• Food
  • Family
  • Beauty & Health
  • Style
  • Great Women
  • Events/Win
  • Domestic Diva Awards 2022
  • Food
    • Eating Out
    • Cooking Tips
    • Festive Food
    • Asian Recipes
    • Food
    • Celebrity Recipes
    • Dessert Recipes
    • Healthy Recipes
    • Quick & Easy Recipes
    • Western Recipes
  • Family
    • Family
    • Save Money
    • Parenting
    • Sex & Marriage
    • Travel
  • Beauty & Health
    • Beauty & Health
    • Skincare
    • Makeup
    • Hair
    • Awards
    • Diet & Nutrition
    • Fitness
    • Wellness
  • Style
  • Great Women
    • Career
    • Great Women of Our Time
    • Real Life
  • Entertainment
  • EVENTS/WIN
  • #SchoolForLife
  • Hair Awards
  • Great Escape
  • Explore Singapore
  • Also available at:
Privacy Menu
SPH Media

Copyright © 2023 SPH Media Limited. Co. Regn. No. 202120748H. All rights reserved.

  • Food
  • Family
  • Beauty & Health
  • Style
  • Great Women
  • Events/Win

Home Ideas

18 Last-Minute Speed Cleaning Tips And Kitchen Hacks Before Guests Arrive

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Home Ideas

18 Last-Minute Speed Cleaning Tips And Kitchen Hacks Before Guests Arrive

Got a dirty stove top, stubborn stains and more? These brilliant cleaning hacks will help you save time and achieve a clean kitchen faster

December 21, 2017

Got stubborn stains, a cluttered living room and guests about to arrive? It might seem like an insurmountable task to achieve when you’re running tight on time, but there are cleaning shortcuts you can take to save time and energy.

READ MORE:
A Handy Guide To Cleaning Your Bathroom
Domestic Diva Awards 2017: Best 2-in-1 Cordless Handstick Vacuum Cleaner
10 Singapore Homes With Beautiful Spaces For Entertaining Family And Friends

These brilliant cleaning hacks will get your home ready for visitors in no time:

https://www.womensweekly.com.sg/gallery/style/home-ideas/time-saving-cleaning-hacks-shiny-spotless-kitchen/
18 Last-Minute Speed Cleaning Tips And Kitchen Hacks Before Guests Arrive
1. Put shoes back where they belong
image

If your home entrance is regularly littered with shoes, you may forget about them when you’ve got tons of other things to do. Make a good first impression by placing all footwear into their respective cabinets so your guests have a clear entryway when they arrive. 

2. Lay out tablecloth
image

If you’ve no time for a quick wipe down, this is a smart and instant way to conceal any unsightly scratches or stains on your table surfaces, while elevating the look of your living and dining space. 

3. Dim the lights
image

Put on mood lighting, such as fairy lights, lamps or candles instead of using the harsh fluorescent ceiling light – it instantly warms up the atmosphere and cleverly makes clutter less conspicuous. 

4. Be your own "guest"
image

Starting from the main door, act as though you are a guest at the party. Walk through your home, focusing on places where people will congregate and look out for clutter that are potential obstacles, furniture or articles that seem out of place, things that need some dusting etc. Doing this helps you spot things that need to be cleaned/shifted away that you might otherwise miss!

Photo: Pixabay
5. Change hand towels
image

Pop some fresh hand towels in the bathroom to greet guests when they go in. A clean-looking house is all in the details!

6. Give the floor a quick sweep
image

Intensive mopping is out of the question – good thing there are easier, faster options nowadays. Use mops with disposable wipes attached at the head, like the Scotch-Brite Easy Sweeper Plus or MagiClean Wiper Mop:

1

Photo: Pexels
7. Be systematic
image

Grab a clean laundry basket or a large container and move from room to room, clearing unsightly clutter into it as you go. Focus on important rooms like the living area, dining space, bathroom and entrance.

Photo: Pixabay
8. Odours-be-gone
image

To make your whole house smell fresh (and delicious!), place a tablespoon of vanilla essence in a saucepan of hot water and let it simmer for 15 mins.

If you have a rug in the living room, freshen it up by sprinkling some baking soda on it. Wait for 15 mins, then vacuum up the powder.

Photo: Bill Holsinger-Robinson/Flickr Creative Commons

9. Regain a shiny stove top
image

Fight oil with oil – it may be hard to believe, but you can easily remove grease and gunk buildup on your stove top using even more grease. Of course, we’re talking about a few drops of mineral oil or vegetable oil on a paper towel. Simply rub to remove greasy stains without any harsh chemicals!

Plus, the oil helps keep your stove top shiny!

Photo: Pixabay
10. Erase burn stains with baking soda
image

If you use stainless steel pots and pans, you’re probably accumulating burn marks from forgetting to stir food fast enough or setting too high a heat. No fear, the trick to making them look spanking brand new again is simple:

Pour baking soda into the burnt pan and scrub with a soaked sponge. If this doesn’t work, fill the pan or pot with water and a dash of vinegar, then bring to a boil. After this, simply scrub with baking soda again (once they’ve cooled of course!) and you should get the shine back. Alternatively, ketchup works too!

Photo: Acleanbee/Pinterest

11. Scrub a dirty wooden chopping board
image

The trick is to use coarse salt, to provide greater friction, and a cut lemon. Sprinkle a generous amount of salt (depending on how stained or large your board is) and using the lemon as a scrub, your chopping board will emerge clean and even smelling better!

READ MORE: Kitchen Hack: 5 Ways To Use Lemons To Get Rid Of Bad Odours

 

Photo: Mary Crimmins via Pinterest

12. Remove rust from cast iron pans
image

If your cast iron skillet is covered with rust from not being used, return it to its former glory with this cleaning hack: Using coarse salt and half a potato, scrub the pan in a circular motion to remove the rust.

 

Photo: Apartment Therapy/Pinterest

13. Make your baking trays last longer
image

When you’ve cleaned your cake tins and baking trays, pop them back into the warm oven to remove any moisture and prevent rust – they’ll look great for years.

Photo: Pixabay
14. Clean floors with vinegar
image

Remove cooking grease particles from your kitchen floor by adding a little vinegar to the detergent in the bucket when cleaning.

Photo: Pixabay
15. Revive a crusty slow cooker
image

To remove baked-on stains from your slow cooker, fill the ceramic liner about 1/4 full with white vinegar. Next, add warm water to the fill line, cover and leave on Low overnight. Then, wash in hot soapy water as usual.

 

Photo: Lifeshouldcostless/Pinterest

16. Sterilise sponges in the microwave
image

Give your dishwashing sponges a weekly clean by zapping them in the microwave for up to two minutes. Make sure the sponges are saturated with water, as this helps the sterilisation process (and stops them from catching fire!)

READ MORE: Make Your Own Cleaning Solutions For Under $1

Photo: Moms Against Cooties/Pinterest

17. Fast-clean a blender
image

This hack will save you so much time and hassle – after making that yummy smoothie, rinse out any residue. Then, let your blender clean itself by putting in some washing liquid and a bit of water, then hitting start for a perfect, soapy cleanse. Pour out, rinse, and you’re done!

Photo: The Krazy Coupon Lady/Pinterest

18. Remove stains from your favourite mugs
image

Don’t waste time and energy trying to get rid of stubborn coffee stains using soap and water. Baking soda does the trick! Sprinkle some on the stained parts then add just a bit of water, enough to make something like a paste, then scrub with a damp cloth. Your favourite cup will look brand new again.

READ MORE: 
10 Unusual Ingredients You Can Use For Cleaning
Interior Stylist Hong Henwood Shows Us How To Create A Fancy Table Setting
10 Hacks To Eating Healthier When You’re Too Busy To Cook

Text: Bauersyndication/Additional Reporting: Elizabeth Liew
Photo: Pixabay

  • TAGS:
  • cleaning hacks
  • Home
  • kitchen cleaning
  • kitchen hacks
SHARE THIS ON

What’s Hot

Home Ideas

25 Lucky Plants And Flowers To Buy For C...

Home Ideas

14 Kid-Friendly DIY Decorations To Make ...

Home Ideas

Ah-Beng Actor Mark Lee's Home Is A Treas...

Home Ideas

An Inside Look At New Mum Annette Lee's ...

Home Ideas

3 HDB Owners Share Why They Chose An Old...

Home Ideas

Get Home Inspo From These Singapore Mumf...

Home Ideas

This Margaret Drive BTO Has Amazing JB A...

Home Ideas

The Best Dehumidifiers For Your Home Dur...

Home Ideas

A $130K Renovated HDB Resale Flat Makes ...

Home Ideas

10 Tips To Design A Child's Bedroom That...

Home Ideas

8 Practical Tips To Get Rid Of Lizards I...

Home Ideas

Gorgeous 5 Room Flats You Can Buy Withou...

Editor’s Picks
  • Home Ideas 25 Lucky Plants And Flowers To Buy For Chinese New Year
  • Home Ideas 14 Kid-Friendly DIY Decorations To Make For CNY
  • Style Welcome Into The Homes Of Four Mediacorp Artistes
  • Home Ideas Ah-Beng Actor Mark Lee's Home Is A Treasure Trove Of Art
  • Home Ideas An Inside Look At New Mum Annette Lee's $100K Industrial-Look HDB Flat
  • Home Ideas 3 HDB Owners Share Why They Chose An Old Flat
Don't Miss Out Ever Again!
Tips & tricks to stay sane + win invites to our events!

By signing up, you indicate that you have read and agreed with our Privacy Statement
Footer Menu
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Conditions of Access
  • PDPA
  • Privacy Policy
?>">
SPH Magazine

Copyright © 2023 SPH Media Limited. Co. Regn. No. 202120748H. All rights reserved.