Clean it right the first time. Or ask your mom - she knows what to do.

How to clean things right the first time!

1. Cutting Boards

Think of all the ingredients that have been chopped up on your wooden cutting board. Did you know a trip through the dishwasher isn't enough to remove the food particles that get stuck in its grooves? Clean your boards the right way by using the open side of a halved lemon to scrub kosher salt along the grain of the wood, then wash with your usual soap and water.

2. Cookie Sheets

Soap and water aren't enough to remove the grime covering your cookie sheets, but we've got the perfect solution. Try mixing 1/4 cup of baking soda with enough hydrogen peroxide to make a thick paste, then rub it over the surface of your cookie sheets. Wait a few hours and rinse to reveal perfectly clean surfaces!

3. Shower Heads

Think your shower head is just plain lousy at doing its job? That's because you're cleaning it all wrong! Take the time to pour white vinegar in a plastic bag and fasten it around your shower head so it's submerged in the liquid. Wait an hour before removing the bag, then wipe it down for a shower head that's good as new.

 4. Mattresses

 Mattresses usually get skipped over when it comes to weekly chores, but with this tip, they'll stay clean for years to come. Next time you take your bed linens off for laundry day, vacuum your mattress and sprinkle baking soda across its surface. Let it sit for a few hours while it soaks up odors, then vacuum again for a fresh bed!

5. Cheese Graters

Anyone who's ever attempted to clean a cheese grater knows that it usually ends in a shredded sponge and a big mess. Next time, instead of reaching for your sponge, grab a potato! Run it up and down the shredder and not only will it break down the cheese residue—it'll give you shredded potatoes to use for hashbrowns at Sunday brunch!

 6. Microwaves

Once splattered sauces and soups have dried all over the inside of your microwave, it's nearly impossible to scrub them off! Let your microwave do some of the work for you with this tip. Just fill a bowl with water and white vinegar and set the timer to two minutes. It'll create steam so that once the couple minutes is up you can easily wipe the surfaces down.

7. Coffee Makers

What happens when you use your coffee maker every morning without properly cleaning it? A whole lot of buildup and dingy looking glass. Cleaning it is easy, though. Simply fill it halfway with water and halfway with white vinegar. Then, run a half-brew cycle without using coffee grounds. Let it sit for about an hour, then finish the brew cycle. Repeat the process with plain water until it no longer smells of vinegar and you're done.

  8. Blinds

Blinds are possibly the most difficult thing to keep looking clean in a home, and they often end up neglected and dusty. Make yours look clean as can be with the use of an old sock. Slide it over your hand and dip it into white vinegar, then wipe down each blade of your blinds. Finish by taking another sock to dry everything off.

 9. Cast Iron Pans

Cast iron can be such a good investment for your kitchen—that is, if it's cared for properly. Washing with dish soap and water is the wrong way to go about cleaning these pans. Instead, you should scrub them with a mixture of course salt and water to get rid of residue. Wait for them to dry and give them a light swipe of oil.

 10. Paintings

 Paintings are gorgeous decorative items, and some are even passed down through family trees. But with age comes dust, in every crevice and brush stroke. They can be cleaned, though, and with a strange pantry basic—bagels! Just take half of one and lightly rub over the surface of the artwork. It'll remove dirt like a charm!

11. Blenders

Tried to start days healthy with smoothies only to be left with a mess of dried liquid on your blender? That's because you're cleaning it all wrong. Immediately after use, rinse with warm water. Then put a bit of dish soap and water in until about halfway, pop the lid on, and whiz it up on high speed. All you need from there is a rinse and it'll be as clean as your diet!

12. Ovens

So many of us neglect cleaning our ovens, not even knowing where to begin. All your baked-on problems can be solved, however, with just a few steps. First, make a paste of baking soda and water. Spread it on the surfaces of your oven, leave it overnight, and return in the morning to wipe out as much of the baking soda mixture as you can. The next step is to spray with vinegar and wipe down with a rag. Finally, turn your oven on low and let dry for 20 minutes!