Kitchen & Cleaning Tips

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In any kitchen, it is very important to keep track of all, and we have some really cool tips for every little thing we can do in the kitchen.

Kitty

Doing the Dishes

• Fill especially dirty pots that have coated, baked-on food with water and 1/4 cup powdered dishwasher detergent or baking soda. Bring the mixture to a boil, remove from heat, and let soak for an hour. Scrape the pot with a spoon or rubber spatula and finish up washing as you normally would.
• Fill badly burned pots without nonstick coatings with cold water and 2 or 3 tablespoons salt. Let soak overnight. Slowly bring the water to a boil; the burn marks should disappear (You may need to repeat a few times). Then wash as you normally would.
• When using the dishwasher, put heavy-duty wash jobs on the bottom rack, delicate dishes and glassware on the upper rack. Don’t place items over the prongs on the upper rack but use the prongs to hold glasses and mugs in place. DO use only the recommended amount of detergent — too much can leave behind a residue, and too little can result in dirty dishes.DON’T jam too many pieces into the silverware basket, which can lead them to get scratched.

Cleaning the Fridge

• Wipe up spills immediately, before they have a chance to dry.
• Make sure everything that goes into the fridge is immaculate; wipe off rims of jam jars, salad dressing bottles, and ketchup containers before storing them. Check for spoilage and throw out anything past its prime.
• Place anything likely to leak, such as defrosting meat or cartons of berries, on a rimmed plate.
• Regular maintenance and storing leftovers in airtight containers are the best ways to prevent odors. Even so, you may still be plagued with smells from time to time. Try spreading a box of baking soda onto a rimmed baking sheet. Leave it inside with the door closed, until the smell goes away.Another method is to spread fresh coffee grounds on a tray inside, until the smell goes away. The lingering coffee scent will eventually disappear. Or, place activated charcoal (available at drugstores or pet shops) on a tray inside, with the fridge temperature set on “low.” Cat litter can also help. Spread 1/2 inch unscented chlorophyll cat litter in a shallow pan and leave it inside until the smell is gone.

Stove

• Dirty stoves may attract bugs, create smoke as food spills burn off of them during cooking and look unattractive. Excessive grease spills can also present a fire hazard under extremely high cooking temperatures. Dried food spills do not always wipe off of stoves easily, but a few tips for how to clean stove tops can help remove spills and stains.
• Try using a soft rag or sponge to clean stove tops, and soften spills with warm water.
• Baking soda mixed with warm water helps get rid of stains, but will not scratch stove surfaces or contaminate the cooking area with harsh chemicals. Vinegar will also help cut through stubborn grease stains without toxic chemicals.
• Electric stoves have metal drip pans underneath the heating units. Spills tend to bubble over into the drip pans, causing burning smells while cooking.
  A suggestion is to lift up the heating element during cleaning to wipe off the metal ring and drip pan around and under the element. To avoid having to clean the drip pans in the future, you can cover them with foil. Simply change the foil when the drip pans get dirty rather than spending time scrubbing off dried stains.
• Rather than spending effort scrubbing spills off of a stove top’s heating elements, turn each element on and let the spill burn off. Make sure to turn on any kitchen fans and open windows to avoid excess smoke. Watch the stove carefully, and turn it off to avoid a fire hazard as soon as the stains burn off.
• Stove knobs usually pull off easily, according to Penn State University. For easier cleaning, remove greasy stove knobs and soak them in warm soapy water.

Kitchen Appliances

• If you wipe appliances regularly with a damp cloth or sponge, most will require little additional maintenance. A buildup of grime, however, calls for a bit more elbow grease and sometimes even a particular cleaning solution. Before you get to work, be sure to consult the owner’s manual or call the company’s customer-service line, since manufacturers use a variety of materials to make their appliances.
• Wipe off stove spills and splatters immediately, because they become more difficult to clean off when they dry and become hard.

Tips from Martha Stewart.com, WikiHow and About.com

Picture by M.R Photography

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This post is also available in / Esta entrada también está disponible en ESPAÑOL (SPANISH)