Even if your kitchen looks clean to the untrained eye, it might be that these 8 items inside it, are deceptively grubby. Hiring a cleaning service can help ensure that no part of your kitchen stays dirty for long, but if you prefer to tackle your own cleaning, check these 8 items today for their cleanliness and hygiene:
- Dishwasher
If your dishwasher has begun to smell or has a build-up of grime and slime in and around the door, simply place a dishwasher-safe bowl with a cup of white vinegar on the top rack, and run a normal cycle without detergent or dishes.
- Garbage can
Even if you take the trash out regularly, the can will inevitably begin to smell over time, and so it’s best to clean it out thoroughly at least once a month, by mixing two cups of vinegar, a tablespoon of dish soap and water in a spray bottle, and using it to spray down the inside and outside of the can. Rinse, dry and sprinkle baking soda in the bottom once a week to help deodorize it.
- Refrigerator
If the inside of your refrigerator is looking a little grimy, set aside a couple of hours to take everything out and give it a thorough clean. Soak the shelves, racks and drawers in hot water and soap, and use a combination of baking soda and hot water to wipe down the interior and exterior. Rinse everything off, dry and replace.
- The inside of your cabinets
Take everything out of the cabinets and vacuum or wipe them down quickly first to remove any larger bits of food debris and dust. Then, dip a dry cloth into a mixture of warm water and soap and wipe them down, before drying them off and replacing everything.
- Sponges and cloths
These can harbor hundreds of bacteria if not changed or washed thoroughly, but cooking them in the microwave on high for one minute will eliminate them and get them hygienically clean.
- Coffee maker
Used every day, it can be easy to forget to clean your coffee maker, but you should try to do so at least every couple of weeks if used frequently. To do so, fill your coffee maker with ½ cup water and ½ vinegar before running it through half of a normal drip cycle, pausing it to soak for approximately 30 minutes. Then, rinse the reservoir with soap and hot water, and run two more cycles with just water, allowing it to filter through the system. In the last cycle, add a few drops of baking soda, and if it fizzes, there is still vinegar and you’ll need to washthe inside of the reservoir again.
- Pet bowls
Using soap and hot water, wash your pets bowls by hand, or place them in the dishwasher. While it can be tempting not to wash them very often (especially if your pet licks them clean!), for hygiene purposes, they should be washed at least every other day.
- Cutlery tray
While your cutlery is cleaned every day, where you store it likely isn’t and bits of food and other debris can easily and quickly build up in it. every other week, take the cutlery out and wash the tray in hot, soapy water.
For a hygienically clean kitchen every day of the week, and to get every corner of your home clean and tidy, hire a professional cleaning service.
