From tips handed down through the generations to new secrets dreamed up by online influencers, these cleaning hacks will transform your kitchen into a spotless and sparkling space. Follow them all and you'll be left with the perfect environment to cook up a storm.

Both wooden and plastic chopping boards can be a breeding ground for bacteria and over time they can also become a little whiffy. Rid your boards of the odours of foodstuffs like fish and garlic by rubbing them down with the cut side of half a lemon. The citrus smell will leave them fresher for longer. Remember that this is not a substitute for sanitising your boards, so always wash thoroughly with a disinfectant and pat dry first.

If you have a ceramic hob, then you may well already know this closely guarded secret. To keep them sparkling, you'll need one simple gadget: the scraper. Readily available from Amazon and various hardware stores, these nifty blades are specially designed to remove burned-on stains without scratching the surface or removing ring guides. Trust us – they're a game changer.

Stainless-steel knives have a tendency to develop rust, but we've got a nifty trick to tackle it. Potato starch helps increase a blade's resistance to rust – simply rub knives down with a half-cut raw potato and wipe them clean with a paper towel. You can then restore their shine by rubbing them with the end of a clean, damp wine cork. What a good reason to open a bottle of red...

There are a few natural ingredients that are staple cleaning solutions for the whole home, and vinegar is one of them. If your kettle is contaminated by limescale, vinegar is an effective natural substitute for chemical descalers. Distilled white vinegar is generally preferred, as it's colourless and has less of an odour than its alternatives. Fill your kettle with one-part water and one-part vinegar, boil and leave to stand for an hour. Empty and re-boil with just water twice more and it should be purified and ready for use.

Cleaning the burned-on debris within your microwave is always a loathsome chore, so lessen the amount of elbow grease needed by cooking a bowl full of cut lemons and water on high power before you start. The lemon-scented, citric-acid-laced steam will help to soften the toe-curling crust, making it easier to wipe the microwave walls clean. You'll be left with a fresh-smelling and sparkling-clean microwave.

"Seasoning" these fabulous cooking pots is a vital step in enhancing their cooking ability, and the process is simple. First, wash your skillet or pan in warm soapy water, then cover the base with salt and use the moist edge of a cut potato to rub the salt into the surface. Rinse off and pat dry. Next, pour a little good-quality vegetable oil into the base of the pan, wipe off any excess with a paper towel, then seal on a low heat for around 30 mins. Leave to cool and remove residue with a dry paper towel. 

This hack was recently revealed by Instagram cleaning sensation Mrs Hinch. She advises pouring soda crystals down the plug hole, followed by white vinegar, and finally Zoflora disinfectant. Leave for 30 minutes, then wash it all away with boiling water. It will loosen blockages and wash away nasty odours too.

The best way to stop unwanted kitchen-sink blockages is to fully prevent them in the first place. These handy screens peel and stick over the plughole, stopping food particles from falling down the pipes and obstructing water flow. Once you've finished with them, simply peel them off and throw them away.

Don't disregard food containers that have seen better days – bring them back to their former glory with bicarbonate of soda. Form a paste by adding water to the powder, then let your containers rest in the substance for an hour or so. Finally scrub away any stubborn stains left behind, then wash it all away with warm soapy water and dry.

Recently replenished your en suite with beautiful new bath towels? Don't throw away the old ones just yet – instead, cut them up into dish-cloth-sized pieces and use them for mopping up kitchen spills. The thick, fluffy fibres are much more absorbent than regular cotton tea towels.

The same minty paste you use to clean your teeth can work miracles in the kitchen – this makes perfect sense, since toothpaste is a mild abrasive similar to bicarbonate of soda. You can use the paste to clean tile grout, polish up cutlery and shine copper pots. A toothbrush makes a great mini scrubbing tool to get into small spaces too. Remember to always do a patch test before you put toothpaste to work on your pots and pans.

Aluminum balls made from scrunched-up tin foil make useful emergency scourers if you fall short. They also work as an eco-friendly alternative to commercial dryer sheets when tumble drying laundry. Make them as smooth as possible so as not to snag your clothes, then pop two or three in with your load to discharge any static.

Don't let hard-water film show you up when serving cocktails – make sure your glassware shines with our favourite versatile cleaning agent: vinegar. Julie from frugallyblonde.com advises filling up your sink with water, then popping a cup of vinegar into the mix. Add your glasses and leave them to soak for around 30 minutes. Once they've soaked, rinse them off, then clean them in the usual way – in the dishwasher, or in the sink with warm, soapy water. The result should be sparkling and mark-free glasses.

There are other hardworking condiments moving up the sauce sanitation league too. Ketchup, brown and barbecue sauces generally contain acetic acid and citric acid, making them excellent polishers. Rub a blob on stainless steel, copper and brass for a shiny finish, or leave to work overnight to help loosen stubborn, burned-on food.

Those little paper packets in a new box of shoes or inside a new handbag are put there for good reason: to keep lovely new purchases dry and fresh. And you can use them to eliminate moisture from your kitchen. Keep them in your dishwasher detergent box to stop tablets sticking together; place them in your silverware drawer to prevent tarnishing; or pop some in your spice cupboards to keep powders dry. We could go on. The contents, a form of the naturally occurring mineral silicon dioxide, are not harmful if ingested in small doses – however, the packets can be a choking hazard for children, so be vigilant. 

Abrasive cleaners can ruin your paintwork, so instead use chalk to remove mucky, greasy fingerprints from walls. Melissa Maker from cleanmyspace.com has tried and tested this kitchen-cleaning hack and she says it comes up trumps. She advises that you take a piece of chalk at an angle (the sharper edge will leave scratches in the paint) and rub it over any fingerprints. Leave it for five minutes until the chalk clings to the oily marks. Finally wipe up the mess with a damp cloth and your paintwork should be fingerprint free.

This is another genius trick from Instagram cleaning queen Mrs Hinch. If your kitchen doors are looking a little grubby, give them a revamp with laundry softener. Though it's always wise to patch test first, laundry softener should wipe away marks without causing damage to your paintwork. Mrs Hinch suggests pouring a cup of fabric softener into a bowl of water, then wiping down your doors with a cleaning pad.

Blenders are marvellous machines, but cleaning the hard-to-reach crevices beneath the blades after use is a tough job. For a quick cleaning fix, once you're finished making milkshakes or puréeing papaya, half fill the empty pitcher with warm soapy water. Put on the lid, cover with a cloth, blitz for 30 seconds, empty then rinse. You'll have a spotless blender and all your fingers still intact. 

That magic box that washes your dishes can be used to clean more than just dinnerware and cutlery. Grill racks, washing up bowls and vases can all be given a deep clean thanks to the intense cycles of the mighty dishwasher (though always check manufacturer's instructions). Use lower temperature settings for plastics and keep smaller items safe by placing them in a laundry net first.

A garlic press is a vital tool for creative cooks, but those tiny holes can get clogged up easily. To get rid of any garlicky residue, cut a raw potato into clove-size pieces and crush it through the mincer – this will also help to remove odours. Rinse, then use a toothpick to poke out any stubborn left-over garlic or potato, and wash as usual. 

If you can afford to invest, a self-cleaning, pyrolytic oven will save you lots of time and elbow grease. Everyone hates oven cleaning, so just imagine the joy of a system that reduces grease and spills to a fine ash that can be wiped away with a damp cloth.

Has your dishwasher developed a nasty odour? Emma Marsden and Aggie Mackenzie, authors of The Miracle of Vinegar, advise to first clean the gap between the bottom of the door and the base of the machine using paper towel. Then, when this bit is done, pop a cup of clear vinegar into the machine and run an empty cycle. It'll neutralise odours and keep pipes grease free. 

Cheese lovers rejoice – there is a kitchen-cleaning hack that will have your graters gleaming again. The humble pastry brush is about to become your best friend. Cleaning service Merry Maids suggests running a pastry brush along the grater in the direction of the blades (the opposite way to when you're grating). This will remove any leftover bits of cheese. Afterwards clean the grater in warm, soapy water or in the dishwasher as you normally would.

Accidents happen and broken glass on the kitchen floor is a common home hazard. After larger shards have been swept up, tiny fragments could still be lurking and may cause injury later. Take a few pieces of white bread and pat it over the floor. The soft bread will act like a spongy magnet and any missed glass splinters will embed themselves into the cooked dough. Still keep an eye out for any pesky remaining shards, though.

Roasting tins and baking trays are hardworking and they very often get caked in greasy burned-on stains. Keep them looking like new for longer with dissolving dishwasher tablets. Cleverly.me says to fill your dishes up with hot water, then drop a dishwater tablet straight into them. You'll get the best results if you leave them overnight.

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Stainless steel gives kitchens a stylish chef-grade look, but keeping it from going dull is a challenge right? Wrong. Mineral oil or baby oil will give your metal surfaces that professional polish in no time. Meredith from unOriginal Mom shared the tip on Uncommon Designs, advising to put baby oil straight onto a cloth then wipe in the direction of the stainless steel's grain. Then, use the cloth's dry side to "softly buff" the oil off.

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Try this eco-friendly, homemade version from ironing brand Polti. Boil four cut, unwaxed lemons in 350ml of water and simmer for 20 minutes. Transfer to a blender and whizz up with more water if necessary. Sieve to remove the pulp, then pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Add 270g of coarse salt and 120ml of white vinegar and mix. Bring to the boil again, then simmer for 10–15 minutes, stirring frequently. Allow to cool, still stirring now and then to absorb any salt that may surface. Store in the refrigerator in a glass container.

We've all done it at one time or another – you've been cooking something in a saucepan and it has burned to the bottom. Salt is a natural abrasive cleanser and it works wonders for removing any stubborn residue. Sprinkle the base of your saucepan with salt and just a few drops of water. Leave it to soak into the burned area, then use a kitchen scraper or scourer to lift the residue away. Remember, though, that abrasive cleaners can damage non-stick pans – wherever possible use a nylon sponge or cloth to clean these items.

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