Cleaning 101: The Kitchen

The Refrigerator, defrosting
  • Unplug. Dump lingering leftovers and spoiled food. Check on labels and expiry dates of bottled spreads like the peanut butter, jam, etc.
  • Transfer the rest of the food into a cooler.
  • Surround the base with a thick layer of old newspapers or a big rag. 
  • To make the defrosting much quicker, unplug the refrigerator, 2 hours prior to cleaning it.
  • Attend to the condenser coils at the back of the refrigerator.  These collect dusts and needs cleaning every couple of months.  Snap off the grate, then use a coil cleaning brush or your vacuum’s crevice tool.
  • Once defrosted, sponge the walls with a solution of baking soda and water. Rinse with a microfiber fiber dipped in water.  
  • Wipe the door seal and gasket. Then wipe the outer surfaces and handle.
  • I place a small piece of charcoal to help absorb odors.

Plug and fill.
I do refrigerator defrosting weekly.

Counters and Cabinets

Counters and Cabinets are also cleaned weekly in our household.
  • I just use a liquid all purpose cleaner, wipe the cupboard, shelves and counters. Let dry.
  • Check on the expiration date of your canned goods every once in a while.

Stove and other kitchen appliances

We use a gas stove which is more economical than using an electric stove. Stoves should be cleaned immediately after cooking to prevent stubborn spots. Use a microfiber cloth to wipe off stove top spills. Clean also the knobs.
  • Microwave Oven

Let it cool first after using then wipe the inside with a clean microfiber cloth or paper towel.
  • The kitchen sink

Just like the stove, kitchen sinks should be well kept. Clean it daily.

  • Dish warmer and dish keeper

In my case, I am using an electrical dish warmer, after the plates, fork and spoon and drinking glasses has been washed, I put it directly to the dish warmer, then let it on for 10 minutes until all the utensils are dried and warmed.  I monitor daily the small drain tub at the bottom, take out the accumulated water from the warmer. Clean the dish warmer every two weeks, take out all the utensils first, then wipe it with cloth using a baking soda solution.
For a typical dish keeper, which I also have one to keep my microwaveable containers and other kitchen utensils. Clean it weekly, washing it with soap and water then dry it with a clean microfiber cloth before you fill in.

  • Potholders and kitchen apron

Potholders and kitchen apron should be washed weekly or as frequent as possible.  It is best if you keep an extra potholders and aprons.

Comments

  1. really nice tips,  this are great, but even if i told my yaya everyday, she will eventually forget it the next day.  hay!

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  2. Santelmo of PinoyMuffinTopJune 1, 2011 at 11:08 AM

    Also, a note when defrosting the fridge; especially when you have and let house hold help do it for you, tell them not to use any sharp objects such as, knives and ice pick to remove thick ice. It will damage the fridge. ^_^

    Another note, this time for the dish warmer. When using it, always remember not to put it on too long, and always be very vigilant. A few year back, our dish warmer literally burned. It got too hot that it went into flames. It was a good thing that my uncle exited our house using the door at the kitchen, so he saw and alerted everyone. We were traumatized, that is why we don't use an electric dish dryer/warmer.

    Now, we just use the regular plastic dish cabinet. We just rinse the entire thing in water once in a while.

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  3. ahaha, same with my helper, the reason why i printed a set of rules and  guidelines, posted it in the dirty kitchen to let her find no reason of forgetting lol

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  4. i agree, i never allow my helper to use ice picks or knives to remove thick ice in the freezer, i let her use an electric fan to thaw the ice hihi

    our electric dishwarmer has a timer to set on, nevertheless, i am the one monitoring it, i do not allow my helper to make pakielam on it hehe, but that is a good warning Santelmo, thanks i'll put that in my mind always, katakot naman 

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  5. Our sink and stove area are well-maintained naman kaya lang our helper forgets to wash the potholders and apron, ang dumi tuloy kaya ayaw ko gamitin at times.

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  6. hmmn im curious about the electrical dish warmer, hassle kasi magpunas ng mga plates and glass 

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  7. mas economical nga ang gas stove kesa electric stove pero dito sa place na tinitirhan namin bawal ang gas stove :( anyway sa paglinis ng kitchen, i ask our helper to make sure it's clean everyday...

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  8. I hate cleaning the kitchen, but it's something that has to be done :)  Yes, I do try to defrost the fridge once a week.  Thanks for the other tips .

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  9. wow your site is so informative Ms. Joy.It would be a great help to a Mom like me :)

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  10. busy busy mommy, but all will come in handy when done properly :)

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  11. ahaha, kadiri na ba? bili ka ng spare para meron kapalit pag nilabhan :)

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  12. para sa akin i am satisfied with my electric dish warmer, feel ko very clean talaga plates, spoon/forks and glasses :)

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  13. helpers most of the time tend to forget cleaning the stove lalo na pag nagmamadali na ewan ko ba bakit nagmamadali hehe

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  14. thanks for the visit Pepper :) keep dropping by sis hihi

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  15. These are really great household cleaning tips.  Thanks for sharing them!

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  16. i love this post mommy joy!!! i don't know how it is called, but i am a kitchen neat-freak! the kitchen is my favorite spot in the house to clean, next to it is the bathroom! hehehe... and oh, i like the idea of having a dish warmer... soon pag nagkatotoo ang dream kitchen ko! LOL! thanks for dropping by my blogs! hope you're okay now!

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  17. I'm thankful that our fridge is auto-defrost,so I do not need to clean it every month, unless I feel like doing it. :)

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  18. Wow, very informative naman .. Defrosting is always our problem now i've
    learned from your post will surely follow your tips  :) Visiting you back!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Wow, very informative naman .. Defrosting is always our problem now i've
    learned from your post will surely follow your tips  :) Visiting you back!

    ReplyDelete

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