One of the hardest things about keeping your kitchen clean is finding an abrasive that will remove grease and dirt without scratching surfaces. Luckily, simple products like baking soda and salt can give you enough grit to clean the surface without scarring or scratching the surface of your stove or sink.
Oven and Stove Top
Burned-on grease is frustrating to clean. Not only does it look terrible, but it can often smell when you’re trying to bake or cook something. According to Aqua Rec, to clean the burners on your stove, make sure the area is cooled down before getting started. After cleaning with warm water and dishwashing soap, use a paste made from baking soda and water to help get a deeper clean on your stove top. This paste can also be applied to the bottom of a cool oven. You can then spray the paste with white vinegar and watch the oxygen created foam away the grease.
Dishwasher
Vinegar is also a great option for cleaning up your dishwasher. You may need to clean out the bottom of the dishwasher and empty the filter of food particles. If grease is clinging to the inside of the dishwasher drain, you may be dealing with an unpleasant odor. Once you’re sure there aren’t any more food particles in the bottom of the dishwasher, place a cereal bowl full of white vinegar on the center of the bottom rack and run the wash cycle. According to Area Appliance Repair, the vinegar will be dispersed around the inside of the dishwasher and the drain will be flushed with vinegar and very hot water, melting away any smelly or rancid grease.
Sink and Garbage Disposal
Salt is excellent for cleaning sinks and garbage disposals. If you press hard on the salt, you will break down the crystals without scratching the surface of the sink. To clean your cast iron sink sparkly white, you’ll need a lemon, baking soda, and salt. Sprinkle your sink with a fine layer of baking soda for the first step in cleaning, and use a wet sponge to scrub away the dirt and grease in your sink. Rinse this away, dry the sink, and sprinkle in a layer of salt. Use half of the lemon to scrub the salt into the sink surface. The lemon and salt will bleach the surface and remove rust. When possible, try to clean up grease spills as soon as the stove and oven are cool. If that’s not possible, use the tricks above to get rid of burned-on grease. Make sure to rinse off dishes before putting them in the dishwasher to prevent a build-up of food particles. Finally, consider drying your sink at the end of the day to reduce sediment buildup and rust.
For more house cleaning tips, check out our blog, The CleanSweep!