Kitchen Cleaning Tips

Tip: Blond Hair Dye Removal from Countertop
If you’re in the kitchen cleaning and dyeing your hair, please proceed with caution. Blond hair coloring is a bleaching agent and this is not reversable. Instead, make sure to cover your cabinets and counters with an old sheet or tarp.

Tip: Stove Burner Cleaning
The best way to clean stove burners is to gently pull them out of the stove top, and wash with warm, soapy water. Use a gentle detergent such as that used to wash dishes. Do not submerse them or allow the electrical connection to get wet. If there is food or burnt particles stuck to them, use baking soda as a cleanser. Use it as you would a cleansing scrub, or if you have stubborn stains you can make a paste with baking soda and water and let it sit for 30 minutes, then scrub. Be sure to rinse them thoroughly with clear water. Depending on the condition of the burners you may not get them just like new (if they are scratched, worn, etc.), but you should be able to get them thoroughly clean. To prevent buildup and burned on food, wipe burners thoroughly during your regular kitchen cleaning ritual.

Tip: Scorch Removal from Pots and Pans
If you have a pan that scorched or burned on food stuck to the bottm, don’t panic. You shouldn’t have to spend the whole night washing the dishes. Instead, coat the bottom of the pan with some baking soda and add a little water to cover. Leave this overnight, the next morning you should be able to sponge the scorched food right out.

Tip: Avoiding Oven Spills
The oven has to be on the top of every home maker’s list of undesireable kitchen cleaning chores. The best way to keep one’s oven clean is to avoid getting it dirty in the first place! To do this, make sure casserole dishes aren’t overfilled, or put them on a cookie sheet. Put pies inside a large cake pan or on a cookie sheet, and make a foil tent over roasting meat. This should lessen the frequency of oven cleaning in your home. In addition, not filling your casseroles as high, will make washing the dishes easier because food isn’t spilled over the top and burned onto the side of your dishes.

Tip: Quick Dish Washing
To spend less time washing the dishes, fill the sink with hot water and dish soap before you begin to prepare a meal. Add the dirty dishes as you use them and by the time you are finished preparing your meal, the dishes can be cleaned up easily.

Tip: Spot Removal from Stainless Steel
If you’re washing the dishes and you notice spots on your stainless steel utensils, don’t worry. This is not a crisis. If the spots aren’t easily removed with regular dishwashing, try removing them with white vinegar.

Tip: Straw Placemat Cleaning
Straw placemats are an attractive addition to any place setting. If not cleaned properly however, they can turn a festive table into one that looks dull or messy. A sponge dipped in mild detergent, such as the type you use for washing the dishes, will keep the placements clean and fresh. Another solution is to fill a quart jar with warm water and a cup of salt. Dip a sponge or cloth in the liquid and wipe the placemat clean.

Tip: Adhesive Residue Removal from Marble
Kitchen cleaning is when you find the most interesting household clean up projects. Take for example, adhesive on marble. While it may be an ususual stain, it’s not one that’s difficult to clean. To remove adhesive from just about any surface, spray it with WD-40. Let it sit for a minute and wipe clean

Tip: Arborite Counter Cleaning and Stain Removal
When cleaning kitchen cabinet counter tops made from arborite, almost any kitchen cleaning product will do. In addition one can use vinegar or a mixture of baking soda and water. For stubborn stains, you can make a paste from baking soda and water, apply it to the stains and let sit for thirty minutes before washing. If, during the course of your kitchen cleaning, you encounter a scorch mark, try lightening it with peroxide, or a peroxide based cleaner such as Bio-OX Citrus Concentrate

Tip: Kettle Cleaning
If you don’t remember your kettle during your regular kitchen cleaning ritual, lime and other minerals will embed itself to the sides of the kettle. If this becomes the case, boil one part vinegar and one part water in the kettle, turn off the heat, and let stand overnight. The next morning your kettle will be clean as a whistle.

Tip: Sticky Kitchen Cabinets from Orange Oil Cleaner
If orange cleaners are hindering your kitchen cabinet cleaning by leaving behind a sticky residue, take note. The newest technology for cleaning kitchen cabinets uses peroxide and detergents to penetrate soiled areas. Simply spray a product such as Bio-OX Citrus Concentrate on the soiled area, allow it to penetrate for a few minutes, then wipe clean. Repeat if necessary. Or, you can try cleaning kitchen cabinet doors by combining one half cup borax, two tablespoons laundry soap flakes, one tablespoon ammonia, and one gallon of warm water. Use full strength in spray bottle or add two cups to a pail of warm water. If any stickiness remains, try using baking soda as a scrub agent. Apply it directly to the area - it should remove any residue without harming the finish.

Tip: Cooking Odor Removal
Kitchen cleaning also means having to remove cooking or generally unpleasant odors in your home, you could try : 1) Simmering a potful of stick cinammon, orange peel, whole cloves and water on your stove. 2) Place small bowls of vinegar around the room, as it absorbs any lingering odors. 3) Sprinkle some cinammon on a cookie sheet and warm it in the oven.

Tip: Aluminum Cookware Stain Removal
When washing the dishes, you’ll want to remove stains from aluminum cookware. To do this, boil a quart of water with three tablespoons of vinegar or lemon juice inside the cookware. Follow this with a light rubbing using a soap filled scouring pad.

Tip: Cast Iron Pan Rust Removal
Washing the dishes doesn’t usually mean having to contend with rusty pots and pans. Still, if we don’t properly care for our cast iron cookware, this is what can happen. Rust doesn’t have to be difficult to remove however, and in most cases comes off with a scrub made from salt and oil. If this doesn’t work try a gentle scouring pad. Washing with a mild dishwashing liquid and wipe clean. If rust appears on cast iron, it’s a good indication the pan needs to be re-seasoned.

Tip: Grater Cleaning
Certain items present a challenge when washing dishes. Consider the grater, with all of it’s holes and crevices, it can turn a sponge to shreds. Try this kitchen cleaning tip: To clean a grater, brush the wrong side with a toothbrus. You might also try grating a potato after grating cheese which will help to dislodge and cheese that is stuck in the tiny holes. Sharpen a grater by rubbing with sandpaper.

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