How often does your toaster get cleaned? Insert peeking-eye emoji.
We all love clean appliances, but cleaning them is not always fun or easy, and a lot of the cleaning products on the market shouldn't be used on or around food surfaces and can be harmful to your health.
Enter one of the most clutch cleaning hacks.
The scoop
Mom of three Ffion Bloomfield (@blooms_abode) showed her followers how she cleaned and shined her toaster without toxic or harmful products. All she used was some white vinegar mixed with lemon. She squeezed some lemon juice then sprayed white vinegar on a microfiber towel and wiped down her toaster — removing rust marks and yellow stains.
Then, instead of throwing away the tray of bread crumbs from the bottom of her toaster, Bloomfield tossed them in her garden for the neighborhood birds. Reducing food waste and a heart of gold.
Here's how the natural cleaner works: It uses lemon juice and vinegar, which are both acidic, great for removing stains, and antibacterial, per Consumer Reports. Lemon also serves as a deodorizer — citric acid can neutralize alkaline odors, per Molekule.
How it's working
Common household spray cleaners can be expensive. This cleaning hack can help save you money and prevent food waste. Distilled white vinegar is already a typical staple in the kitchen cabinet or pantry.
This same mixture can be used to clean other things in your house, including your garbage disposal, cutting board (add baking soda), and oven grime.
Like this chef on TikTok says: "Every part of a lemon has a purpose."
Another TikToker soaked lemons and oranges in white vinegar for two weeks and sprayed the mixture around her house to keep out ants. The possibilities are endless, and you can find comfort in knowing your cleaner is safe for you, your children, and/or your pets — it's more environmentally friendly, too.
According to UC Berkeley Public Health, some store-bought products that are listed as "green" or "natural" may still be harmful due to chemicals being carcinogenic — aka cancer-causing — or endocrine disruptors, which interfere with the body's hormones.
What people are saying
Commenters loved how shiny Bloomfield got her toaster, and she also impressed by saving the bread crumbs for the birds.
"Cute idea to throw the crumbs out for the birdies! I like that!" one commenter exclaimed.
Another Instagram user said: "Lemons are such an underrated cleaning product."
"Ohh I'm definitely going to try this," another commented.
It's another social media hack gone right.
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