Ablokhin/Getty Images

Cleaning the stovetop can become a mission if you don't wipe it down every day. Spills, splatters, and grease can harden and get baked-on with time, creating a carbonized crust. If you don't like using chemical cleaners in your home, you can degrease your stovetop with gentle and natural cleaning agents, such as lemon juice, distilled white vinegar, and baking soda. However, even the strongest cleaning products can leave gunk and grease behind in hard-to-reach areas. This is where a paper clip comes in handy.

Committing to a nightly shutdown of your kitchen is a power move, but a deeper clean is often necessary in between those quicker sessions to remove dirt from the edges of an induction stovetop or dislodge food that's clogging the burners in a gas stovetop. A regular scouring pad or sponge is simply too big to get into those tight spots, but if you take a paper clip and open out the outer bend to create a pointy end, you can use it to poke through the burner heads. This trick is also useful for cleaning around the control knobs and scraping away any sticky grime that's accumulated around their circumference. For this, you can bend the end of the clip to create a hook-like tool that's perfect for running around circular dials (FYI, a hooked paperclip is also an incredible tool for pitting cherries neatly).

Muhammad Labib Adilah/Getty Images

Crumbs and grease can run down the gaps at either side of a stovetop or around its perimeter. However, a paper clip that's been turned on its side and run across these edges can swipe all the gunk off. While a butter knife can do a similar job, the edge often isn't quite fine enough. Plus, a paper clip is smaller and can get into tighter areas, like grooves and trenches, with ease. 

As always, ensure your stovetop has cooled down fully before you start cleaning it, no matter which tools you select. You should also be careful not to push food debris further into the burners, so remove them first and use a delicate touch. If you're worried about damaging the surface of your stovetop with the metal, feel free to wrap a piece of paper towel over your paper clip. That way, your surfaces are protected and you still get to utilize its pointy tip to abrade stuck-on crusts or oily deposits.

Another stove cleaning hack is to use a toothpick wrapped in a paper towel to pick up dirt along tight edges. However, as a paper clip is made of metal, it won't snap under pressure like a wooden toothpick. The textured bristles of an old toothbrush can also dislodge grime — but again, the surface isn't fine enough to get into tight corners.