ALLBIDS Blog

Simple Kitchen Cleaning Tips You Need to Know

Tuesday, 11 September 2018 | Mike Leano

The kitchen is quite possibly the easiest and most frequent room to become untidy. Whenever you prepare food - which happens several times a day - pots, pans and appliances need to be cleaned.

However, it doesn't have to be a difficult task each time. We've compiled a number of easy kitchen cleaning tips to simplify the process.

Cleaning the microwave is easy peasy lemon squeezy

Have these ever happened to you?

• Upon opening the microwave door, a stink assaults your nose.
• While heating food with the microwave, you smell something unpleasant.
• The microwave's walls are simply full of hardened grime.

Here's an effective way to clean a stinky, filthy microwave:

1. Partially fill a microwaveable measuring cup or bowl with water, add a slice of lemon in the container, then place it in the microwave.
2. Microwave the container on high for about 4 to 6 minutes. The water should boil.
3. Leave the container in the microwave with the door closed for at least 15 minutes. The steam will loosen the grime and the lemon will absorb the odours.
4. Open the door and wipe away the grime with a paper towel.

If you don't have lemon, you can use 5 teaspoons of white vinegar, baking soda or vanilla as a substitute.

The solution to stained coffee pots

If you drink coffee regularly, then you might have noticed the stains on the insides of your coffee machine's glass pot. This tends to happen when we leave coffee inside the pot for long periods.

To remove the stubborn brown tinge, you'll need the following: a lemon, two tablespoons of salt, and some ice cubes. Here's how it's done:

1. Ensure the glass pot is empty and no longer hot.
2. Fill the pot with ice cubes a quarter of the way, then add the salt.
3. Slice the lemon into two and squeeze one half into the pot.
4. Gently mix everything for a couple of minutes - the stains will quickly disappear.
5. Rinse the pot thoroughly.

This solution works because the lemon's acid provides the cleaning power to cut through the stains, while the salt enables the scrubbing effect to remove coffee build-up.

An effortless way to clean the top of the fridge

Because we typically focus on what's inside the refrigerator when we clean the kitchen, it's easy to overlook what's on top of it. When this happens, dirt and grime easily accumulate there, making it harder to clean.

Here's an idea: cover the top of the fridge with a layer of plastic wrap. It's unobtrusive and you can simply replace it every month, which means you won't ever have to wipe the top of the fridge.

The secret to cleaning stainless steel

Anything made of stainless steel is tricky to clean. Abrasive cleaners and/or steel brushes can scratch it; hard or sitting water may stain it. You can use vinegar on stainless steel but the stuff isn't exactly an exemplary aroma that leaves a fresh scent.

Try vodka for cleaning instead. Simply apply some on a sponge or clean cloth, then start wiping. Your stainless steel surfaces should be clean in no time.

Erase scuff marks with tennis balls

Scuff marks can be a chore to remove regardless of what floor tile your kitchen uses. Worse, you can't just sweep them away. Fortunately, there's a far easier approach: use an old tennis ball to rub scrapes off. The ball's felt exterior acts like an eraser that easily removes scuff marks.

The best part - if your kitchen uses hardwood tiles, you won't have to apply abrasive chemicals that can damage the floor.

Note: If your floor frequently gets scuff marks, cut an "X" on the tennis ball, then insert it on the end of your broom handle so you won't have to get on your knees each time to remove the marks.

Take note that scuff marks are usually caused by shoe soles, furniture legs, stepladders and doors.

A great chopping board hack

Wooden chopping boards tend to smell like garlic over time and frequent use. Plus, it gets stained as well. To remove the scents and stains, turn to an old cleaning favourite: lemon and salt.

1. Cut a lemon in half and squeeze it onto the chopping board.
2. Sprinkle some salt on the board, then rub it vigorously with the lemon half.

The lemon's acid will neutralise odours, while grit of the salt removes the stains.

Get rid of stains on laminate countertops

Stone countertops are easy enough to clean (just use soft water and gentle soaps), but those made of plastic laminate? Not so much. In fact, stains on plastic laminate countertops are pretty tough.

The easy way to get it off is to:

1. Mix baking soda with water until it turns to gooey paste.
2. Spread the paste on the stain, then leave it there for about 5 minutes.
3. Rinse the paste with a soft cloth.

Additional tips:

• Don't scrub the countertop; this can scratch the laminate.
• For persistent stains, leave the paste overnight then rinse it with a cloth the next day.
• Try to avoid bleach as it can damage the laminate. If you must use bleach, test it first on a hidden corner for any discoloration. If there isn't any, moisten a cotton ball with bleach, rub the spot, rinse then dry.
  
  

Clear the air with fragrant scents

The kitchen is where we cook our food. As a result, the room usually smells like the last meal you prepared - and depending on the ingredients you used - its odour usually lingers. Here's how you can get rid of the persistent smell:

1. Fill a pot halfway with water.
2. Add a combination of fragrant ingredients in the water. This may include: sliced lemons and/or oranges, cinnamon and vanilla extract.
3. Boil the pot on your stovetop, then let it simmer for a couple of hours. Just make sure it's attended during this time.

Note: You can also use a crockpot instead of a stovetop. This way, you won't have to watch over the crockpot as it simmers.

Vegetable oil works great on wood

Wooden surfaces can be finicky to clean, especially when there's permanent marker written all over them. But good news - you don't need a fancy cleaner to get the stuff off without damaging the surface. Because vegetable oil should do just fine.

Simply apply some vegetable oil on a damp cloth, start wiping, and then add some elbow grease as necessary.

How to disinfect your garbage disposal

Garbage disposal units eventually smell bad because of the traces of rotten food inside. Here's an effective way to clean it and get rid of the odour:

1. Cut up some lemons, then place a piece in each compartment of an ice cube tray.
2. Fill each compartment with pure vinegar, then freeze the entire ice tray.
3. Whenever you need to clean the garbage disposal, place a few lemon/vinegar cubes inside and switch it on.

The cubed vinegar will clear the garbage disposal and the lemon will neutralise the odours.

Important

ALLBIDS holds numerous online auctions for all your kitchen cleaning and household needs. We also provide all buyers layers of protection on each auction, which means you can bid with complete confidence. So explore ALLBIDS today and start bidding.

If you wish to sell your kitchen supplies, try ALLBIDS. Give us a quick phone call, email message or chat to find out how.