Condiment lids get really icky and need to be cleaned like most anything else does. My ickiest one is catsup! Every once in awhile, take off the cap and soak it a little while in water (I drop mine into a coffee cup that also needs soaked a bit) and the buildup comes off easy. The same goes for the chocolate syrup lid.
A really great way to make short work of all the dirty lids (including in the bathrooms) is to use the steamer! It cleans all those little ridges out (like on the lid of the mouthwash and toothpaste) with basically no effort!
The salt and pepper shakers get the dusty kitchen grease-like build up as well, so place a small bit of plastic wrap under the cap and twist it back on (like you would to take it camping - to moisture proof it) and steam them.
Another way is to just rinse it each time you use it. That way it never gets to be a mess.
By
03/01/2008
Another reallly good idea for Ketchup is to keep the caps when the bottle is finished. Each time you notice the cap on your bottle is dirty, pull it off, drop it in the dishwasher or sink for washing and replace with the extra one you have on hand.