Paper towel & wipes cleaning hacks

Many of us grew up with our parents cleaning up after us. No matter how big the mess, the most we would get from Mum was just an annoyed grunt, before she’d whip out her arsenal of supplies and get to work. No surprise, things would end up spotless each time.

Now, as an adult, you still make the same messes, but no longer have Mum to clean it up. You might already own a stockpile of cleaning tools, but chances are, you lack the time and the skill she had to get every stain out.

Thankfully, we’ve compiled some tips and tricks that cut the cleaning time, but still do the job and provide stellar results. The best part: these hacks only involve paper towels and wipes. Here are 6 easy cleaning hacks to clean every square inch of your home:

1. Remove stains in plastic containers

You can’t say you live in an Asian household unless you have a stack of plastic containers stored in the kitchen. Whether they’ve been bought or just takeout containers you’re reusing, they’re a staple in every Singaporean household. For good reason too – they’re cheap, useful, and much better for the environment than dapao-ing food in styrofoam boxes.

The only problem is that they stain easily, especially with curries, kimchi, and tomato sauces. Before you throw out your “ruined” containers, here’s a simple hack that will make those stubborn marks disappear.

Steps: 

1. Fill your container halfway with some dish soap and warm water.
2. Add a square of paper towel.
3. Shake vigorously.

Once you dump out the soggy paper towel and give the container a good rinse, you’ll find your containers back in pristine condition. This hack also helps to get rid of any lingering odours, so you can use your containers once more to store all sorts of food.

2. Disinfect toilets with detergent-soaked paper towels

For most of us, cleaning the toilet is one of the most dreaded household chores. After all, what’s there to like about scrubbing and rinsing the very place where you do your business?

Plus, with all the equipment and detergents needed to get the job done, it’s not exactly the easiest to clean. Because of this, chances are you don’t clean yours very often, even though you know you should. The thing is, you don’t actually need heaps of products for a squeaky clean throne – just a paper towel, some detergent and a pair of tongs will do.

Steps:

1. Soak your paper towel in detergent, then fold into a square.
2. Pick up the soapy paper towel with tongs.
3. Clean the inside of the toilet bowl with the paper towel. 
4. Wipe down toilet seats with antibacterial wipes to disinfect surfaces.

In between deep cleans, we recommend wiping down toilet seats with the antibacterial wipes often. This will at least clean up splashes, and prevent tushies from getting dirty when you sit down for a number 1 or 2.

3. Get rid of water stains on faucets with paper towels and vinegar

Ask anyone how often they use their faucet in a day, and they probably won’t even be able to give a ballpark figure. Ask how often they clean their faucet though, and that number will get a whole lot smaller.  

With how infrequently faucets are cleaned, it’s natural for them to develop water stains over time. Using just a paper towel and some vinegar, however, you’ll be able to loosen and wipe away these stains with ease.

Steps:

1. Soak paper towels in vinegar.
2. Wrap around water-stained faucets.
3. Let sit for 60 minutes, then wipe clean.

You’ll want to make sure that the paper towels are fully saturated with vinegar, and in contact with every part of the faucet to break down the mineral deposits that cause the staining. If you find that the stains are still tough to clean, let the vinegar soak for a longer period of time.

4. Clean & season a cast iron skillet for prolonged use

Though they are unparalleled in getting us the perfect sear on our meats, cast iron skillets are tough to clean and rust incredibly easily. What makes them especially hard to maintain is the fact that they need to be seasoned after each use, and can’t just be cleaned with soap and water.

But maintaining a cast iron skillet is much easier than you think. Next time, instead of leaving your skillet to get crusty, try out this hack. 

Wipe off the excess grease (left), then re-oil the skillet with a paper towel (right).

Steps:

1. Wipe up any excess grease with a paper towel.
2. Wipe clean using a kitchen wipe.
3. Re-oil the skillet using a paper towel.

We used Scott Calorie Absorb Paper Towels in the first step, which are made to soak up excess grease. To maintain the surface of the skillet, we used Scott Protect Kitchen Wipes to clean up the rest of the grime. These are much gentler in cleaning than using the scrubbing pad of a dishwashing sponge that might leave nicks in the protective coating of the pan.

As for the last step, the Scott Multipurpose Kitchen Towel helped to lightly coat the skillet in oil in an even layer. 

5. Use a slightly damp paper towel in place of dustpans

We’ve all been there – made a mess on the floor and had to sweep it up, only to get stuck at the very end trying to sweep up the remaining crumbs that couldn’t overcome the ridge of the dustpan. 

If you’re active on #CleanTok, you’ve probably come across this viral hack that uses damp paper towels in place of dustpans. It’s a pretty ingenious solution for the all-too-familiar problem. Here’s how you can do it at home.

Steps:

1. Dampen the edge of a paper towel and place it on the floor by the mess.
2. Sweep the mess directly onto the wet side of the paper towel.
3. Then, use the dry end of the paper towel to pick the wet end off the floor.

Because the paper towel is damp, it’s able to catch all the loose pieces of dirt with ease.

6. Clean kitchen appliances without the need to take them apart

If you’re anything like me, you enjoy experimenting in the kitchen. The best part is that when you’re done, you have something delicious to eat. What’s not nearly as fun or delicious, however, is the cleanup that comes after. 

It’s a hassle, especially, when you have to take apart countless kitchen appliances for them to be cleaned. To lessen the washing load, try this hack to easily clean up messes in air fryers or waffle irons.

Steps:

1. Use kitchen wipes to wipe down all the surfaces of your appliances.
2. Pat dry if needed.

Scott Protect Kitchen Wipes are handy for this hack because they effectively remove grease and bacteria. They’re also scratch-free and residue-free, so you won’t need to worry about them damaging your appliances.

Bonus: Wipe clean plants without damaging foliage

Unless you’re one of the lucky few blessed with green fingers, you’ve probably killed your fair share of plants – involuntary plantslaughter, if you will. No matter how many fertilisers you try, or how often you shift your plants in and out of the sun, they just can’t seem to grow. 

If this has always been you, it’s possible that your lack of luck in thriving greenery is due to dirty leaves. Before you scoff at this revelation, here’s a throwback to science class in primary school. Plants need sunlight to photosynthesise, and dust blocks the plant’s chlorophyll from efficiently receiving light. 

To mitigate this, clean your plants gently with a wet wipe. We went with Scott Protect Multipurpose Wipes as they are effective in picking up dirt, without damaging fragile leaves.

Clean your home with Scott Towels and Wipes

After a long day of work and running errands, the last thing you want to do is spend hours cleaning. With such little time on your hands, it can seem impossible to get the house in order – that is, unless you know the proper hacks, and have the right products to execute them with. 

We’ve shown, at least, that you don’t need a whole slew of products for a spotless home – just a few basic items like Scott’s range of multipurpose wipes and paper towels. Apart from these hacks, they’re cleaning staples to have on hand at all times too.

The Scott Protect Wipes are suitable for general cleaning, like wiping down remotes and digital devices, which can be a breeding ground for bacteria if not cleaned properly.

Plus, if you’re worried that using just a single product won’t be enough to thoroughly clean and disinfect, don’t be. The wipes kill 99.9% of bacteria with just 1 sheet. The Multipurpose Wipes are extra thick to grip onto more dirt and dust, while the Kitchen Wipes are scratch and residue-free to be tough on grease but gentle on kitchen appliances. 

The Scott paper towels are just as effective at cleaning up spills and muck. You can use the Multipurpose Kitchen Towel to wipe up dry or wet messes.

As for the Calorie Absorb Paper Towel, they have the added ability to absorb excess oil and grease. They’re not just particularly handy to clean surfaces that have come into contact with fried or oily foods. You can also use these to soak up fat bubbling on top of a soup or stew for a healthier meal.

So, if you’re used to dreading household chores because they’re, well, a chore, know that they don’t have to be. With Scott, you can be sure that you’re effectively disinfecting all your surfaces with minimal effort – all you need to do is wipe. 

Find out more about Scott here

This post was brought to you by Scott.
Photography by Alvin Wong.