A clean cooking surface in the kitchen ensures a healthier and safer preparation of food for your family. It is also always nice to cook or bake in a clean kitchen. Having a clean kitchen, storage containers and cupboards are all preventive measures against harmful bacteria built up. Once you are aware of some useful measures in cleaning up a kitchen, it will become second nature to your cooking routine. You will not only have a cleaner kitchen but will definitely save a lot of money and time. Here are some useful tips which can help you in maintaining a cleaner and healthier kitchen.
General overview
a. Assign a place for each item in the kitchen so that once they have been used, they can be washed, dried and stored away. Knives, wrappers and foils can each have their own little drawers. Finding them is also easier when you know their assigned places.
b. Mixing bleach and ammonia can create toxic fumes, so take care to keep them separate.
c.Try to use disposable paper towels as sponges tend to pick up bacteria. Also, rinse dishwasher, clean the sink and empty out all trash before you call it a night.
d. Time time everyday to clean areas which clutter up and get dirty.
Instant fixes
a. Add some dish soap and water into a burned dish and bring to boil and let it cool. This will make it easier to clean out the burnt part. For cleaning oven sides which got food spills and burned, sprinkle salt and let oven cool then wipe clean.
b. Pour 1/2 cup baking soda down the drain to clean out slug. To this, add 1/2 cup white vinegar and cover the drain for a few minutes. Flush it by pouring down 8 cups of boiling water down the drain. However, do not do this if you have used a commercial cleaner or drain opener.
Make your own cleaning solution
a. A mixture of 1/4 cup rubbing alcohol, 1/3 cup vinegar in a 1 quart spray bottle of water makes for a good window cleaning solution. You can also make an all purpose cleaner by mixing water and a bit of liquid ivory soap. Store this in a spray bottle and use whenever required.
b. For cleaning copper, cut a lemon into half and sprinkle with salt to rub over the pot and for chrome, use dry baking soda. Porcelain can be cleaned with a mixture of water and cream of tartar. Coffee stains can easily be cleaned out with a paste of baking soda. For general cleaner, dissolve 1/4 cup baking soda in 1 quart of warm water and store in a spray bottle.
Preventive measures
a. Always clean up spills immediately, and the same goes for the grill rack as well.
b. Clean out your refrigerator at least once a week. Throw out food that has been stored for too long or have expired. Clean out the pantry properly once every month and replace food stuffs and other things back in their own station.
c. Drop in used utensils even as you work into a sink of warm, soapy water so food does not dry up on the utensils. This will make cleaning a lot easier for you.
