Cheap Alternative Kitchen Cleaning Essentials

I’ve collected an array of cleaning tips over the years, some of them using unconventional products. I have come to learn that to properly clean your kitchen, you don’t have to spend a fortune. All that is required is the correct combination of kitchen cleaning products to get the job done. The following items on my kitchen cleaning essentials list have been tried and tested by myself. 

Hob Brite

Glass hobs look beautiful in any kitchen, but trying to clean them is another matter entirely. If you have a glass hob, I’m sure that like me, you used a whole range of kitchen cleaning products to try and remove water and food stains. A friend of mine recommended using ‘Hob Brite’ to get rid of those pesky stains. I had imagined this product to be one of those over-priced kitchen cleaning products I had tried in the past. However, to my delight, I picked up a bottle of this amazing product for a mere 99p in my local Aldi.

• To remove stains from your glass hob, simply squeeze the cream onto the hob, leave for 5 minutes and wipe clean with a damp cloth. I then wipe the hob with a paper towel to reveal a shiny glass hob. 

Aldi – 99p 

Soda Crystals

Soda Crystals are my go-to kitchen cleaning product. I always have a packet of this versatile product in my cupboard. Soda crystals are absolutely amazing! They can clean so many different items.

• To keep drains unblocked, pour a cup full of soda crystals down the plug. Follow with hot water.
• For pans with burnt-on food, add a cup full of soda crystals to the pan with some water. Leave to soak overnight. The stains will be easily scrubbed away in the morning.
• Add a cup full of soda crystals to an empty washing machine and run the machine on a hot wash. The crystals prevent limescale build up in the machine.
• Add water to soda crystals to make a solution. (1 part crystals 1 part water). Use the solution to wipe down grease from oven wire racks. For more stubborn stains, add more soda crystals to the solution.

Soda crystals are another inexpensive kitchen cleaning product. I use Dri Pak soda crystals. They cost around £1.20 for a 1kg bag (which I buy every 3 months or so) and are available in most supermarkets and homewares stores.

Dri Pak Soda Crystals 

Sterilising Tablets

For those who are unfamiliar with this product, sterilising tablets were (and still are I believe) used to sterilise baby’s bottles before the fancy microwave and electric sterilisers became more affordable. I used them for my now 17-year-old daughter’s feeding equipment and it was then when I was told of its use as a kitchen cleaning product.

• To remove stubborn stains from clothes (especially things like stains on baby clothes) dissolve a sterilising tablet in a large bowl of water (for more stubborn stains, 2 or more tablets will be required). Leave the item to soak overnight. The following day, wash the item as normal to remove the stain.
• I would soak my baby’s bibs in a sink full of water with 3 sterilising tablets before washing to remove stains. I now use this method to remove stubborn stains from my tea-towels.

My prefered sterilising tablets are made by Milton and are available from Boots. They’re such an inexpensive kitchen cleaning must-have!

Boots – £1.49

Lemon Juice

I love the smell of lemons! Many of the kitchen cleaning products I purchased were lemon-scented. Over the past few years, I have also started to use lemons themselves to help clean my kitchen.

• By mixing lemon juice with coarse salt, such as sea salt, a scrub can be made to remove stubbornly burnt on stains.
• After storing greasy food, some of my plastic tupperware containers can become stained. I simply rub a lemon over them before placing them in the dishwasher to remove the stains.
• I use lemons to clean my chopping board rather than expensive kitchen cleaning sprays that are full of chemicals. Simply rub a lemon over the chopping board and work surfaces to remove stains and to leave the area sparkling, clean and smelling amazing.
• To create a lemon scent throughout the home, add lemons to a pan of boiling water. As the solution simmers, the beautiful smell of lemons will fill your kitchen.

Bicarbonate of Soda

Also called Baking Soda, I now use this product more as a kitchen cleaning item rather than for its intended use in baking!

• I use bicarbonate of soda to clean my fridge – simply sprinkle the powder into the fridge and wipe clean with a damp cloth.
• Rather than using traditional oven cleaners to clean the oven, I simply sprinkle bicarbonate of soda into the oven, then spray white vinegar onto the powder. The mixture will bubble. Leave the mixture to work overnight. In the morning, wipe the oven with a damp cloth.
• I have also used the above mixture to clean the oven and grill racks. 

White Vinegar

I have a spray bottle filled with white vinegar as it has become an integral part of my kitchen cleaning process. White vinegar is a natural disinfectant and so is the perfect item to keep in your cupboard.

• Fill a spray bottle with equal parts white vinegar and water. The solution can be sprayed onto worksurfaces and the microwave to remove everyday germs and dirt.
• When towels start to feel stiff, revive their softness by adding a cup of white vinegar to the washing machine instead of fabric softener.
• To polish stainless steel surfaces in the kitchen, such as taps and knobs, I simply make a solution of one part water, one part white vinegar and wipe the mixture on the surface with a microfibre cloth.
• This solution also works great on the sink leaving it gleaming!

Have you tried any of these items to clean your kitchen? Do you have any kitchen cleaning tips? Please let us know in the comments below! Thank you for reading, and happy cleaning!