One thing that is kind of fun about this time of year is that as the weather begins to warm up and you start to begin to see some life come back into things outside, naturally most people also want to clean things up inside the home and have a fresh, clean start for the spring and summer months to come.

Spring cleaning is something probably most of us have a love/hate relationship with. But, one way to combat the dread of doing it, if that’s how you are, is to use some fresh, new ideas to liven up your usual routine. That is usually just the ticket for me to get excited about it.

Here are some of my favorite hacks and ideas I’ve seen and used to spruce things up in the kitchen, one of my FAVORITE (not!) rooms to clean in the whole house!

1. Soak the filter for your vent hood in hot water and Borax to make it shine again.

Fill the sink with hot water and add ¼ cup borax. Place the greasy hood vent filters in the water and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Use gloves if you can to retrieve those filters from the bottom of the sink and if it still has some stubborn grease you can’t wipe off repeat the process. Give them a good rinse in hot water and use a paper towel or old rag and wipe any leftover grease off the edges of the filter. Tadah!

2. Shine up greasy grates on your stove by soaking them overnight with a little ammonia.

No scrubbing required. Also, remember that you shouldn't mix ammonia with other cleaners.

Take ¼ cupf of ammonia and seal it up with one of the burners in a large Ziploc bag. You don’t need a lot of ammonia because you are not trying to soak the burner—you just want to seal it up with the ammonia fumes.

Then you can leave it outside on a cookie sheet overnight. (Just in case it leaks or something. Ammonia is stinky!) When it’s done sitting, wipe it clean with a sponge.

3. Give your oven racks a bath in dish soap, dryer sheets (yup!), and hot water.

Literally you’re going to use your bath tub ha! Place towels at the bottom of your tub so the racks don’t scratch the surface. Add your racks on top of the towels and then fill the tub with hot water until the racks are covered and add ½ cup dish soap and six dryer sheets right to the water.

Let this sit overnight, or for several hours during the day. When you pull the racks out, they will still look dirty, but don’t worry! The gunk has been loosened so much that it literally comes off as soon as you touch it!

Grab the dryer sheets that have been soaking for hours and start wiping down the racks. It comes off in no time at all! Then, give the racks a good rinse under hot water and dry them thoroughly.

4. Combat sticky kitchen dust by wiping it with cooking oil or mineral oil.

No need to smear globs of it around — just a little bit of oil on a paper towel will do. Then use a little dish soap and warm water to wipe off the oil.

5. Buff and clean your kitchen sink with flour.

Yes, you read that right. Flour! Start by thoroughly washing your sink with soap and water. Next, sprinkle your sink with a thick dusting of flour. Using a paper towel or soft cloth, buff the flour into the sink like you are waxing a car. Keep buffing and don't forget the drain, rim around the ktop of the sink, handles, knobs, and little grooves where dirt likes to hide. You'll see bits of food start to disappear and things begin to get shiny.

6. Use coconut oil to polish stainless steel fridge and other appliances.

I have found coconut oil to be the best way to polish up my fridge and remove any water spots or adorable little hand prints.

Grab a big spoonful of coconut oil and put on a paper towel and begin to buff out spots, moving with the grain of the steel for a streak-free shine. You can use olive oil for the same exact effect, but I prefer coconut oil because it makes the kitchen smell so nice like you have been baking :)

What are some of your favorite tips for spring cleaning? Feel free to share in the comments below!