Keep your kitchen sparkling with the right cleaning techniques.
The kitchen is the heart of the home, where the family gathers and everyone relaxes with a cup of tea or coffee, a mug of hot chocolate or a glass of wine. Guests often congregate in the kitchen, too, so it’s a part of the home that needs regular attention.
Generally, you don’t need special equipment or chemical cleaners to keep the kitchen looking good if you stick to a routine and deal with spills and other mishaps as soon as they occur.
Countertops and other well-used surfaces in your kitchen require daily attention to keep them clean and free of mold and bacteria.
• Laminate or granite surfaces can be washed off with a sponge and a soap solution, or even with one part vinegar and one part water. Wipe dry immediately to avoid streaks.
• Wipe down large surfaces with a cloth in each hand: one for cleaning, the other for drying.
• To eliminate unwanted germs from work surfaces, scrub unsealed wood surfaces regularly with salt or a mixture of 4 tablespoons (60 ml) baking soda and 2 tablespoons (30 ml) lemon juice.
• To make wood surfaces dirt resistant, rub them with a little olive oil or linseed oil after cleaning and removing water stains. (see “Furniture”)
• When cleaning cabinets, inside or out, add a little vinegar to the soapy water to cut through grease.
Cleaning the stovetop
Make sure your stovetop gleams by cleaning it with this mixture. It can be made up in larger quantities and stored as it will keep for up to 4 months.
Boil 1 cup (250 ml) water and add 1 teaspoon (5 ml) soft soap.
Mix 1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) glycerin and 1/4 cup (50 ml) vinegar in a bowl and pour the boiling soapy water in it.
Stir in 6 tablespoons (90 g) whiting (dry, ground calcium carbonate) and transfer to a bottle; seal tightly.
• Use a bar of soap to make stainless-steel sinks spotless. Rubbing them with potato peelings, lemon juice or baking soda are also proven methods for removing stains.
• Use a couple dashes of lemon juice on a dishwashing sponge to rub down a discolored sink.
• Rub out heat marks in the sink by sprinkling on a little baking soda, then rinsing it off.
• Spots from mineral deposits disappear when you treat them with a mixture of vinegar and salt. Place a paper towel over the spot, sprinkle with the solution and let it set. Remove the paper towel and rinse.
• Wipe up splashes and spills on your stovetop immediately–it will save you a lot of extra work.
• If food gets burned on an electric heating element, dampen a cloth with soapy water, place on the cold element for 2 hours and wipe it clean. Deal with spills in the grooves of the heating element by slightly heating the element and sprinkling it with a little baking soda, then rubbing it in with a sponge. Wipe it off with a damp sponge or cloth.
• Ceramic glass cooktops are especially easy to clean: Simply wipe them with a damp sponge. If food is burned on, sprinkle a little lemon juice on it, let it sit for a few minutes, wipe and, if necessary, remove any residue with a glass scraper. To maintain an attractive shine, polish the cooktop with a little vinegar. And to avoid scratches, lift rather than slide pots and pans from one burner to the next.
• Lightly rub dried-on deposits on a gas stove’s nonremovable parts with a moistened dishwasher tablet, then wipe dry. Wear protective gloves.
• While the oven is still hot, put a heatproof container of hot water inside; the moisture will make it easier to wipe clean.
• Place foil or a baking tray underneath a baking or roasting pan–it will save you some elbow grease if the pan’s contents boil over.
• If your oven is not self-cleaning, while still warm, remove burned-on foods with salt and wipe the surface dry with a piece of newspaper or a paper towel. Use a damp cloth to soften any particles that remain so that they can be scrubbed away easily.
• Loosen baked-on deposits by putting a glass bowl with 1/2 cup (125 ml) full-strength ammonia, into a cold oven and leaving it overnight.
• Rinse cake pans with dishwashing liquid and water. Use salt and vegetable oil for tough stains.
• Scrub burned-on sugar with newspaper and salt, then wash with soap and water.
• Place food on foil before cooking it to help to keep grill pans clean. Put the foil matte side up to avoid “sparking.”
• Preserve rubber seals by rubbing them with talcum powder so that they don’t become brittle.
• Clean the inside of your refrigerator regularly with vinegar and water, or wipe it down with a solution of baking soda and water.
• If you don’t have a frost-free freezer, mini icebergs may form. If this happens, it’s time to defrost. Empty the refrigerator’s contents into a cooler or wrap them in old blankets. Then place a pot of boiling water inside the refrigerator and close the door until the ice melts. Wipe with dishwashing liquid, vinegar and water.
• To prevent rapid ice buildup, wipe down the inner freezer walls after you defrost with cooking oil or glycerin. When you defrost next time, the ice will come away from the walls easily.