The Kitchen
The kitchen should be kept clean at all times. This is particularly difficult if your kitchen doubles as a laundry room, try to sort your dirty washing on the worktops as this could be unhygienic. If your pets ever walk on the surfaces in the kitchen, always prepare food on chopping boards.
Bakeware
As a general rule the less you wash bakeware the better it performs. Ideally, just wipe with kitchen paper after use. Always follow any special care instructions, some non-stick bakeware, for example, should be washed in clear water only, without washing up liquid. Burnt deposits can be loosened by soaking in boiling solution of washing soda; do not try scraping deposits off non stick items with a knife. Bakeware made from tin should be dried immediately after washing to prevent rusting.
Bins
Kitchen bins should be emptied as soon as the contents start to smell, even if the bin liner is not full, and cleaned once a week with a solution of bleach or disinfectant. Drain the bin well after washing and if necessary wipe dry with kitchen paper.
Bread Bins
These should be washed out and dried once a week. If mould develops, wash and wipe the interior with neat white vinegar allow to dry.
Chopping Boards
Chopping Boards should be washed immediately after use. Wooden boards should be washed under hot running water and scrubbed with washing up liquid. Wipe over the surface with a sterilising solution and stand the board on its long edge to dry naturally. Never soak a wooden board as this can cause warping. Plastic boards can usually be washed in dishwasher.
Cupboards
Kitchen cupboards should be cleaned out regularly several times a year. Remove the food from each cupboard before starting any throw away any items that are out of date. Wash out the interior with mild detergent solution, then rinse with warm water and dry with kitchen paper.
Dishwashers
Wipe the exterior with mild detergent solution and apply aerosol cleaner or polish. The interior should be cleaned when smells build up by running an empty cycle with a proprietary dishwasher cleaner.
Extractor Fans
It’s important that these are kept clean or they will not function properly. If you have them follow the manufacturers instructions for cleaning, if not, use following method.
Switch off at the mains, remove the flex socket from the main part of the fan and unscrew the front louvered grill. Clean the grill in a solution of washing up liquid. Allow to drain, then wipe with kitchen paper or a clean cloth to ensure it is toughly dry. To clean the fan blades, either use an anti static brush or unscrew the blade unit and wash in soapy water. Use a teapot brush to reach into any crannies in the motor and its support.
Re- assemble all parts of fan and give it a trail run to ensure it is working properly.
Freezers
Defrosting, Unless your freezer is of the frost free variety, it will need defrosting when the ice has grown to a thickness of approximately 5mm. The more often you open the door, The more often you will need to defrost.
Unplug the freezer. Put on gloves to remove frozen food and place it either in cool boxes or in the refrigerator. Cover with towels of blankets to increase insulation.
Leave the freezer door open and the place old towels on the freezer floor if it is a chest freezer or just in front of the freezer if it is an upright model.
Place bowels of hot water on the shelves and in the shelves and in the bottom of the chest, keep renewing the water as it cools, or use hair dryer, take with the heat around seals.
Use a wooden or plastic spatula to loosen and scrape off the ice as it thawing gets under way. Replace towels with new one when wet.
When defrosting is finished, first dry the interior with clean towel, then rinse with a solution of bicarbonate of soda, 15ml to 1lt water, then dry.
After defrosting your freezer, paint a thin coating of glycerine over interior to prevent frost building up and make it easier to clean the next time. If you get any smells lingering, use a proprietary fridge/ freezer cleaner or solution of sterilising fluid for babies. Alternatively, fill the freezer with crumpled newspaper and leave it switched off with the door slightly ajar for a couple of days. The newspaper will absorb the smells
Microwave Ovens
Wipe out the interior with a damp cloth if any spills occur. Keep the inside of the door and the seal scrupulously clean. If smells build up, place a bowel of water containing 15ml lemon juice in the oven and run on high power for one minute. Remove the bowel and wipe round the oven cavity with a cloth.
Refrigerators
Most modern fridges have an automatic defrosting device. If yours is an older model, switch off at the socket and defrost manually.
Remove all food. Transfer perishable goods into a cool box. When defrosting is complete, remove the drip tray and empty out the water.
It is important not to damage the fridge while defrosting. You can speed up the process by use a hair dryer. Take care as not to keep water away from hair drier.
The fridge interior should be cleaned from time to time with a solution of bicarbonate of soda, 15ml to 1lt warm water. Then dry well with soft cloth.
If your fridge develops smells because of rotten food or because the power supply has been turned off, clear out all food and wash the interior several times with bicarbonate of soda solution. Leave the fridge door open between washes until the smell has gone.
Sinks
When washing up in a sink, use a plastic bowel to protect the surface. Swill out the sink before putting in the bowel, as any trapped dirt or grit could scratch the surface of the sink.
Keep the plughole clean at all times using a bottle brush. Pour a little bleach down the plughole once a week, taking care to avoid the surface on the sink. Leave for a couple of minutes, then rinse away.
Acrylic sinks, these should be cared for with a cream cleaner, and an application of white vinegar or lemon juice should remove stains
Fireclay sinks, vitreous enamel sinks, should be cleaned with a bath cleaning product approved by the vitreous enamel association.
Stainless steel sinks, These should be rinsed and dried at the end of each day to prevent water spotting. Remove grease and surface soiling with undiluted washing up liquid. Never use abrasive cleaners or scouring pads. Polish with a proprietary sink cleaner or stainless steel polish rinse and dry.
Untreated wooden kitchen doors.
These will attract grease and dust, so wipe over regularly with a solution of washing up liquid and apply a light coat of cleaner/polish. If dirt becomes a serious problem, clean the units thoroughly with cream cleaner. Rinse, allow to dry and apply a coating of polyurethane seal. This will alter the appearance slightly but will make cleaning easier in future.
Waste disposal units.
An electrical waste disposal unit is good for getting rid of food debris and is particularly useful if you live in an upstairs flat or anywhere that poses problems with disposing of rubbish.
Keep it clean, do not drop teaspoons down it and get rid of any smells by grinding up waste citrus peel from grapefruit, lemons and oranges.
Worktops
Kitchen surfaces should be kept clean and dry at all times. Wash them after preparing food, using a cleaner containing bactericide, and dry with a kitchen towel.
Corian. This should be washed and dried as recommended above. Marks can be removed with a household cleaner applied on an abrasive pad. Bad marks such as scorching can be sanded out with fine steel wool.
Laminated surfaces. These are fairly tough but you should not chop food or put hot dishes down on them. Wash and dry as recommended above and remove stains with undiluted washing up liquid. Or non abrasive household cleaner. Use abrasive creams only on very persistent stains. Smeary surfaces can be cleaned with a soft cloth dipped in white vinegar.
Textured finished laminated surface. These attract dirt and need frequent cleaning. Do not scrape at ingrained dirt but use a solution of washing up liquid and a washing up brush to remove it.
Tiled surface. On heavily stained tiles use neat vinegar or a solution of household cleaner. Rinse and wipe dry. Watch out for food deposits which lodge in grouting. Clean regularly with old toothbrush dipped in a solution of household bleach.
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