Useful Tips to Make Sure Your Kitchen Stays Sparkly Clean
Keeping the kitchen clean and neat seems to be a never-ending task. Whether you live alone and mostly eat take-out, or have a whole family to cook for, the kitchen always seems to be in need of a clean. So, if there’s a way to make it quicker, easier, and more effortless, we’re all ears! Read on for a few tried and tested tips to keep your kitchen spotless.
Don’t let the burden of cleaning your kitchen overwhelm you. We have a few tips to make cleaning easy and to prevent it from becoming unmanageable in the first place.
1. The kitchen sink
The kitchen sink is usually the most neglected part of the kitchen. After doing the dishes, we usually just give it a quick rinse. But after a while, the sink can start to look dull or rusty. But believe it or not, it’s pretty easy to get it shiny and looking new again. To do this, use a little bit of dishwashing liquid and a normal pot scourer, and scrub the whole sink. Rinse with fresh water, and then use a cloth dipped in distilled vinegar to buff the sink. Your kitchen sink will look as shiny and sparkly as they day it arrived!
2. Get rid of pests
Have you ever opened your grocery cupboard only to see moths and other creepy crawlies fly out? Then you might have a problem. Insects such as flour moths and weevils will happily lay eggs in your cupboards, since your flour and other dried goods provide them with all the nutrients they need to grow.
If you happen to have a moth problem, pack out the cupboard and give it a good vacuum. Wash and dry the cupboard properly and then add a few drops of peppermint oil. This will prevent future infestations.
Furthermore, store your grains and dried goods in glass jars instead of plastic packaging, since the insects are well able to chew right through the plastic (but obviously have a pretty difficult time chewing through the glass!). In fact, you can easily observe the evidence of such pesky chewers when looking at an infested package: it is riddled with tiny little holes.
3. Cut through the grease
The stove-top, as well as the areas around it, are a magnet for dirt and grease. Use warm, soapy water and a hot, slightly damp microfiber cloth to wipe the area down. Dry afterwards with a waffle cloth. For glass stove tops, use a DIY scraper (sold at hardware shops) to get rid of baked-on grease spots.
To keep the bottom of your oven clean, layer it with heavy-duty aluminum foil. This will catch all the oil and drippings and can easily be changed when necessary.
4. Let your appliances to the hard work
When filling your dishwasher, add your kitchen sponge, cloth, and wash brushes. This might not keep them clean forever, but their stank will definitely be kept at bay for a little longer!
When cleaning your fridge, put a small bowl of bicarbonate of soda or ground coffee inside one of the door racks. This will freshen up your fridge and will remove that stale smell.
Musty-smelling washing machine? This is probably because you wash your clothing on medium heat. Bacteria are able to survive at moderate temperatures and thus stay behind in crevices when the water drains away. To get rid of bacteria, mold, and that musty smell, add one cup of white distilled vinegar to the empty washing machine and set it to the hottest cycle. To keep it smelling clean and fresh, try to wash your clothes at least once a week at 140°F (60°C) – you can wash your towels and dishcloths at this setting.
Help your microwave to clean itself. Put a glass bowl with hot water and lemon slices inside, and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Not only does this get rid of odors, it also loosens any dirt on the inside surfaces, thereby only requiring a quick wipe to remove.
