There are many shades to clean. There are tidy homes- well-organized, everything in its place. Then there are clean homes. No funny smells no suspicious stains on the carpets and then there are the really super-clean ones “Monica clean as favorite neat freak from “Friends would say. So, what makes a home super-clean? The kitchen of course. You can tell the true status of a home-cleaning effort from how clean the kitchen is.

Countertops are the most visible areas of your kitchen. First, declutter them. Then, find the stains. There are bound to be coffee and juice stains somewhere. No worries, a little ammonia and a few drops of hydrogen peroxide diluted in water will take care of even tough stains.

But wait, before anyone can even see your kitchen, they can probably smell it. And that’s not good news. Regular use of baking soda goes a long way to truly deodorize your kitchen, instead of just masking odors with heavy fragrances. Deodorize the refrigerator by leaving a small bowl of baking soda inside.

For a shiny finish, use baking soda for tiles, and white vinegar is great for keeping wooden floors shiny and new. Dilute the vinegar first!

Typically, vinegar and baking soda will clean almost anything. You can even clean bottles and jars with this potent combination. To safely sanitize reusable water bottles, drop a teaspoon of baking soda inside and shake well to coat the sides. Then, pour in a quarter cup of vinegar, and watch it bubble and fizz as it comes in contact with the soda. Give it a good rinse, and your bottle look great and smell neutral.

If you bought fancy copper pots in a giddy rush, and now you hide them because they are black with tarnish, no need to fret. Good old ketchup will take care of that for you.

Appliances can look ugly if not properly maintained, but they are nothing to worry about. At periodic intervals, leave a few wet paper towels in the microwave and run it on high power for a minute. The caked-in dirt softens with the steam, and will wipe off quickly. To deep-clean blenders, add some warm water and dish soap, and run on high for a few seconds. Rinse, and you are done. Running a handful of rice will clean out the coffee grinder, and every cook with his salt knows that cast-iron skillets should be cleaned only with, you guessed it, salt.

Have fun, and get your kitchen Monica clean!