Conventional wisdom has taught us to clean everything but your baby with ammonia. Is this really a smart way to go? No, according to About.com.

Many people develop cleaning tips that use ammonia, but these tips aren't always helpful...

• Using ammonia as a floor cleaner for no-wax floors isn't actually a great idea. Ammonia can damage the floors over time.

• Using ammonia in the microwave to loosen food particles works, but bowling a bowl full of water works just as well. The steam from the water loosens cooked on food...without the fumes of ammonia.

• Many people claim that leaving a dish full of ammonia overnight in an oven will loosen baked on food. In my experience, it was not very effective, and the fumes were nearly unbearable. I much prefer a fume free oven cleaner, or baking soda paste.

Photo CC 2.0, ClintJCL

You don’t have to rub teeth whitener all over your yellowed dishwasher to restore its former glory. Try this home recipe instead:

1/2 cup bleach, 1/4 cup baking soda and 4 cups of warm water. Apply with a sponge and let set for 10 minutes. Rinse and dry thoroughly. Wax large appliances with car wax to make them shine and to remove small scratches.

Image CC 2.0, ztephen

You can make any appliance look fancy and sleek with Thomas' Kitchen Art Inc.'s liquid stainless steel. All you do is brush the product on and let it dry for a whole new finish. And unlike actual stainless steel appliances, yours will still hold magnets.

The refrigerator kit costs $40, and the range & dishwasher kit costs $20. I’ve yet to find a UK retailer, so if you know of one please share!

This one’s kind of a classic, but with a twist. Bob Blumer, author of “The Surreal Gourmet: Real Food for Pretend Chefs” put together a little Q&A for dishwasher salmon poaching. He also recommends a recipe called Dishwasher Salmon with Cilantro Sauce:

Ingredients for salmon
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 6-ounce salmon fillets
4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Heavy-duty aluminum foil

Ingredients for cilantro sauce
1 tablespoon butter
1 leek, white part only, finely chopped and thoroughly washed
1 shallot, minced
1 jalapeno chili, seeds and membranes removed, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-1/2 cups chicken stock
2 cups lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves (stems removed before measuring)
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons sour cream

Visit salon.com for instructions and tips.

Photo CC 2.0, kundabadtz