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Some kitchen cleaning tasks are painfully obvious, and you do them almost every day or week. You’re always wiping down surfaces and spraying anti-bac everywhere – and you never forget to sweep or vacuum crumbs from the floor. This keeps your kitchen in a relatively clean state; in fact, most people would walk in and compliment you for such a shiny and nice kitchen!
And yet, you may forget about some other kitchen cleaning tasks that fly under the radar. They’re forgotten about because they’re not regular tasks – you’ll do them once a month at most, and they’re essential for keeping certain parts of the kitchen as clean as possible.
If you truly want the perfect kitchen, then make sure you’re not neglecting these tasks:
Clean The Kitchen Sink
Yes, you scrub the basin and tap all the time to keep the sink shiny, but how often do you properly clean the drain? Think about all the food and grease that slips down there every day and what this does to the drainage system below. Leave it uncleaned for too long, and you’ll see blockages and smells start to develop.
Keep your kitchen sink in excellent condition by giving it a deep clean every month. Pour drain cleaning solution down there and let it remove all the grease and food particles. If you’ve never cleaned the kitchen sink like this, then you should hire plumbers to inspect it first. This is also necessary if you use drain cleaning, but the sink still drains slowly or continues to smell funky. There could be a much nastier problem that requires professional drain cleaning services.
Clean The Dishwasher & Washing Machine
Your dishwasher cleans your dishes, but don’t take that to mean it cleans itself with every wash, too. If anything, your dishwasher gradually gets dirtier and dirty every time you turn it on. Think about all the residual food particles that get flushed around the dishwasher – not to mention the smell between washes. You’ll end up with gunk trapped everywhere and can even develop black mold inside your dishwasher on the plastic trays.
Force yourself into the habit of cleaning the dishwasher every month. It’s really not that hard; you just need some dishwasher cleaning tablets or powder and an empty machine. Run a hot wash to slosh the cleaning solution around, and you’re left with a sparkling dishwasher that looks and smells brand new.
Apply the same idea to your washing machine if it’s in the kitchen. Again, your washing machine is designed to clean things, but it will get smelly and dirty if you don’t also clean it. Look for washing machine cleaning powders or tablets and follow the same principles mentioned above. This will involve an empty machine and a hot wash – the result is a washing machine that never smells musty and keeps your clothes even cleaner.
Clean Out The Toaster
Okay, it’s time for honesty hour – when was the last time you cleaned out your toaster? Be genuinely honest here; if any of you say within a month, then you’re on top of your life. It’s something we forget about because we never look inside the toast, yet you need to clean it out once a month at least.
Why? Because your toaster will be full of crumbs that impact its normal functions. Have you ever cooked toast and wondered why you smelled burning, only for the toast to be barely brown? It’s because the old crumbs in the toaster keep toasting and end up burning. It can cause a legitimate safety hazard if you’re not careful, so empty out the crumb trays each month and turn your toaster upside down to shake out as much as possible.
Clean The Microwave
Similarly, the microwave is another kitchen appliance that gets overlooked on your cleaning schedule. You may wipe down the outside and sanitize the buttons – but what about the inside? Food can get stuck at the top of your microwave and create a disgusting stain that makes the whole machine smell whenever you open the door.
Don’t let this happen; clean your microwave every month with one of the easiest cleaning hacks around. Place a bowl of water with a few lemon slices in your microwave and then turn it on for a minute or so. As the lemony water heats up, it evaporates, and steam cleans the microwave. Then, you just wipe down all the interior surfaces – and repeat if necessary.
It’s so easy to forget these kitchen-cleaning tasks but start adding them to your schedule. Do them at least once a month to maintain a truly clean and hygienic kitchen space – and keep up with your regular daily/weekly cleaning while you’re at it.