Kitchen Cleaning Hacks

The cold winter days are stretching out in a seemingly endless fashion and you can’t wait for warmer, sunnier days to get here. Traditionally, houses are given a deep cleaning when these warmer days arrive in a show of ‘spring cleaning. But why wait that long? We suggest you get the intense cleaning out of the way since you’re sitting at home anyway because of the bad weather. Besides, the work will warm you up and you’ll be free to enjoy the outdoors when the sunny days arrive.

Why don’t you start by giving your kitchen a thorough scrub? It’s been through a lot these last few months, between the excessive amount of food cooked for Christmas and New Year’s, and the delicious baked treats you’ve probably been making to ward off the winter blues, it’s likely there’s a lot of grub residue.

Clean your microwave by heating up a microwave-safe bowl of water and white vinegar or water and lemon juice (for a fresh scent). Leave the bowl to sit for a few minutes so as to allow the acidic steam to break down the food stains, and wipe them off.

Similarly, to clean your oven, you can place a shallow dish of ammonia on the top rack and a pot of boiling water on the bottom rack. Allow to sit overnight and wipe off the stains in the morning.

The kitchen backsplash is perhaps the area that we most tend to forget. Remove grease by giving it a rub down in rubbing alcohol. Add baking soda to the alcohol if the grease has been there for a while. Make sure that there are no open flames anywhere near while you are doing this!

While the most obvious places are the bigger areas and appliances, don’t forget the little details. A dish sponge gathers bacteria quickly and is not as clean as you might think despite being soaked in water and soap frequently. Pop your sponge in the microwave for 30 seconds to kill any bacteria and let it cool down for a minute or two before getting it out.

Add shine to dull glasses by using a paper towel to wipe them using vinegar. Simple, but effective!

Don’t forget your bin! Sprinkle some baking soda paste on the dirt stuck to the bottom of the bin and hose it down outdoors to get it looking as good as new.