Your home’s kitchen is one of the most unclean rooms in your house. From stray food particles to dirty dishes, it can sometimes feel like the mess is never-ending. Don’t stress, with the following eight cleaning tips you can have your kitchen spotless in less time than you think!
1. Clean clockwise: Start on the right side of your stove, and move clockwise around your kitchen. The grease and dirt on your stove usually makes it the dirtiest part of the room, so cleaning it last will help you to avoid spreading the grime.
2. Disinfect your sink: Surprisingly, an unwashed kitchen sink contains more bacteria than a toilet seat. This means it is very important to sanitize your sink with an EPA-registered disinfectant. If you want to make your own disinfectant, you can do so by using vinegar and hydrogen peroxide. First, clean your sink with soap and water and then spray on vinegar, followed by a spray of hydrogen peroxide, allowing it to air-dry. Make sure you do not mix the two together, as they must be sprayed separately to achieve maximum sanitation. For a shiny finish on stainless steel, place a few drops of mineral oil in your sink and buff with a soft cloth. This cuts down on mold and water build-up.
3. Wash your dishwasher: The outside of our dishwashers tend to collect food particles and water scum, so once per week wipe it down with baking soda and a damp sponge. Around flu season, it is recommended by professionals that you run your normal dish cycle with the addition of one quarter-cup of bleach to help kill more bacteria.
4. Line your oven: Use a nonstick oven liner on the bottom of your oven for easy cleanup. The liner can be wiped down and cleaned in the dishwasher for reuse.
5. Sanitize your garbage disposal: Drop some salt, a couple ice cubes, and a sliced lemon into the disposal. While the salt and ice cubes wash away any residue, the lemon will deodorize leaving your sink smelling fresh.
6. Nix the paper towels: Micro fiber cloths are much more durable and are also reusable. When dampened, they can clean multiple surfaces such as floors, glass or tile, and counters, and are reasonably priced at about $5 for a pack of 2.
7. Microwave your sponge: Kitchen sponges are notorious for harboring nasty bacteria. For quick sanitization, squeeze your sponge out and microwave it on high for one minute every night. Once it becomes stinky and tattered, invest in a new one.
8. Clean while you cook: To cut down on clean-up time, fill your sink with water and let your cooking dishes be soaking while you eat. Also, clean any spills immediately. The longer a spill sits, the tougher it will be to clean up.
These tips can help bring efficiency to cleaning your kitchen, as well as cut down on the time and elbow grease it takes to make it look brand new.
Via: Woman’s Day
I do a lot of these…great tips!
You’re ahead of the game Teresa! Which were your favorite ones?
I put lemon and orange peels in my disposal for the odor but I’ll have to remember to use the salt and ice cubes. I also like the clockwise cleaning idea…never thought of doing that before!
The clockwise cleaning tip stuck with me as well Teresa, I never even thought that I could be spreading the germs around while cleaning!
Awesome suggestions! I will definitely start cleaning the kitchen clockwise!
Thank you Felicia, that was my favorite tip as well!