Tips tricks and life hacks

When it comes to cleaning, the kitchen is one of the worst rooms to tackle – perhaps second only to the bathroom.

I’m willing to bet even ardent cleaning fans hesitate when it comes to their microwave, oven, and hobs. After all, these are the areas most likely to accumulate stubborn stains.

I, for one, never enjoy scrubbing surfaces, even when they’ve been cleaned recently and shouldn’t be much of a chore.

It’s nevertheless important to wipe away any built-up food or spillages, whether or not you love pulling on rubber gloves.

So when people share tips and tricks to make these jobs easier, I’m all ears, and you can imagine my delight when influencer Mrs Hinch skyrocketed to fame.

Not only does she regularly share savvy recommendations, but the expert inspired fellow cleaning fans to follow suit. There’s even a Facebook group devoted to the topic. Aptly named Mrs Hinch Cleaning Tips, it’s perfect for people like me who want to share in the wisdom of those magical beings who enjoy cleaning.

While I’ll admit I like having a neat and tidy kitchen, I’m less keen on the tidying up itself. So when I read about the below lemon hack, which has been praised as a great, simple way to clean your microwave, I was eager to give it a go.

The hack

Filled with citric acid and antibacterial properties, lemons are often touted as a form of ‘natural bleach’. So the idea is simple. Use a lemon to help clean away all those grubby bits which end up in your microwave – but shouldn’t go anywhere near your food.

If you’re a fan of natural remedies, then you’re in luck too, as you’d be hard-pressed to find a more natural cleaning solution. As to how you implement the tip, Mrs Hinch fans have varying preferences, though the overarching idea is the same regardless of who you ask.

For instance, one Facebook post dedicated to microwave cleaning tips revealed three variations of the lemon hack. One person advised: “Put half a lemon inside on the glass and turn for 30 seconds. Then wipe with kitchen towel.”

A second wrote: “Heat up water with lemon juice and let the steam start the process then wipe clean. Easy.” Meanwhile, another said: “It’s own steam works best. Dish with lemon sliced in it, microwave on high for five minutes and wipe everything away. Wash the glass turntable in hot soapy water then dry. Job done.”

So I decided to combine the recommendations – a method that has proved popular elsewhere on the internet.

I squeezed lemon juice into a bowl of water, added in the remaining lemon for good measure, and set my microwave going for five minutes. Then, once I left the bowl to cool, I returned in the hope the steam would help me to tackle any stubborn stains.

As I watched the lemon concoction whirl round in the appliance, I was willing it to work. As someone who doesn’t enjoy a weekend spent on a deep clean, I scrub my microwave after each use. But keen to put this hack through its paces, I deliberately heated up my leftovers in a bowl that splashed food onto the microwave walls, to see how it fared there.

Luckily, it didn’t matter that I’d made a lot of mess though, as when I returned to clean it up later in the evening the lemon hack delivered brilliant results.

The results

I don’t have much to say here, as I think it is clear to see how well this hack works. As you can see from the photos and video, every stain wiped away after I used a wet cloth. There were a few marks I had to wipe a couple of times, but it didn’t take too much work to leave my microwave sparkling once more thanks to the lemon.

The verdict

The method is very easy to execute, and so long as you’ve got the patience to wait for five minutes it’s relatively fast too. As I said, I prefer to clean as I go – washing up in small bursts – rather than wait until the end of the week. But it is simple enough to set the timer going and then come back once you’ve finished another chore if you’re keen to use it.

This hack is pretty cheap too. You can purchase a single lemon from Sainsbury’s for 30p, or less if you opt for a multipack, and since I used a lemon that was going off in the back of my fridge, it helped to reduce waste as well.

However, I don’t think it would save money in the long run if used instead of a couple of spritzes of microwave cleaner.

The big plus is that it is a natural remedy and a good one at that, so it is perfect for anyone who is looking to avoid store-bought chemicals.

While I didn’t think it was any better than my usual method, it was no worse. As such, it’s not something I’d go out of my way to try again, but I’d certainly give it another go when I’ve got an old lemon to spare, and it’s great if you’re looking for a natural remedy.

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Updated Monday at 2 p.m. ET to reflect new guidance on play dates during school closures. This is an evolving story and guidance from health authorities is evolving quickly.

Never before have workers telecommuted on such a broad scale. Millions of people are trying to work from home — if they can, of course. Life Kit wants to help WFH work for you, especially if you’re doing so for the first time.

We’ve also got episodes on health precautions you can take (like washing your hands!) and one about keeping kids entertained and active during all the school closures .

Here are some pro-tips for working remotely, possibly for an extended period of time.

1. Get your technology in order.

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Technology is what enables remote work in the first place.

So make sure to take your laptop home, and don’t forget your charger. Also, take home your mouse and keyboard — anything that might make working on your laptop from home a little easier.

If you don’t have a work laptop and you’ll be spending a long time remote, ask if your supervisor wants you to take your desktop computer home. If you don’t drive and it’s too much to carry on public transport, ask your employer if you can expense a taxi or rideshare.

Then there’s the software. Make sure you have the right applications. Lots of remote workers are leaning heavily on Slack, Microsoft Teams, Skype, Zoom or GoToMeeting. Iron out what your team is planning to use ASAP.

Of course, you’ll want to make sure all your technology actually works from home. Do you need a secure line? Are those applications accessible from your home Wi-Fi? Do you need a security key to log in? These are all questions to ask your supervisor or IT department.

2. Make sure you have bandwidth.

Another thing? Internet access — is yours robust enough at home to allow you to video conference? Many conferences and almost all nonessential work travel are being canceled right now, so people want to use online video conferencing, which requires a good Internet connection.

If your bandwidth is low and you’re on a video call, try shutting down other programs to lighten the load on your connection. If your connection is really choppy, you can often shut off the video portion of a call and participate with audio only, which defeats the purpose of seeing your team but will still allow you to participate in the conversation.

Another Internet hog? Kids.

If your connection is not robust, set some ground rules about when kids can’t be online because mom is on a conference call, or stagger your video meetings with your partner or other family members if possible.

3. The kids are alright — but they’re home too.

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With school closures and concerns about putting kids in day care, as well as staffing those places up, parents are faced with a challenge, especially parents who have to physically go to work because they have no remote work option.

If you are working from home with kids in tow, you’ll need to make a plan for education and entertainment. Stock up on books and puzzles. Also, it’s OK to use streaming services (Common Sense Media has good recommendations for kid-appropriate content).

One note on play dates, though, since school closures are designed to limit contact among kids. Our Life Kit parenting hosts, Anya Kamenetz and Cory Turner, reported on managing parenting in the time of coronavirus , and cite this advice from Maria Litvinova, a scholar who has published several papers on school closures in epidemics:

“If the school is closed for a certain amount of time, even if it’s long and difficult for parents to organize the care, it’s important that they do not regroup children again because the effect of the school closure will be much less.”

Families across the country are getting very creative with virtual play dates using video chat as well as platforms like Roblox , which allows kids to chat while playing a video game together.

Also, be flexible about how much work you might realistically be able to get done if you’re balancing child care. #WorkLifeBalance. Just not the kind you were hoping for.

Here are more tips on managing parenting in the time of coronavirus , including ideas for working from home with little ones.

4. Manage expectations.

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It’s wise to have a discussion with your boss about what can actually be accomplished from home.

Ask your manager what the priorities are, and discuss how tasks will get done.

How are teams going to track projects they’re working on? How will they meet to discuss this? Will you all be connecting on Slack or email? Will there be standing meetings at a certain time to get everyone coordinated?

This should be an ongoing conversation. Remember, going fully remote is a new experience for many companies and their workers. Be honest about what isn’t working or can’t get done in these circumstances. More overall communication is going to be necessary.

5. Know thyself (and thy WFH weaknesses).

If you’re distractible, get ready for work every morning like you are going to physically go into work. Dress up, do your hair — whatever you’d normally do. This puts you in a professional mindset.

It’s hard to draw a sharp distinction between home and office when you’re at home. But to the extent possible, create a space at home that looks and feels like your office to you.

If you’re the type of person who never takes a break at home, set a timer to take time for lunch, and turn off your work. Or go for a walk. If you don’t change your venue at some point during the day and take a breather, it can make the claustrophobia worse. Try to maintain normal work hours, and shut things down when you would normally leave the office.

Try to appreciate the benefits that do come with remote work. You’re not commuting. You’re able to make your own lunch and save money doing so. You have more control over your schedule and more time with family. Focus on whatever positives you can find.

6. Embrace the webcam.

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Conference calls are tough — there are time delays, not knowing who’s talking because you can’t see the person, people getting interrupted on accident.

Webcams can solve a number of these issues: the sense of isolation and that confusion.

“To be able to see the person you’re talking to I think is important,” says Matthew Hollingsworth, who heads operations at Tiny Boards, a company that has several job boards for remote work.

And also, he says, because we miss cues when we aren’t working together in person, make doubly sure all colleagues understand their marching orders.

“I tend to overcommunicate, and I think that’s a good default setting,” he says. Don’t be afraid to ask, “Is this clear?”

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You can even try repeating back what you heard the other person say, to make sure you interpreted the person’s meaning correctly.

7. Stay connected.

One undeniable loss is the social, casual “water cooler” conversation that connects us to people — if you’re not used to that loss, full-time remote work can feel isolating.

To fill the gap, some co-workers are scheduling online social time to have conversations with no agenda. Use Slack chats and things like that if you miss real-time interaction.

Again, embrace video calling and webcams so you can see your colleagues. Try an icebreaker over your team chat: What’s everyone’s favorite TV show right now? What’s one good thing that someone read that day?

8. Do what you can; discuss when you can’t.

Before the spread of the coronavirus, roughly half of American workers were doing at least some telework.

But about a third of American workers cannot work remotely — fast-food and factory workers, people who are stocking the shelves in grocery stores and warehouses, nurses and doctors on the front lines of health care. They can’t work from home.

If you really can’t work remotely, ask your employer what you can do to make sure you’re not losing pay. That said, this is a shifting landscape. It’s not clear that hourly workers or workers who can’t do remote work will be paid if they can’t work.

The lack of paid leave or sick leave is certainly in the spotlight because of this virus. Some companies, including McDonald’s, Walmart and Amazon are now saying they will offer paid leave or sick leave to protect the health of customers as well as their workers.

Airlines are paying flight attendants who signed up for shifts and are quarantined, for example. And some unions are trying to negotiate the issue of missed pay.

So the best thing is to ask your manager or human resources department. If you cannot do your work remotely and you cannot come to work, what is the compensation? Or if you can work, what are the precautions they’ve prepared for you? And finally, if you do get sick, will your employer pay for your leave or workers’ compensation?

We’d love to hear from you. If you have a good life hack, leave us a voicemail at 202-216-9823 or email us at [email protected] . Your tip could appear in an upcoming episode.

If you want more Life Kit , subscribe to our newsletter .

The audio portion of this story was produced by Meghan Keane and Sylvie Douglis.

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Hair blockages in bathroom drains can be a real pain, as anyone with long tresses will know all too well. Luckily, there are ways to “dissolve” hair blockages in no time at all, and you won’t need to spend a fortune on pricey products. A number of Mrs Hinch devotees have now offered their advice on the matter, and one tip, in particular, has been described as the “holy grail”.

Taking to the Mrs Hinch Cleaning Tips Facebook page, one cleaning fan asked fellow group members for their thoughts as to how she could banish any frustrating clumps of hair from her plug-hole, and ended up receiving a variety of helpful suggestions.

One tip that appears to be particularly popular is said to take no more than 15 minutes to try for yourself, and you may well have the ingredient knocking about in your bathroom cabinet already.

One savvy cleaning enthusiast wrote: “Cheap hair removal cream. Mix it with hot water in a jug and simply pour it down there and leave for 15 minutes before rinsing.”

Another agreed: “Yes, hair removal cream really works, the absolute holy grail.”

A third said: “Put loads of hair removal cream down the drain, it will dissolve all traces of hair.”

According to Veet, a household name when it comes to hair removal products, the alkaline chemicals found in hair removal creams break down the protein structure of a person’s hair, dissolving it in such a way that the follicles can easily be wiped away post-treatment.

Therefore, this product works like a charm when it comes to unblocking your clogged plughole, making any bunged-up hair much easier to budge.

If you want to give this hack a go for yourself, then you can pick up a nifty tube of 100 ml Nair Hair Remover Sensitive Cream from Sainsbury’s for just £1.50.

Do you have a cleaning tip to share? Email us at [email protected]

Once something has gone rusty, it can feel almost impossible to get it back to its former glory. If you’re looking to make your radiator look as good as new, you may have tried everything from scrubbing as hard as you can, to certain cleaning products.

One woman swears by a £1.50 product that can be bought from budget retailers to lift rust with ease, and she said the end result has made her “so happy”.

Sharing before and after photos on the Mrs Hinch Cleaning Tips Facebook group, the woman’s bathroom towel radiator went from looking tired and rust-ridden to sparkling and brand new.

“I love Pink Stuff! My bathroom towel radiator had become a bit rusty and discoloured”, she praised. She then went on to explain that she had been going through some personal things, so hadn’t had the energy to do anything but “look at it.”

She continued: “Today I felt good with energy. What a difference it has made so happy with the end result!”

People were seriously impressed with the results of the £1.50 product, which can be purchased from Wilko – with the original poster confirming that it was the paste she used.

Someone wrote: “Wowsers! Thanks for sharing!”, whilst another praised: “Wow, l’ve tried every hack on here nothing works, maybe I’ve got no patience. I’m going to try pink stuff.”

“It looks really good”, a Mrs Hinch fan gushed, and another said: “You’ve done an amazing job.”

Others also shared their tried and tested hacks, with someone recommending “tomato sauce on tin foil”, with a few other people saying they’d used this method before and it had been successful for them.

Some other cleaning fans were also left wondering whether the pink stuff would work similarly on white radiators.

Have you ever tried this product? Let us know in the comments.