People spend a lot of time in the kitchen and it’s perhaps one of the hardest places to keep clean with oil all over the place, flour getting sprayed and dishes piling up every minute of the day. However, there are some quick ways to deal with the mess and avoid the build-up of dirt and slimes in the kitchen, where hygiene is of the utmost importance.
Start with the dishes
A full sink can make a clean kitchen look messy and disorganized. Start by collecting all the dirty dishes and either put them in the dishwasher or place them in the sink. If you are cleaning a few dishes, soak them in soapy water, rinse and dry off. Instill the habit of placing dirty dishes in the dishwasher. This would save you a lot of time in the kitchen.
Move to the countertops
Countertops and working areas should be left as empty as possible. If there is any sticky or greasy area, simply lay a warm dishcloth over the problematic area. There is no need to scrub that area. Make sure to clean as you go. If you have just fried food on the stove and there’s oil, don’t allow it to sit there. Grab a warm cloth and clean as soon as you are done with cooking. It’s harder to get rid of hardened grease than fresh oil from the walls and stoves.
When to clean the refrigerator?
If an egg broke or anything got spilled, clean it up immediately. Leaving the spilled food will only make the refrigerator smelly and turn the substance into a sticky stubborn spot which you will have to spend a lot of time cleaning later on. Take care of the spilled food at once.
Make it a rule of thumb to clean the refrigerator the day before you go grocery shopping. There’s a good chance for you to get everything out of the fridge, spot spoilt left-over food and expired items. Moreover, it’s easier to clean the refrigerator when it’s nearly empty as you don’t have to rush to put the shelves back in. To keep the fridge free from smelly odors, keep a box of baking soda to absorb bad odors.
How about the microwave?
As for the microwave, you can easily clean it by placing wet towels or the sponge you use to wash the wishes in the microwave and run it on high for about 2-4 minutes. If there is any grime or splashed oil, the steam will soften these and you can wipe the microwave as soon as it’s done. If you use the sponge, you will also be sanitizing it by killing the bacteria.
Make sure to always keep the sponge by the sink wrung and dry. Make it a rule to change it every month or so. They can harbor a lot of harmful bacteria and the best way to deal with an old sponge is to replace it.
Pots and Pans
The best way to deal with pans and pots with burnt food in them is too fill them with water and let them boil on the stove. The food will gradually detach by themselves and in the meantime, you can spend the time to clean the kitchen or load the dishwasher.
The kitchen floor
When you are cooking, it’s normal that food or liquid get spilled on the floor. Food also tends to end up on the floor if you have children. Therefore, to make your monthly cleaning sessions lighter, clean the floor as soon as food hits it. It’s easy for children to walk on the spilled food and drag them all over the food. By wiping the spilled food, mopping the floor will be an easier task.
The trash can
To have a clean and odor-less kitchen, make sure that the trash can is emptied every night. Avoid keeping the rash in the kitchen as bacteria and other germs may breed and spread. Moreover, to get rid of the bad smells, spread some baking soda at the bottom of the trash can. And to save yourself time when you are emptying and lining the trash can, place a week’s trash bags in the can so that when you take one out, there will be another bag ready. It’s such a time-saver having an already lined trash can!
