Kitchens can take a lot of cleaning – especially if you’re a messy cook! – but while we often remember to do such things as wipe down counters, take out the trash and mop the floors, there may be some other aspects of keeping a kitchen clean that we fail to routinely do.
Check whether you’re remembering to clean these 7 spots in your kitchen, and if not, why don’t you hire a cleaning company to get them done on a regular basis?
- The dishwasher
Simple to clean, but important not to neglect, put a bowl containing a cup of white vinegar on the top rack of the dishwasher and run a cycle to cleanse it.
- The garbage can
The smallest of spillages in a trash can is enough to make it reek, and even the smell of stale trash can soon permeate the entire room. To avoid this, spray a mixture of vinegar, dish soap and water into the can when empty, and if there are any stubborn food particles, you may need to scrub the interior before rinsing it out. You can also sprinkle some baking soda over the bottom of the can from time to time to deodorize it.
- The refrigerator’s interior
Take all of the shelves, drawers and racks out of the fridge before soaking them in hot, soapy water. Then, combine two tablespoons of baking soda with hot water and wipe the interior of the fridge. Once that’s done, rinse off everything that you took out, dry it off and return them.
- The inside of cabinets
Once you’ve taken everything out from the kitchen cabinets, you can start by vacuuming up any crumbs with the hose attachment, and then wipe the insides down with a mixture of warm water and dish soap. Dry them off and return everything – helpful hint: this would be a good time to check the contents for out of date food or items you no longer want.
- Sponges
Did you know that by cooking your kitchen sponges in the microwave for one minute you can sterilize them? If you love your sponge and it’s still got plenty of life left in it, try this and you can also pop it in the dishwasher and set it going on the heated dry setting.
- The coffee maker
It’s important to clean the coffee maker out at least once a week if it’s used every day, and you can do this by filling it with half a cup of water and half a cup of vinegar, running it on a normal cycle, and pausing it halfway through so that it can soak. After half an hour or so, rinse out the reservoir with soapy water and run two more cycles with just water; in the last one, sprinkle some baking soda to see if it fizzes, and if so, it means there may still be some vinegar left behind. If so, rinse the reservoir once more and wipe it dry.
- The cutlery tray
Cutlery trays can quickly become full of crumbs and other food debris, and while you might be making efforts to keep the cutlery itself clean, what’s the good in that if the tray you store them in is dirty? Take everything out of the tray, wash it with warm, soapy water and return it once dry.
For all those other forgotten areas of your kitchen (or entire home!), hiring a cleaning service could help keep them clean all day, every day.
