The kitchen is without a doubt one of the most used rooms in the house – which means it’s where you’re likely to find the most mess and wear. In this post, I’ll share you with my top tips on how to achieve and maintain an immaculate kitchen.
Oven
Like most of my cleaning solutions, I use a homemade solution to clean my oven. I use two ingredients which are vinegar and baking soda – my go-to cleaning ingredients. I choose to use these ingredients because they are completely safe, natural and effective – I choose to avoid using harsh chemicals wherever possible. Follow my eight steps to a gleaming oven:
- Remove everything from your oven. I.e. racks, thermometer etc.
- Create the cleaning paste. To do this mix half a cup of baking soda with four tablespoons of water. (This can be adjusted to your needs).
- Spread the paste over the entire inside of the oven using the kitchen scrubber (I use one from Susi’s Scrubbers). Although we will not be scrubbing the oven, it works well at holding the paste and applying it efficiently to every area.
- Leave the paste on for at least two hours.
- In this time, you can clean your oven racks. To do this simply place the racks in either your sink (if big enough) or bathtub. Pour boiling water over them, accompanied by half a cup of dishwasher detergent. Leave them to soak in this solution for thirty minutes to an hour. Then using the trusty kitchen scrubber, scrub any excess dirt and grime left on the racks.
- Now back to the inside of the oven. Take a damp dish cloth to remove the paste.
- Following this put equal parts of water and vinegar in a spray bottle and use this to coat the oven, spraying where you notice any baking soda residue. The vinegar will react with the baking soda and gently foam.
- Finally, wipe the oven again with a clean damp dishcloth, this should remove the remaining baking soda residue and leaving you with a shiny oven. You can then return your oven racks to your oven.
Worktops
To clean my worktops, I use two spray bottles and my kitchen scrubber. I have one spray bottle filled with soapy water, and the other with just water. I spray my surfaces with the soapy water and lightly scrub them down in a back and forth motion.
Following this, I then grab the bottle filled with only water and spray this over the surface and use a clean scrubber to wipe any excess soap away – as I do not want this to sink it to the surfaces. Finally, I thoroughly dry the surfaces with a dry cloth.
Sink
We all want to achieve a gleaming sink, we could almost see our faces in. To achieve this result, I could not be without my trusted scrubber; it effectively lifts soap deposits, food stains, rust and water spots.
I use the scrubber alongside baking soda, which softly cleans the stainless steel without scratching it. I sprinkle the baking soda over the entire sink and with the use the scrubber, rub in a circular motion to scrub the basin. Baking soda can also be used to prevent your sink from clogging up, so regularly pour it down the drain with some warm water to prevent any future clogging occurring.
In addition to cleaning your sink, you should also sanitize it. To do this fill your sink up with warm water and adding a small amount of bleach. Using the scrubber to wipe up the faucet and handles, let it sit for five-ten minutes, and then drain.
If bleach isn’t for you, then you can also use vinegar. It will help disinfect and remove stains just as well, simply wipe the sink down with a scrubber and a small amount of vinegar.
Fridge
One of the most satisfying places to clean. Start by emptying everything out of the fridge, including the shelves. Checking the cell by dates on your products as you go, the smell of out of date food is the worst! If you are unfortunate enough to experience this smell, leave a cut lemon in your fridge to help combat the bad smell.
To clean your sink, fill the sink or a large bowl with hot water mixed with a generous amount of washing up liquid and disinfectant. Use this formula to wipe down the inside and outside of the fridge, with use of the kitchen scrubber to help remove any stubborn stains.
Before using the same cleaning paste, I used to clean the oven (a mixture of baking soda and vinegar) and the scrubber to wipe down the shelves before rinsing any excess paste off with warm water. Leave the shelves and bottom tray to dry, before returning them to the fridge.
Dishes
I always use my scrubber from Susi’s Scrubbers to clean my dishes. I would like to assure you it is not the same one I use for cleaning my surfaces and appliances, I have one for cleaning those and one for the dishes. They are available in different colours, so I can easily identify which is which.
I choose to use a scrubber over a sponge to clean my dishes. I find it works effectively and is the most hygienic choice. This is because it has a quicker drying time, and you can simply hold the scrubber under warm water to easily remove any food particles (a sponge can absorb these) and then shake off any excess water before hanging it up using the useful hook to dry, ready for the next use.
Floor
To clean your floors and tiles in your kitchen. Mop your tile floor using this DIY cleaning recipe made up of one-quarter of a cup of white vinegar, one-quarter of a cup of baking soda, one tablespoon liquid dish soap and two gallons of hot water.
If you also have tiles on your walls, you can use the same solution, by putting it into a spray bottle and using the kitchen scrubber to gently scrub any residue away. This formula smells good and works effectively – what more could you want?!
Extra Top Tips:
- Using the soft brush option on your hoover, to clean up crumbs from your worktop. This will ensure you get into all the corners, without missing a spot.
- Shake the toaster upside down over the sink or bin. This will ensure any leftover crumbs are removed, avoiding a build-up and meaning your toasters lifetime will be boosted.
- Invest in my go-to scrubber from Susi’s Scrubbers. It is available in three colours: black, orange and neon green, and is worth every penny!
