Keeping a clean kitchen is an important aspect of maintaining a hygienic and welcoming home. It reduces the risk of exposing yourself and your family to bacteria and allergens. It also makes your home less inviting to cockroaches, mice, and other pests that can bring illness-causing germs into your living space. Since the kitchen is the place where you store and prepare food, you will need to make sure bacteria doesn’t get into the food you will eat.
Maintaining a clean kitchen can be a difficult task. You might miss out on some spots in the kitchen. And when this happens, food residue can build up, making it more difficult to remove as well as affecting the kitchen equipment and tools’ performance. To ensure you always have a clean kitchen, here are some easy cleaning steps you can follow so that you will not miss out on any spot in the kitchen!
1. Scrub Your Stovetop
One tough home kitchen appliance to clean is the stovetop. When you are cooking, sauce and oil can splatter on the stovetop. And if you don’t wipe it immediately, it can leave food stains and cause residue to accumulate.
To remove the stains, start by mixing equal parts baking soda and salt. Typically, a few tablespoons of each will do. Then, add just the right amount of water to turn it into a thick paste. Use this paste along with a scouring pad to scrub all the gunk away. Once you have removed the stubborn stains, wipe the stovetop with a clean, damp sponge and wipe it dry with a cloth. You can also use this method to clean pots and pans, making them look sparkly clean.
2. Remove Grease Build-Up with Oil
After you have tackled the stove, remember to take care of the areas surrounding it, including the range hood, walls, and other nearby surfaces. These parts can have oil splatters that can leave the gunk and attract dust. If the gunk isn’t as sticky yet, using soap and water can remove the greasy build-up. But in case it doesn’t come off easily, the trick is to battle it with oil. Begin by dampening a towel with vegetable oil and using it to wipe the affected area. Repeat the process until you completely remove the gunk from the surface. To remove the excess oil, simply wipe the surface using a damp cloth.
3. Freshen Up Your Microwave with lemons
Similar to the stove and hood range, the microwave is susceptible to food splatters. And if you don’t clean this electrical appliance regularly, the food residue can turn into nasty gunk. Over time, your microwave can have a nasty odour that can ruin the taste of the food you put into it.
The best way to clean and get rid of unpleasant food smells in the microwave is to use lemons. Slice the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into a half cup of water. Place the mixture into a bowl together with the lemon halves. Put the bowl inside the microwave and turn it on high power for three minutes until the liquid boils. Once time is up, leave the bowl inside for another five minutes. The steam will help loosen the food gunk build up inside.
When five minutes have passed, wipe the interior down with a sponge. If you want to reuse the lemon-water solution, you can use it to wipe down kitchen counters and other surfaces. But be careful when handling the mixture as it will be very hot. It’s best to let the mixture cool down first before using it.
4. Make Your Wooden Cutting Board Smell and Look New Again
Your cutting board needs regular cleaning to make sure your food stays safe and healthy for consumption. The food can leave stains and smells on the surface of the cutting boards. To help revive it to its former glory, refresh your wooden boards or butcher block with some of these common safe kitchen ingredients.
Start with sprinkling your board with coarse salt. It will serve as a natural abrasive to lift any stains from the board. The anti-bacterial properties of the salt will also help to sanitise the cutting boards. Then, squeeze some lemon juice over the cutting board to make it smell fresh. Then, rub the board with the halved lemon and let it air-dry.
If you want the board to dry faster, leave it exposed to the sunlight. Once it has dried, wipe off any of the excess salt and coat it with a thin layer of food-safe oil like vegetable or coconut oil. Oiling the wooden cutting board keeps it from cracking and absorbing moisture. Wait for 15 minutes or until the board absorbs the oil before wiping any of the excess oil. If you want to freshen up your other wooden kitchen tools, you can do so using the same process after washing them with warm soapy water.
5. Unclog Faucet Heads
If you live in an area where the water has high mineral content, you may notice that your faucet gets clogged easily. The water can also leave stains on the metal that makes any faucet, even relatively new ones, appear old. That is why regular cleaning is crucial to get rid of the hard water build-up.
Before you scrub your faucet, use some vinegar to loosen the hard water film. Soak a clean cloth in vinegar and drape it over the faucet. Let the cloth rest there for at least 30 minutes. Then, remove the vinegar-soaked cloth and scrub the faucet clean, focusing on the part where hard water accumulated the most. Remember to use a damp non-abrasive sponge when cleaning so you won’t scratch the faucet’s finish.
Cleaning the kitchen can be a tough job but it is important for promoting food safety and good hygiene. If you are struggling to keep your kitchen clean, you can follow the suggestions mentioned above. To be more consistent, create a practical cleaning schedule that you can follow. List down the household cleaning tasks you should be doing daily, monthly, and yearly. This way, your kitchen stays clean and fresh all the time.
