finally ran out of my method spray cleaner. I have been using the 50/50 vinegar water mixture and just love it. I personally LOVE the smell of vinegar. I know, I’m unique;). My hubby is happy it’s so cheap. One thing that I will caution people about with septic tanks, be careful about using a lot of vinegar being put into your sytem. It will kill the good bacteria and may cause problems w/ your system. I don’t use it in my drains. Just a little bit of info. Thanks for all of your tips:)!
Melissa I really like the smell of vinegar too 🙂
Ashley why did you think it was disgusting? Mine has a very subtle flavor- hardly noticeable.
This should help:
http://myfrugaladventures.com/2013/03/quick-morning-pick-me-up/
You mention using this in the kitchen sink; could it also be used in the bathtub drain?
Julie yes absolutely. In fact the first sentance of the post is a link to the DIY bathroom cleaners post. You can find all sorts of simple cleaner recipes for the bathroom there.
i would suggest dumping the baking soda and vinegar down the drain.
THEN cover the drain with a cup or saucer for the 20-30 minutes. somehow that makes it more effective. and i’ve mostly read that it is best to then dump boiling water down the drain from a few feet above.
i have down this a few times with good results.
i need to do more on a regular basis to keep the drains free.
Cathy,
That is what I said in the post 🙂
Sorry, Charlene. I need to read more closely.
Thanks for all of the great advice!