Tidying up the kitchen after a long day of cooking can feel like a huge chore. However, keeping appliances like your fridge and oven clean is crucial to ensure they perform correctly and safely. Luckily, some techniques can make the process easier. You’ll find some immensely helpful tips for cleaning your kitchen appliances below.
How Often Should You Clean Your Kitchen Appliances?
There are many benefits to cleaning kitchen appliances regularly, including ensuring they work exactly like they’re supposed to when you use them. You should make sure you’re sticking to a reasonably regular schedule for cleaning appliances. Pick one day a week to run through every machine you use.
Taking Care of Your Fridge
If you had a contest to determine the dirtiest place in your home, the space behind your refrigerator would likely win. When you take it out and see the grime and filth that’s been hiding back there, you’ll have your hands full, but it’s essential to confront it head-on before it spills into the rest of your kitchen.
Begin by sweeping, then mopping everything up, taking out your vacuum, and working on the coils behind the refrigerator. The unspoken value of cleaning them is that your refrigerator motor will run better—exerting less strain on it will make your fridge more efficient and extend its life.
After that, take some time to clean your door gaskets and replace loose ones. Again, a better seal should save energy, and cleaning the gaskets will make your door easier to open and close and help it last longer.
For the inside of the fridge, make a solution of water and white vinegar, or use soapy water. Wipe everything down and pay extra attention to finding and cleaning up spills. Wipe down the stainless steel doors and sides with a wet cloth to finish.
Cleaning the Oven
While most ovens include a self-cleaning function, you should avoid using it. In extreme situations, your oven may become so hot that it begins to burn out vital components. Furthermore, self-cleaning modes cannot reach the dirt surrounding the frame and door hinges, and gaps in multi-tiered ovens usually serve as crumb collectors.
You’ll want to take a wet rag, wipe down the exteriors, and sweep up any bits and pieces that fall on the floor. It may be necessary to use baking soda or a tiny amount of specialized oven cleaner on the inside, but the effort is well worth it. It may even persuade you to wipe up spills quickly, so you never have to do this work again.
Dishwasher Safe Options
The drain in the bottom of your dishwasher frequently functions as a catch basin for trash, so dig in and grab it all. You may also deodorize your dishwasher by placing a bowl of white vinegar on the top rack and running it through a complete cycle without any dishes to clean.
Using these helpful tips for cleaning your appliances will ensure that you can get the job done quicker than it usually might take. Even better, the next time you need to clean up, it will be considerably more manageable.
