Hey guys! I hope you have all been having a great week! Hopefully, your kitchen cabinet organizing has been going well. I have been working for the past couple of days so I have only been able to do a couple of cabinets per day but should get through the rest of them over the weekend {or next week at the latest! :)}
I just have a quick task for you today. We are going to be learning how to clean the microwave and garbage disposal easily using natural cleaners! All you need is a lemon or two, a microfiber cloth, and a few minutes!
Fill a microwave safe bowl with about a cup of water and squeeze in the juice of one lemon. Place in your microwave on high for 5-10 minutes. Once it is done, give it an extra little spritz of water and wipe it down with your microfiber cloth {starting on the top} to remove all of that baked on grime. If there is an area that needs a little extra scrub try giving it a squirt with vinegar or rub a little baking soda mixed with water on it {I rarely need to do this}.
Wash and replace the glass tray and wipe down the outside of the microwave. I then usually take the bowl with the lemon juice, add the lemon rind, and place it back in the microwave for another minute. It gives it a nice fresh smell once all of that grime is out of there!
Now to clean the garbage disposal.
- Toss a few ice cubes down the drain and add about a cup of vinegar. {You could also freeze the vinegar in ice cube trays for this if you really wanted!}
- Run cold water down the drain and turn on your garburator for about 20 seconds. This will help to sharpen up the blades and break up any grease build up.
- Now take the lemon juice and rinds from the microwave, dump them down the garburator and let it run for 20-30 seconds with cold water.
- If you have really stubborn odors, pour baking soda into the drain and let it set for a few hours before running the water and garbage disposal.
- Repeat monthly.
A clean garburator will give you cleaner dishes in the dishwasher as well so make sure you clear it out before you run a load of dishes!
Once you are done, have a nice glass of lemon water! Or make some cute lemon ice cubes to enjoy for later.
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This post is part of The Household Organization Diet. If you need some organization inspiration, check out THIS POST to learn more about the plan and THIS POST for all of the 2015 updates. You CAN get that house cleaned and organized once and for all! To see all of the previous posts click the Get Organized tab at the top of the blog and go to The Household Organization Diet. I also have all of the posts pinned to my Household Organization Diet pinterest board. Start at any time and make sure you are following along so you don’t miss out…
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For more kitchen cleaning and organization ideas, check out these posts…
How to Organize Kitchen Cabinets
How to Clean a Glass Top Stove
How to Clean and Organize the Kitchen
Will be doing this:)
Well I didn’t know about the Home Organization Diet until now. Love the tips! I’m going to do this with my microwave today. And I’m going to make the lemon ice cubes, too. 🙂
I am glad I do not have one of those garburators. Thanks for the tip on the microwave though. I haven’t had time for the cabinets yet, but I only have 5, so it’s not that bad.
Love those lemon ice cubes! I clean my microwave using vinegar instead of lemon juice. Either way it’s a nice steam bath to get rid of the grime in there.
I actually did vinegar and water in the microwave yesterday :). Works really well but of course you don’t get that wonderful lemon smell. Have gotten so much done! I cleared 3 cabinets and 5 drawers already. My spice/baking cabinet is wonderful. Even hubby commented on it. I am enjoying this so much. Have a few friends that I shared all this with and they joined up on the email list.
Hi Jenn, When you first posted about cleaning the garburator, I thought that it must be the garbage disposal, but googled it to make sure. And being the alert person that I am, I also thought, “I bet she’s Canadian.” So I had to go to the about section to make sure. I’m enjoying your series, and enjoyed getting to know a bit more about you today. I love your little guy’s grin! Thanks for sharing!
Marilyn in Southern California
(By the way, when I tried to preview this, most of my comments are behind my photo, and not readable. This is not a problem just with your blog, but I’ve noticed it on several others. Maybe a Blogger problem?
Shiny bright microwave, will be doing this on a regular basis! Thanks so much for all the inspiration, am loving it!
Loving the Organization Diet so far! I had to call a plumber once because I put lemon rinds down the garbage disposal. He said it’s a problem he sees all the time cause the rinds get caught in the pipes, so make sure you don’t put too much down there!
done! thanks for the inspiration and instructions!
Hmmm…interesting about your plumber issues with the lemon rinds Tolman Family. Thanks for the info. I have been using them for over 10 years with no problems. Maybe there was something in there as well that caused the issue? Remember to use cold water with the garburator so all of the grease and fat gets solidified and chomped up by the garburator rather than being pushed down the drain by the hot water where it laters solidifies and can do damage.
Thanks for all your great tips! I’m loving all the organization and cleaning help!
Love this post and the ideas! Going to try this on our microwave!! 🙂 Claire
Thanks so much for this tutorial. I’ll be trying it this week!
Such good ideas! THank you so much for inspiring me to clean and organize my kitchen!!
Jaime
I’ve been wondering how to clean my “garburator.” Heehee. I truly have, but the name just makes this American giggle. Reminds me of Robin on How I Met Your Mother. 🙂
That’s so funny! I had no idea that it was just a Canadian term until I wrote this post!
Funny. I’m a Californian and I didn’t think twice about garburator . I thought you made up the name.
lol! Nope. It’s a real name! 😉
Great article! Thank you for sharing. I use vanilla extract and water instead of lemons.After using them the whole kitchen smells fantastic. I am so proud with this method. My mother taught me. Greetings!
That sounds like it would smell wonderful!