Kitchens are used frequently in every home, but they are often the one room that individuals and family members hate having to clean. That said, if you are preparing food in your kitchen, then it’s important for many reasons that you try to keep it clean, even if you don’t give it a top to bottom clean every day. Here are a few quick and easy tips for cleaning your kitchen; some of these should be followed daily, while others will be weekly:
- Begin with the sink:
Nothing will make your kitchen look dirty and untidy quicker than a sink full of dirty pots and pans, or a sink that has long since lost its’ sparkle.
Try to use your kitchen sink as a benchmark for cleanliness throughout the entire room and be sure to leave it free of clutter with its surfaces at least clean, even if they don’t sparkle. Load your dishwasher rather than letting items stack up in the sink or wash and dry them as soon as possible. Wipe down your sink with an antibacterial solution daily to prevent water stains and germs from building up on it; lemons will do a wonderful job of making your sink and faucets shine without leaving behind a toxic aroma.
Try to do this every day, or at least every other day depending on how dirty it is.
- Don’t be tempted to leave stains overnight:
Try wherever possible to clean up spilled food and other stains as soon as they happen – including the stove top – not only will this help keep your kitchen surfaces clean and free from germs, but the stains will be far easier to clean when they haven’t had time to become encrusted to the surface.
This really should be done every day.
- Clean up crumbs and other debris:
A dirty kitchen floor is not a good look, and even if you don’t have the time to mop or vacuum it thoroughly every day, you should at least try to sweep it to remove crumbs and other debris.
As mentioned, a full cleaning of the floor need not be done daily but sweeping should be.
- Don’t forget the trash can:
Just because the garbage can is designed to hold trash, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t keep it clean. Try to be careful when placing items in the can to begin with – and encourage other members of your household to do the same – but if an accident should happen and perhaps the liner bag breaks or something goes down the side, clean it with disinfectant as soon as you notice that it has happened.
Cleaning your trash can at least once a week is a good idea though, irrespective of a lack of spillages, as they can soon become smelly and make your entire kitchen unclean.
Once a week is enough for this cleaning task unless it really smells or has become very dirty.
- Never neglect your oven:
The less frequently you clean your oven or microwave, the quicker it will become a smelly health hazard. Spilled food will continue to smell and burn every time you turn the oven on, and your food can even become tainted. If your oven is very greasy and grimy, you may want to purchase an industrial strength cleaning solution that can be applied and left for a few hours, or even overnight, otherwise, any standard oven cleaner should remove the dirt provided you’re willing to use a bit of elbow grease.
Try to do this every time you have a spillage inside the oven, but a deep oven clean should be carried out once a month.
- Admit defeat!
Sometimes it’s best just to admit that your kitchen is in a bad way, and that you alone can’t handle the task of cleaning it. In such cases, never be ashamed to seek professional help; engaging with a cleaning service might be the quickest and most hygienic solution to a kitchen that has got out of hand.