If you have guessed it, you were absolutely right – your kitchen is the perfect and most potent breeding ground for mold, infestations, insects and waste in the entire house, and more often than not, it gets neglected to the point where you are wasting valuable resources such as energy and money.
There are plenty of appliances you should clean thoroughly and regularly if you want your kitchen to become an energy-saving powerhouse, so put on your rubber gloves, blast the speakers, and let’s make your kitchen shine like a crazy diamond!
Dishwasher
Your dishwasher is already clean because it is constantly running cycles wash cycles, right? Wrong. The dishwasher can be one of the filthiest appliances in your kitchen, topped only by the oven or the refrigerator. Therefore, it’s imperative that you run an empty wash cycle, preferably on ultimate settings for an extra kick with the sanitize option turned on. Be sure to remove and clean the filter beforehand, otherwise the entire process would have been for nothing.
While this solution alone should be enough to wipe out any dirt and unpleasant fragrances from the appliance, if the nasty odors persist and you still notice any dirt spots, you use a strong vinegar solution and pour it into the wash cycle of scrub the air by hand. However, be sure to adhere to the manufacturer’s instruction and refrain from scrubbing the interior with abrasive substances and materials if not directly specified.
Oven
Cleaning the oven can prove to be the most demanding chore you have ever done. Luckily, you can employ some devious tricks to your advantage that will spare you the time and scrubbing power you would otherwise need to bring your oven back to its former glory. Because food residue can accumulate to staggering levels, often left neglected for months on end, it becomes impossible to simply scrub it off with a cleaner and a sponge.
You need to loosen up the hardened grease and hard-core stains before you start scrubbing and the best way to do that is to run a self-cleaning cycle. Given the likely fact that your oven doesn’t have a self-cleaning cycle, you should get some clouded ammonia and place it in a warm oven for three hours, after which you can wipe off the interior with detergent.
Fridge
Depending on its use, the refrigerator can become the most potent setting for germ infestations, especially its vegetable drawers and door shelves. The majority of food-borne illnesses can be prevented with a regular and thorough cleaning of the interior, while refrigerator performance can be optimized with exterior scrubbing and dusting. For the interior, you don’t want to use any chemicals, so it’s best to douse a sponge in a water and baking soda solution and scrub it thoroughly. The exterior can be washed with regular cleaners, although you should pay special attention to removing and cleaning the condenser coil on the back, to ensure the fridge is running efficiently.
Water filter
Cleaning the water filter on a regular basis, as per the manufacturer’s instructions, will avoid any damage to the water purifier system, but more importantly, it will ensure the flow of fresh, healthy water. A premium under-sink water filter is easy to maintain, you simply need to close the valves, remove the housing and cartridges and clean them with warm water and a soft brush. Then add a sanitizing solution, run the water and let the solution clean the housing for 30 minutes, after which you can return the cartridges and run water through them for 5 minutes. Alternatively, you can have your plumber do it if you are reluctant to handle sensitive appliances.
Microwave
Although easy to clean, the microwave is often neglected and left to accumulate persistent stains and food residue, resulting in nasty odors and diminished appliance efficiency. First, you have to unplug the microwave, remove the turntable, and proceed to wash it thoroughly with water and detergent – the turntable, not the microwave.
Next, you want to douse a towel in hot water and scrub away the stains on the inside. If unpleasant odors persist, leave a bowl of baking soda mixed with lemon juice in the microwave overnight. In the morning, scrub the interior one more time for good measure.
Cleaning your kitchen appliances regularly will not only promote a healthy lifestyle but will also ensure energy and water efficiency across the board, resulting in decreased expenses and increased efficiency and quality of life.