If you’ve ever wrestled with cleaning a fine mesh strainer after draining pasta or potatoes or straining gravy, you know the struggle is real. No matter how much rinsing or scrubbing you do, something always clings to that delicate netting. So when I saw Chef Anatolii Dobrovolskyi (@dobrovolskyi_hchef) post a genius strainer cleaning hack on Instagram, I was all in.
The video is mesmerizing because it shows a trick that looks like magic, but it actually works. Here’s what you need to know.
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The Easiest Way To Clean a Kitchen Strainer
Here’s how it goes: Flip your fine mesh sieve upside down in the sink. Add a bit of dish soap directly to the underside of the mesh and give it a scrub.
Turn on the faucet and place a spoon under the stream to widen and fan out the water. Hold the strainer under this DIY waterfall and let it rinse clean.
What’s happening here is a smart use of gravity and water pressure. By flipping the strainer upside down and applying the soap to the underside, you allow the water to push through the mesh, not just over it. Most of us wash our strainers from the top down, which can lodge the food particles in the mesh. This reverse flow does the opposite. It forces water through the mesh from behind, loosening and lifting debris.
The spoon plays an important role. A regular stream of water is too narrow to clean the entire mesh surface. But placing a spoon under the flow creates a broad fan of water, which hits more of the strainer’s surface at once. That constant, wide rinse is the key to lifting away stubborn gunk, like flour paste or sticky bits of egg.
You may need to give the sieve a quick final rinse or swipe with a sponge, but this trick makes this often annoying kitchen cleaning task so much easier.
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More Strainer-Cleaning Intel You Need To Know
So what about colanders? Can you use this same hack?
Sort of. It depends on the material and hole size. Traditional colanders with large perforations don’t trap food as easily as a fine mesh sieve, so they usually clean up with a quick rinse.
But if your colander has a finer mesh bottom or is made of stainless steel with small drainage holes, this trick could definitely help, especially with starchy foods, like pasta or potatoes that leave a film behind.
That said, there are a few pros and cons to this method.
It’s great because it’s hands-off and oddly satisfying. It also saves time and scrubbing effort by using common kitchen tools (you already have a spoon). Plus, it’s gentle on delicate mesh (no risk of tearing with a sponge).
Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work for stuck-on or dried-out debris. It still requires some soap and water and might not fully replace deep cleaning after heavy use. (Note to self: Rinse the strainer as soon as you’re done using it!)
If your sieve is still grimy after this rinse, use a soft toothbrush and dish soap to gently scrub from the underside. You can also soak the sieve in hot, soapy water for 10–15 minutes to loosen residue. For stubborn starches, try soaking in vinegar and baking soda.
As far as viral kitchen hacks go, this one’s not only clever, but it’s also practical. If you’re tired of chasing tiny bits of food around your mesh strainer, give this method a shot. It may not be 100% scrub-free every time, but it’s definitely a smarter starting point. Plus, it just feels good to let water do the work for once.
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