The kitchen should be cleaned regularly. Areas such as the sink or worktop should be maintained daily, and our weekly routine should include general cleaning of the rest of the room. However, from time to time we should get into a thorough cleaning of the kitchen, and the changes of season are a good time for it.
Therefore, now that autumn has arrived and many of us have a kind of ‘anxiety‘ for the organization, which begins with the change of closet and ends with a review of all the drawers and cabinets of the house, we encourage you to take advantage of that energy to leave the kitchen as new.
Keys to do a thorough cleaning
1. Empty drawers and cabinets. The first step for our deep cleaning is going to be to mess with what is not seen. To do this, we will empty each cabinet and drawer one by one, checking for expired food, broken or damaged utensils. It is also a good time to donate, sell, or give away all those appliances that have been accumulating dust for years. Then, we will clean with warm water and neutral soap, before putting them back. It can also be a good time to rethink the organization and classification of the closets, move things around, write down what is missing in the pantry…
2. Clean the outside of the furniture. When we have finished with the interior, comes the simplest part, and is to clean the surface, for which we will make sure to use a product appropriate to the type of material of the furniture, although the mixture of warm water and neutral soap works with any. However, sometimes it may be necessary to use a degreasing product, especially on furniture close to the glass-ceramic.
3. Clean the appliances. To do this, we can use specific cleaning products, or a mixture of water and white vinegar.
4. Clean the inside of the oven, fridge, and microwave.
– To clean the oven we can use a paste made with water and bicarbonate for the whole interior. We will leave it to work for a while and then we will rinse it. If necessary, we will apply a degreasing product. On the other hand, the grids and trays can be left to soak with hot water and dishwasher soap.
– To clean the microwave we will put a lemon cut in half with a little water. We will heat it up for two minutes so that it generates steam. Then, we will let it rest until the water has evaporated and then clean it with a cloth.
– To clean the fridge, put half a liter of warm water, and three spoonfuls of bicarbonate in a container. Apply the mixture to the walls with a sponge and leave it to work for a few minutes. Then, we will rinse with a cloth. We can also apply the same procedure in the freezer, but we will have to empty it previously and wait for the ice or frost to melt. The latter can be accelerated with a bowl of hot water.
5. Clean the extractor hood. We will disassemble the filter plates of the hood. Afterward, we will boil water with white vinegar for an hour, because the steam generated will make the fat softer. Then, we will clean the whole interior of the hood with a cloth. As for the filters, we will put them in the dishwasher or clean them with water and an anti-fat product. The exterior will be cleaned with a cloth and a degreaser.
6. Clean the glass-ceramic. Although the plate is something we have to clean regularly, we must remember that to clean it we must use a specific product for this type of surface and a scraper.
7. Clean the worktop. In this case, it will depend on the type of material that forms it (ceramic, stone, wood…). Thus, the moments of thorough cleaning can be the ideal ones to check possible flaws, check the state of the joints, apply oil on the wooden worktops.
8. Clean the sink. In this case, it will also depend on the type of material, although the most common is to have a steel sink. In this case, we can apply white vinegar with a sponge all over the surface of the sink and then rinse. Besides, the key to this kind of sinks to stay always clean is to dry them after washing the dishes, so that there are no drops or water remains. Also, use an old toothbrush to clean the edges of the sink.
9. Clean tiles. For the general cleaning of the tiles, we can use a mixture of water and liquid soap. In the case that there is fat embedded or they have lost their white color, we can use ammonia for deeper cleaning. In addition, ammonia will also be useful for the joints.
10. Clean the floor. We will finish with another of the processes that should be part of the usual cleaning, and that is sweeping and scrubbing the kitchen floor.
Translated and adapted by Limepedia staff.
Sources: Facilisimo
