Don't Have Any Cleaning Products For The Kitchen? Reach Inside Your Liquor Cabinet

Time for everyone's favorite task — cleaning the kitchen. I can hear the impassioned cheers of enthusiasm now. But wait, what's that? Are you out of your go-to kitchen cleaner? Sorry, you're not getting off that easy. Grease, grime, and a stinky fridge wait for no one, and all you need to eliminate dirt and unpleasant odors is the very same bottle of vodka you use to make those famous upgraded bloody marys.

Vodka happens to be a sort of jack-of-all-trades. While most folks use it to make enticing cocktails and flavorful old-school vodka sauce, it is also perfectly capable of helping you achieve a clean and tidy kitchen. Sure, you can always clean your kitchen with vinegar, but if you're like me, the scent left behind by the all-purpose cleaner is almost as offensive as whatever smell it was intended to eliminate. Vodka, on the other hand, is a nearly odorless liquor that won't stink up your galley. It also dries faster than vinegar, meaning you can get back to creating your next culinary masterpiece sooner.

Mind you, a typical 80 proof variety won't disinfect, but if you upgrade to a 100 proof brand, bacteria doesn't stand a chance. One cup in a spray bottle will do the trick, but if you add several drops of tea tree oil, you'll be armed with a cleaning agent that keeps mold at bay, as well. Alternatively, you could add some lemon-scented essential oil to impart a bright, fresh smell to your kitchen, too.

It's worth noting that vodka shouldn't be used to clean everything in your kitchen, such as marble countertops. Marble is porous, and when it absorbs alcohol, it can become stained and lose some of its shine. However, this is an exception to the rule. Vodka can handle tough stains on stovetops and in the oven, and it can spruce up plenty of other things in the galley that you may not realize. Fix yourself a tasty la tasty lemon-lime vodka press to add some merriment to your kitchen cleaning before you get started, for best results.

Commonly used areas like faucets and sinks are fairly obvious, but those dirty spots you may never think to clean — such as light switches and doorknobs — are also perfect candidates for a cleansing with liquor. Plastic cutting boards are another area where vodka shines as a cleaner. While you should avoid using it on wood cutting boards because it will dry them out, letting vodka sit for a few moments on a stubborn stain marring a sealed cutting board is an effective way to remove it.

Perhaps the best use for vodka as a kitchen cleaner is your fridge. Chemical disinfectants and vinegar can leave a stench that will linger in the refrigerator. Conversely, vodka wipes away with no pungent smell, leaving your fridge disinfected while preventing your food from absorbing unwanted odors.