I’m a sucker for household hints, those tried-and-true tips designed to help you clean up, tidy up and make your home a better place to be. Anytime I can save time or money, or cleverly repurpose something I never thought I could, is a great time as far as I’m concerned.

So, just in time for spring cleaning season, here are some handy dandy kitchen cleanup hints involving, get this, newspaper! 

Grab a few sheets of the Sunday paper and line your produce bins with them. No more smelly odors and moisture. And cleaning the drawers is as easy peasy as lifting the newspaper up and throwing it away.

When you’re finished reading the newspaper, cover the tops of your tall cabinets and refrigerator with it. Just like that, you’ll no longer have to worry about cleaning dust and grime off these high places anymore. Instead, lift off the dusty paper every few months and replace it with new news!

Protect your kitchen table from spills and damage by covering the tabletop with a layer of newspaper before draping it with a tablecloth. No one will be the wiser!

Lining kitchen shelves with paper is nothing new. But instead of purchasing rolls of shelf paper, assign a sheet of newspaper to shelf duty. If you’re into colorful shelf paper, enlist the funny pages!

Spill something? If you have an old newspaper handy, use it to mop up the mess. Newspapers can also be used to soak up extra oil from your skillets. Your plumbing will thank you for not pouring the oil down the drain.

Instead of using kitchen towels or paper towels to clean your appliances, windows or the oven or microwave doors, try crumpling up a newspaper and using that. Voila — a streak-free shine!

Before throwing out yesterday’s news, or even putting it in the recycling bin, consider repurposing your newspaper as a multi-purpose cleaning tool. Happy spring cleaning!