Maintaining A Clean And Safe Kitchen

Americans spend six hours a week on average cleaning their homes, Business Insider reports. Behind cleaning the bathroom, cleaning the kitchen is the second most dreaded task. Indeed, kitchens are hotspots for bacteria, mold, debris, and dust, which makes regular maintenance and cleaning an essential yet time-consuming job. By knowing how to correctly maintain your kitchen, you can keep it clean and safe with as little time and effort possible.

Perform monthly checks

It’s easy for issues around your kitchen to start going unnoticed when you see them everyday. For example, you may get used to seeing burn marks on the stove top or spots of rust on your stainless steel pans. So, check your appliances and dishware once a month and fix any problems to prevent them piling up. Walls, in particular, are a key area which often require attention. Cooking grease tends to build up on the walls over time and, if not dealt with, it can become difficult to remove. If grease is allowed to build up inside your ventilation system, mold growth may also occur. So, clean your kitchen walls regularly — at least once a month or more often if you notice they need it. A wipe down with warm, soapy water is usually sufficient. Stubborn grease stains can also be removed with white vinegar and a bristled brush.

Maintain your appliances 

It’s important to regularly maintain your kitchen appliances to ensure they stay in top working condition. Spotting an issue in its early stages also prevents it from spiralling into a larger, more expensive problem later on. So, check your appliances for damage, cracks, leaks, and broken seals at least once a month. Also, be sure to regularly replace the filters on appliances like kitchen hoods and air conditioners. These filters get dirty quickly and need to be clean in order to work well, safely, and efficiently. If you have an appliance that’s broken down, it may be worth replacing it altogether rather than repairing it. Upgrading an old appliance with a new environmentally-friendly model can decrease your power bill and carbon footprint. For example, an old refrigerator consumes around 33% more energy than a new, ENERGY STAR-certified model.

Take care of the water quality of your kitchen

Good water quality is vital in the prevention of water damage, appliance break, and plumping issue. Bad water quality is usually associated with zero hard water. Its effect of corrosion, deposits, limescale and other impurities all are being common issues to your kitchen system. Less care of hard water can create unwanted costs, even causing appliances to shut down if the issues are serious. Having hard water treatment for your kitchen can save your money and your appliances.

Clean as you go

Cleaning your kitchen as you go is an effective way to prevent mess piling up. When you let dirt and debris sit on a surface, stains form and bacteria starts to grow. Ideally, you should never start cooking in a dirty kitchen and take care of any spills straight away. It’s also useful to keep your cleaning materials and equipment together in one place, so you can grab them when you need them. For example, you could store your supplies in a pull-out shelf or beneath the sink.

Maintaining a squeaky clean kitchen doesn’t have to be an impossible job. By performing monthly checks, maintaining your appliances, and cleaning as you go, you can keep your kitchen clean and hygienic with minimal effort.

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Gerald Parker

With a rich experience spanning over 20 years in home maintenance, Gerald Parker holds a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas. He also holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. He began his career in construction management, later shifting to editorial roles in 2015. Outside work, he enjoys hiking and volunteers for habitat restoration projects. He is also a keen DIY enthusiast and a model train collector.

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