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Kitchen cleaning tips

It was a pretty miserable weekend for many parts of Australia and I'm sure many in the Workshop community spent most of it indoors.

One chore we got stuck into was giving the kitchen a really good clean. It looks great now but we did struggle with the best approach for cleaning the cast iron trivets on the cooktop which get greasy over time.

This week I thought it would be handy if community members share their top tips for cleaning the kitchen.

What advice can you share with the community for making light work of kitchen cleaning chores and getting a great result?

Jason

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Isobel

I really like the Orange power spray bottles for use in the kitchen and bathroom. I think its called a multi-purpose cleaner. Environmentally friendly - no harsh chemicals - lovely smell and work great.

Similiarly, I find the best way to clean the microwave is just to pour water into a bowl. Cut a lemon in half, squeeze all the juice into the bowl, then throw the two lemon halves in the water as well. Then microwave it for a few minutes and let it stand for at least 5 minutes. Be careful when you take out the hot bowl and then just wipe down all the surfaces in the oven.

Andy_Mann

@Isobel

Great tips as always Isobel.

We've only had electric hotplates in our kitchen, but we replaced the original coiled heating element hotplates, with 2nd hand solid cast iron hot plates. They weren't ready for the tip, but they weren't showroom either, so I fitted my reciprocating saw with a wire brush, & went to work on them. The black finish took a beating, but they were restored to brand spanking new condition after using:

http://www.rubbedinpro.com.au/Product/38/The-Magic-Range/Hotplate-Magic-Cast-Iron-Hotplate-Cleaner

TIP FOR GAS AFFICIANARDOS Switch to electric Ceran hotplates, which look like a sheet of glass with no fiddly bits, or nooks & crannies, or better still, go induction. ; )

CLEANING LAMINEX/FORMICA/GLOSSY SURFACES

I wet a micro-fibre cloth with cold water, then wring it out until it's just damp.

DO NOT use warm or hot water, as it will smear if there are any grease deposits.

Micro-fibre cloths hold the grime in their very fine striations that run the whole length of their filaments, so an occasional clean of the cloth in warm sudsy water will restore them to being useable again.

Mind you, the cupboards would have to be damned shabby for you to have to do that. If it's just fingerprints & light spills, you probably won't have to clean the cloth for the whole kitchen clean up.

As an example of it's efficiency, I used to use a kitchen sponge with warm water & detergent, then had to rinse the suds off, & then buff with a tea towel to remove any water droplets. It looked great after 1&1/2 hours.

By contrast, the cold water Micro-fibre cloth method takes 10 minutes to end up with the same result. : )

CathD

Just remember with the likes of orange powder, lemon and vinegar to keep them away from marble and other natural stone surfaces as the acid will eat into them. Also, don't be tempted to use vinegar on floorboards as it will strip off the polish.

For stove burners, take about a quarter of a cup of ammonia and seal it up with one of the burners in a large zip-lock bag and leave it overnight. In the morning you should be just able to wipe them clean

ProjectPete

My best tip: Make sure you have plans, go missing, fall sick or become mysteriously allergic to sponges and cleaning chemicals when it's time to do it 🙂

darylhewston

Funny thing that.....Deb got stuck into ours on the weekend. She used BBQ stainless steel cleaner on all the stainless fittings and fixtures. She also loves the dishwasher and puts practically everything in it, including believe it or not, the BBQ cast iron grill plates. They come out a treat. A quick coat of spray oil and they are ready to go.

Andy_Mann

If you hand wash dishes, & want to wring the water from a scourer so that it doesn't drip all over the place when putting it away, then here's the go.
Lay your dish washing cloth out flat, place the scourer flat on the dish cloth, preferable near one end of the cloth so that when you fold the 2 together, the dish cloth is in contact with both sides. Next, roll it up & twist each end in opposite directions, & you'll be amazed at how dry the scourer becomes.
note: If you use a kitchen sponge for dishwashing, this technique isn't suitable, as you won't get the squeese/compression needed, & you'll trash the sponge every time. Micro fibre cloths rule, they wash well, dry the sink & table top nicely, & clean up easily.

Jason

There's some good tips here - How to clean the seven most neglected spots in your kitchen

Jason

Dee-Cluttered

Dryer sheets are great to clean baked on food from dishes and oven racks and trays. Just cover the dish or rack etc in warm water and lay a dryer sheet over the item. Make sure it is in contact. Wait two hours or more and wipe off the black and brown stubborn burnt on grime.

Jason

Thanks for joining in the discussion and sharing your tips @Dee-Cluttered.

Thanks also for joining us on Workshop. It's fantastic to have you as part of the community. I'm looking forward to reading more of your advice and hearing about your projects and plans. I trust that you will receive plenty of helpful information and inspiration in turn from our other community members.

Please let me know if you ever need a hand getting the most from the site or have any feedback about how we can make Workshop more useful for you.

Jason

Prof

Interesting that this conversation has come up..
I've just given my bench tops a good going over a few days ago..
I took everything off the tops and got into those nasty corners that always get missed and behind various items and pieces of equipment..

Now I haven't used a commercial surface spray cleaner for decades..I make my own!
It does an excellent job on grease and works better that most commercial cleaners..

If anyone's not happy with there spray cleaner, this is a good alternative..

Here is the formula..
1.5 litre water (1 cup boiled)
300ml vinegar
60ml dishwashing liquid
25ml eucalyptus oil
3 dessertspoons "Lectric" soda (washing soda)

Procedure..
Mix washing soda with about 1 cup boiling water to dissolve, add remaining ingredients, pour into a
2 litre bottle (I use the plastic vinegar ones).

To use..
This nearly fills the 2 litre bottle, then I decant into spray bottles for benches and laundry..
It's also can be used in the kitchen, bathroom and laundry, makes short work of outdoor furniture and
barbecues, it even cleans up joggers and dirty sport shoes. Use it in the toilet, on floors, to clean
painted surfaces, to clean showers and tiled surfaces.

Happy cleaning!

Jason

Many thanks for sharing @Prof.

I wonder whether other community members have their own recipes for D.I.Y. cleaning solutions.

Jason

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