Microwaves. 
Great when they are clean. Super sucky when they aren't. 

No one wants a dirty microwave, but there is also never a line of people waiting at my microwave to clean it - myself included. 

In this post you will see my super easy, all natural way to clean a microwave. 

Here is my microwave. It certainly is NOT at its dirtiest, but it ain't clean either. 

There is ONE product needed to clean your microwave and it is the magical, all powerful:
White Wine Vinegar

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Fill a microwave safe cup with vinegar and pop it into your microwave. 

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Nuke that bad boy for 3 minutes and let the steam and vinegar sit in your microwave for 5 minutes afterward. 

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While you wait, give the outside a little scrub down. 
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Open the door and remove the plate and little plastic rotator with wheels. 

Scrub all the goo and gunk off of that microwave plate, which should come off pretty easily from the vinegar. 
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Many times, this little doohicky goes unnoticed, but look at those yucky wheels! 
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Now get to work on the inside. 
I use a paper towel and will keep the hot vinegar on the side to dip into when needed.
You can also use a sponge. 
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Make sure you get the top really well since that is where literally everything seems to go: straight up. 

Wipe down the sides and bottom, removing any debris from the ghosts of meals past.

Be sure to clean in these little vents on the sides and top as well. 
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Give the inside of the door a good scrub down.

Replace the plastic plate turner along with the plate and you have yourself a nice, clean microwave until your husband decides to reheat spaghetti. 


Thanks for reading! 

​-Jamie 

When I roll out of bed in the morning and drag myself into the kitchen to make a fresh pot of coffee, there is always that day old coffee staring at me, judging me.
I know what its thinking. 
"Look at you, wasting all this precious brown deliciousness. And you're about to do it again aren't you. Yeah you are. Shame.... Shame."

Soooo I got to thinking and came up with ways to repurpose that leftover coffee.



1. Make Coffee Ice Cubes 

Food.com has an awesome coffee ice cream recipe. 
1 cup of heavy cream
1/3 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup of strong coffee, chilled

In a medium bowl, whisk the cream and sugar until the sugar has dissolved completely and the mixture is frothy.
Add the milk, vanilla and coffee.
Whisk until blended.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Prepare the ice cream in an ice-cream maker according to manufacturer's directions.

There are ways to make ice cream without an ice cream maker.
Visit TasteOfHome.com to see their instructions. 


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4. Make Coffee Brownies
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6. Use Coffee In Your Hair
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I would not recommend using this with light colored hair, as coffee is a natural staining agent, but the caffeine in coffee can promote hair growth and stimulate follicles. Use up to 4 cups of coffee (depending upon your hair length) after shampooing and let those tiny little caffeine monsters go to work on your scalp!





7. Compost It
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Put the coffee ground AND the filter straight into your compost bin to help regulate the acidity of your wonderful, plant nurturing compost.




8. Make An Exfoliant 

GroundtoGround.org has several DIY exfoliant recipes but this one is my favorite:

1/4 cup used coffee grounds
1 cup of brown sugar
3/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp honey

Mix in a jar and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
Best results are when used in a hot, steamy shower. 





9. Make A Coffee Protein Shake

This is a perfect “get your butt up and going” breakfast idea.
Mix your cold coffee, protein powder, and some of your frozen coffee ice cubes into a blend and voila! A caffeine/protein packed snack that is also low in fat and calories!




10. Make Your Plants Some Coffee Water 

Coffee is a great staining agent, as some of us may have found out the hard way
with clothing or carpet…
To stain wood, sand it first. Once you have a nice, sanded surface, use a cloth and your leftover coffee to rub the stain into the wood. Let the coffee dry into the wood before applying each coat to get your desired color.




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12. Make Tiramisu 
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Let me start this post by saying our toaster is OLD. It's not an antique or anything, but we have owned this toaster for longer than we can remember and it is well used. 
We are a family who loves toasty things.

When I pulled out the toaster this morning to toss in some cinnamon waffles, I finally took a good, hard look at the tiny, appalling appliance. 

It was in desperate need of a deep clean. 

This post is to show you my cleaning method (when I actually remember to do it) for getting a toaster back to a decent condition. 

First, pull out those crumb traps. 

Now if you are like me, you will take a moment to let the shame of this sight wash over you. 
It's okay. This shame will be the motivator to get the job done. 

Anyhoo....

Put the traps in the sink and get to scrubbing with soap and hot water. The crumbs should come off fairly easily. 

Once those are clean, tip that toaster out over your sink and get to shaking. 
Shake as many crumbs out as you can.
Get crazy on that sucker. 

Now it's time to clean the inside. 

This should go without saying - but make sure your toaster is unplugged. 

You can use a good dish brush to do a basic scrub around the inside of the bread insert openings or if your toaster is not as bad as mine (the shame...), you can use dry paint brushes to brush off the interior crumbs. 

Turn over and repeat the shaking process. 

Mine, however, was so bad that I grabbed on of my reusable straw cleaners, bend it to and angle, and used that to really get inside. 

After you have given your toaster a good shake for that second time, you will start cleaning the outside. 

I use soap, hot water, and a sponge with a scrubbing side to get the grime off. 
Keep in mind, this toaster is older and has seen better days. 
The after photo will still show scratches and other war wounds. 
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Here is the before interior photo:

And here is the after interior photo:
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Once you have dried the toaster as well as possible, pop those crumb catchers back in. 
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And voila! You are done!
Allow your toaster adequate time to dry before plugging it back in or using it. 

Don't forget (like me) that going long periods of time without cleaning your crumb tray can actually be a fire hazard! 

Thanks for reading! 
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