The Kitchen
Hygiene in the kitchen is all-important, as it is one of the main rooms in your house. A dirty kitchen may lead to negative consequences on your family's health because this is where you cook your food. An unclean kitchen will be a breeding ground for bacteria and germs, which can even cause food poisoning. Hence, if you care about your family's health, cleaning the kitchen is essential for you. Basic hints about kitchen cleaning:
Place every thing in a proper order. Get a stand for your kitchenware and utensils. It will not only make your kitchen look spacious, but it will be easy to locate them for use. Keep electrical appliances in one corner of the kitchen counter where there is an electric point, so that there is no need to move them about.
You need to identify the areas that attract grime and dirt, and pay attention to them while cleaning. Never leave food in uncovered utensils because dirt or insects may fall into them. This food could become infected with bacteria. If children consume the food, they could fall ill.
There are a lot of kitchen cleaning products that are available in the market. They contain sterilizing agents; hence, you can use these products to disinfect your kitchen and its equipment. However, never use a mixture of ammonia and bleach for cleaning anything in your kitchen because it creates toxic fumes.
You need to clean your kitchen everyday. Although everyday extensive cleaning is unnecessary, nevertheless, the kitchen counter, the dishes, the kitchen sink etc, do need daily cleaning. Make sure you wash your dishes with a good detergent, or you can use a dishwasher. You could run it before going to bed and unload it in the morning. The refrigerator can be cleaned once a month, because it takes a lot of time. Ovens and other electrical appliances must be cleaned whenever they get dirty. Instead of a sponge use a paper towel. Kitchen towels must be changed regularly, as a damp towel can attract bacteria. The germs are easily transferred to utensils, if you touch them after using the towel.
How to clean kitchen components:
Refrigerator cleaning:
There are a lot of kitchen cleaning products that are available in the market. They contain sterilizing agents; hence, you can use these products to disinfect your kitchen and its equipment. However, never use a mixture of ammonia and bleach for cleaning anything in your kitchen because it creates toxic fumes.
You need to clean your kitchen everyday. Although everyday extensive cleaning is unnecessary, nevertheless, the kitchen counter, the dishes, the kitchen sink etc, do need daily cleaning. Make sure you wash your dishes with a good detergent, or you can use a dishwasher. You could run it before going to bed and unload it in the morning. The refrigerator can be cleaned once a month, because it takes a lot of time. Ovens and other electrical appliances must be cleaned whenever they get dirty. Instead of a sponge use a paper towel. Kitchen towels must be changed regularly, as a damp towel can attract bacteria. The germs are easily transferred to utensils, if you touch them after using the towel.
How to clean kitchen components:
Refrigerator cleaning:
An unclean refrigerator gives rise to bacterial growth, and contaminates the food inside. To begin cleaning it, you need to first switch the thermostat off, and remove all the shelves from inside. Wear gloves and clean the interior with a sponge dipped in a bleaching or cleaning solution. Use a brush to reach the areas inside the fridge where the sponge cannot. Spray disinfectant on the shelves and wipe them thoroughly. After cleaning the interior of the fridge, wipe it dry with a towel. Even though the fridge cannot be cleaned inside everyday, the exterior certainly can be done daily. Make sure to keep food like fish, garlic paste or broccoli covered so that your fridge is free from their odor. Wipe the bottles and dishes before placing them back inside. You can put baking soda, orange skin or charcoal briquettes inside the fridge as fresheners. You could also clean the coils at the back as well.
Oven cleaning:
Oven cleaning:
Remove the racks and heat the oven to 800-900 degrees temperature. This will convert the grease and stains to powder, making it easy for you to clean. If your oven has the self-locking cleaning system then you need not worry. Those without self-cleaning ovens, however, need to clean the racks by immersing them in soapy hot water. Wipe the interiors with a cleaning product. Wait for ten minutes, and then wipe the grease and dirt with a damp sponge, and rinse with water.
Dishes, utensils and sink:
Dishes, utensils and sink:
Use a dishwasher to clean your utensils and dishes. You can also hand wash them if you like, but that is time consuming. Keep the dishes on a dish drainer after washing, to dry them before putting them back on stands or inside cabinets. It is advisable to towel dry the dishes so that all traces of water is removed. Once you have put the dishes and utensils away, make sure to clean your kitchen sink before you leave the kitchen.
Walls, floor and ceiling:
Walls, floor and ceiling:
Clean the ceilings and walls of your kitchen with a broom or a cobweb eliminator, to get rid of cobwebs. Mop the floor and wash the walls with water and sponge. Move the fridge and cupboards out of the way when you clean the walls.
Counter tops and cabinets:
Counter tops and cabinets:
Remove everything from your kitchen cabinets and keep aside. Wipe the interiors of the cabinet with a dry towel, and then place everything back. If there has been spillage inside your cabinet, you can use a sponge dipped in water to remove the stain.
Every time you finish working in the kitchen, you need to wipe the counter top to wipe out all traces of spills or stains. It is important to keep everything in the kitchen organized. Place all the crockery in one place. If you have enough space, keep your glassware and daily use dinner plates and dishes, in separate cabinets. The idea is to keep everything organized so that you do not have a problem finding or putting things back in place after use.
Every time you finish working in the kitchen, you need to wipe the counter top to wipe out all traces of spills or stains. It is important to keep everything in the kitchen organized. Place all the crockery in one place. If you have enough space, keep your glassware and daily use dinner plates and dishes, in separate cabinets. The idea is to keep everything organized so that you do not have a problem finding or putting things back in place after use.