CLEANUP & MESS PREVENTION TIPS

When your glass coffee carafe is in need of cleaning, place several ice cubes in the pot with some salt and "swish" around for a minute or so -- works like magic to remove any coffee stains.

Clean your dishes, porcelain sink and dish rag at the same time by adding 1/4 cup of bleach to a sink full of hot water. After rinsing your dishes extra well, leave the water and rag in the sink. In about an hour, your sink is sparkling clean and you have a germ free rag. Don't forget to wear rubber gloves.

No mess buttered bowls! Instead of dealing with greasy fingers or wasting wax or paper towels, next time you finish a stick of butter -- don't throw the paper away.

Before storing fine china, place a coffee filter between each plate, bowl etc. Napkins also work well.

Instead of using harsh commercial cleaners to clean your copper pots and pans, use salt and vinegar with a soft rag for an eco-friendly alternative. Some old methods are still the best and more cost effective. paper.

Wipe counter top with bleach after cooking. Keeps flies away.

To aviod an extremely bad situation, always make sure to keep the pot on the stove's handle in. This prevents walking by and hitting in, therefore spilling.

Use a ball of aluminim foil to clean your grill. Make a ball as big as your fist and just rub away grease and grime.

To get rid of leftover glue from the stickers kids stick to the refrigerator, put some peanut butter on a cloth and rub the glue off. Amazing how this works.

When you have a spoonful or so of vegetables, like beans, peas, corn, rice, etc., leftover after a meal, put in a freezer container or bag in freezer. Use it to make vegetable soup.

When your kitchen sponges get all cruddy put them in the dishwasher( top shelf ), They will come out like new.

When I wash vegetables (especially leafy spinach or swiss chard) or fruit, I fill the kitchen sink with cold water and add baking soda. I move the vegetables around in the water and then let them soak for about 3 minutes. Then rinse. This procedure has all the dirt sink to the bottom, then rinse again and all is ready to use. Fruit will look much brighter.

Have a good pair of latex or rubber gloves that you use ONLY for this purpose. When doing any thing messey, food related, slip on your gloves, when done, wash your gloved hands with soap and hot water. Hang to dry. Keep close, you'll use them more and more.

Don't even try to make an angel food cake in the microwave. What a mess!