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Today I have a great guest post from BrightNest. BrightNest is devoted to inspiring and empowering you to take great care of your home. From basic maintenance tasks to fun cleaning tricks, we deliver everything you need to shape up your home and simplify your life.
No two kitchens are created equal. Some are used every night, while others are only used on special occasions. Some are small. Some have islands. And some kitchens are the pride and joy of the homeowner. All kitchens have one thing in common, though: They have hidden potential!
Take a page out of the pros’ book and try these tricks. Not only will they make you a better cook (maybe… no promises), some of them will save you money, too!
Unlock your kitchen’s hidden potential with these five tips:
1. The Fridge Trick
If your refrigerator’s coils are along the back of the unit, scoot your fridge forward two inches. Most people ram their fridge as close to the wall as possible to eke out some extra floor space, but those extra inches aren’t worth it. By giving your refrigerator coils some breathing room, you’ll reduce your fridge’s energy usage by as much as 40 percent!
2. The Pots and Pans Trick
Place a dryer sheet in the bottom of the pot or pan, fill it with warm water and leave it overnight. Come morning, that apocalyptic magma stuff that was stuck to the bottom will come right off. Just rinse everything with dish soap to remove any remaining residue from the dryer sheet.
3. The Stovetop Trick
If you get distracted while you’re prepping water for your pasta, it can boil over pretty fast. To avoid that, try this: Place a long wooden spoon across the top of the pot. The spoon will pop the rising water bubbles and absorb some of the heat.
4. The Cutting Board Trick
Even the most accomplished chefs can have an accident if their cutting board goes mobile while they’re chopping. Do your fingers a favor – use this trick to anchor your board: Wrap a rubber band around each end. That’s it! Your cutting board will stay in place.
5. The Freezer Trick
The average temperature of a freezer is 0-5 degrees F! So while it’s always nice to have ice water in the heat of summer, think about how hard your freezer works to make it. Use this trick to lighten the load: Freeze a few 1-gallon jugs of water and leave them in your freezer. This makes it easier for your freezer to keep a consistently low temperature, which saves energy and increases your fridge’s longevity!
BrightNest is a free site that provides tools and tips to homeowners to help them save money, get organized and keep their homes in great shape. Sign up for a free BrightNest account today!
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Dianne Hughes Says...
I have used the dryer sheet in the pot ever since I first read about it. I like to cook my barbeque ribs in a large pot on the stove top, and the sauce kind of carmelizes….makes for some tough cleaning…unless you do the dryer sheet overnight. The next morning, I just drain most of the water, use the dryer sheet to pick up a major portion of the sauce residue, use soapy hot water and, voila, clean as new! I love it! Thanks for the tips!
Dianne
Nadia Says...
Wow, I don’t know that by giving the refrigerator coils some room, the fridge’s energy usage can be reduced by 40 percent. That’s a great save. Love the freezer trick. We just bought a new freezer last three month, i hope it will stay with us for a long time. Thanks, Becky!
Shari Says...
You might want to add a caveat to the stovetop trick. Our daughter saw it on Pinterest & tried it while cooking on our gas stove, resulting in the spoon catching on fire. Fortunately it wasn’t serious, but certainly could have been.
Dezi A Says...
I’ve tried (as well as my friend) the wooden spoon trick and it definitely did not work. At all. 🙂