Clean Your Ashtrays with Ease

Do you find cleaning ashtrays a real headache? Sometimes it feels like the ashes stick to the surface of the ashtray and refuse to come off. Even though enough elbow grease and hard work will usually get the ashes out, nobody wants to spend that much time working on such a small item. There are other ways to clean out the trays that will make the process much quicker and less frustrating.

First, you may want to try copying the method used in public ashtrays. Put a shallow layer of sand in your ashtrays to catch the ashes and give them something disposable to stick to. If you put a layer of baking soda down in your ashtrays instead of sand, it will also absorb the smell of your cigarette butts, which will be a relief to your non-smoking guests.

To make ashtray cleaning easier in the future, you have to start off by cleaning out the tray as thoroughly as you can. Once you have the ashtray completely cleaned out, spray the inside with furniture polish. A wipe-on type should work as well, but since the idea is to do as little work as possible, use the spray. This will help keep the ashes from sticking to the tray. That means that the next time you empty your ashtray, the ashes will slide right out.

If you are having a hard time getting the ashes out before you spray the ashtray with furniture polish, try using something a little bit different than your normal cloth to clean it out. Two good tools for the job are clean paint brushes or a large, firm toothbrush. Both of these brushes will help the stubborn ashes come right out. It is also very useful if ashes frequently stick to the very edge of an ashtray.