The Dos and Don’ts of Cleaning Your Kitchen

From greasy ovens to dirty countertops and clogged garbage disposal, all can make your kitchen the most contaminated room in the entire house. The most common germs and bacteria in the kitchen include Salmonella, Norovirus and Hepatitis A, Shigella, E.coli, etc. These germs can lead to diarrhea, stomach cramps, meningitis and other foodborne illnesses. Therefore, it is pivotal to regularly clean and disinfect your entire kitchen using the proper tools and products. Instead of achieving sparkling results, many people spread germs more due to wrong cleaning hacks. Here is the list of dos and don’ts you should remember when sprucing up your kitchen. Whether hiring professional end of lease cleaners in Sydney or not, you should know the right ways to keep stains, grime, germs and bacteria at bay from your kitchen. Let’s Get Started!

Do’s of Cleaning Your Kitchen

1. Create a Daily Cleaning Schedule Make sure you create a daily schedule to spruce up your kitchen. Regular cleaning will prevent the accumulation of stubborn stains, grease, grime and germs. If you are a working professional, quickly clean up the countertop, wipe off the stove and tackle spills immediately to prevent contamination. 2. Keep Your Kitchen Rag or Sponge Disinfected Are you still using that wet and stinky kitchen sponge to wash your dishes or a rag to wipe a countertop? This will not spread the germs from one place to another. It is good to disinfect your kitchen sponge every 2 weeks to keep e.Coli at bay. Microwave your sponge for 40-60 seconds after squeezing out excess liquid. It will be disinfected and ready for cleaning. Change your rags every 12 days or wash them in hot water daily. 3. Clean From Top to Bottom Trained professionals follow this simple rule when performing a proper end of lease cleaning in Sydney. This helps cover all the nooks and crannies in an organised manner. So, you should start the kitchen cleaning process from the top, such as exhaust fans, windows, cabinet tops, shelves, and cupboards, and make your way towards countertops, sinks and floors. 4. Deep Clean Your Kitchen Appliances When cleaning your kitchen, a microwave, oven, refrigerator and dishwasher are the most overlooked things. It is vital to remove built-up grease, stuck food particles, stubborn stains, oil splatters and sauce spills from your oven and microwave using natural cleaning products, such as vinegar and lemon. Also, keep your refrigerator clean inside and out using vinegar solution and prevent the spread of germs. Keeping these appliances clean and germ-free can make a huge difference in maintaining a healthy and hygienic kitchen. 5. Wipe Down Counterparts After Prepping Your Meal You should wipe down spills and splatters immediately after preparing your meal and save energy. Oil spills, sauces and grime can easily become stubborn if not treated properly. Use a non-abrasive cleaner like baking soda and warm water to clean your countertops. Here are common kitchen hotspots you should disinfect for better results.

Cleaning Your Kitchen: The List of Don’ts

Here is the list of don’ts when you are cleaning your kitchen on your own: 1. Don’t Spruce up around the Mess You need to ensure that items that don’t belong in the kitchen are not stored in this room. Cleaning around the clutter won’t help you maintain a clean and germ-free kitchen. Unwanted boxes, utensils and other stuff on the countertop, cabinets, fridge and stove can lurk dirt, germs and pests that can lead to various foodborne illnesses. 2. Don’t Use the Same Cleaning Rag Using the same cloth for cleaning different surfaces around the kitchen will only spread germs and bacteria. It is important to wash your rags and cloths after every use. Also, colour code your rags or use different colours for different cleaning purposes to prevent cross-contamination. 3. Don’t Let the Dirty Dishes Stack Up Lethal germs and bacteria harbour the most when dirty dishes are in the sink. Make a habit of doing your dishes before going to bed. Clean and disinfect your sink using baking soda, salt and warm water. Also, unclog your garbage disposal using vinegar, baking soda and warm water. You can also clean sink with baking soda and keep germs at bay. 4. Do not Use Chemical-Based Cleaners Avoid using store-bought cleaners that contain ammonia, bleach and chlorine. These chemicals can pollute the indoor environment and cause various health hazards, such as respiratory disorders, infections, skin allergies, etc. Instead, use green cleaning products, such as :

White vinegar: to remove mould, grease and stubborn stains from your kitchen appliances

Baking soda: to wipe down your countertops and stovetop, and disinfect contaminated surfaces.

Lemon and salt: to disinfect cutting boards

Hydrogen peroxide: to remove stubborn stains from almost all surfaces.

You should use these solutions for pet-safe cleaning in your home. 5. Don’t Mix Cleaning Solutions Using eco-friendly cleaners doesn’t mean you can mix two different products for better results. You may think that mixing can help you create a stronger solution, but this could be hazardous for your kitchen. Do not mix:

White vinegar with Baking Soda= carbon dioxide gas

Store-bought cleaners + vinegar = Poisonous Gas

Bleach + Vinegar= Chlorine gas.

Bleach + Rubbing Alcohol = Chloroform

Hydrogen Peroxide + Vinegar = peracetic/ peroxyacetic acid

If you are concerned about your hard-earned deposited money when vacating the property, you should hire best professionals for a quality end of lease cleaning and pass the rental inspection without any hassle.

Wrapping up

Keeping Do’s and Don’ts in mind can help you tackle dirt, grime, grease, stains and germs with ease. You can spruce up the entire kitchen in a systematic way and transform it into a clean, germ-free and organised cooking station like a pro.