Table of Contents
Modular Kitchen Cleaning
Your modular kitchen is one of the busiest spaces in your home and quite probably and frankly, it is also the dirtiest space which witnesses rapid accumulation of dust, dirt, spills, splatters, and grease due to those deep frying, pressure cooking, coffee brewing and experimental baking. With a multitude of activities happening all the time, a good cleaning plan is the key to achieve a sparkling kitchen that is free from cooking residues and a nest of crawling germs. There are cleaning tasks that you must do after every meal, at the end of every day, every week, every month and even every year to keep the messes at bay and increase the longevity of your modular kitchen. Here are the daily, weekly, monthly and yearly cleaning checklists for keeping your modular kitchen under-control.
Daily Cleaning Checklist
Hob:
Your hob is subject to the daily spills of oil, dishes, and food residues and onslaught of stains. To clean it up, prepare a mixture of baking soda and water and spray the hob with this mixture. Allow it to work for a few moments, and then wipe it off with a sponge or non-abrasive cloth. Remember, daily cleaning of the hob is essential to remove dirt and stains but too aggressive maintenance can cause indelible scratches on your hob and damage its smooth finish.
Sink:
Before you work on the sink, clear out the leftover dishes, food scraps and other debris in it. Cleaning will get much easier and faster if you don’t have these items to mesh with. Wash out the sink by rinsing it with a mild soap or a vinegar and lemon mixture. The vinegar will break down the lime scale, stains and other dirt and the lemon will leave a fresh scent. If the stains are tough, try using a nylon scrubbing brush. Give some extra attention to the corners where the particles of dirt love to hide.
Countertop / Worktop:
The best way to clean a worktop is with lemon juice or vinegar or any mild cleaning agent. A cloth or sponge soaked with soapy water after each use of the countertop will also get the work done. Another quickest trick is to simply sprinkle baking soda on the surface, and rub, rinse and dry. Do not use fibres or cleaning powders to clean, as they can produce scratches easily. Also, avoid using knives or spatula for removing the stains or residues as they will further worsen the scratches.
Cabinets:
Keep the cabinet doors shut to avoid the impacts of grease from cooking and condensation from the outside environment. Also, dry the utensils and other items thoroughly before placing them inside the cabinets. This will prevent the development of unpleasant odours and bacterial growth inside the cabinets.
Floor:
If you encounter sticky spills or oily stains, mop your floor right away. Otherwise, get the mop out at the end of the day as you close your kitchen. You will need to clean your floor more often if you have kids or if you are a messy cook. On the other hand, if you are great at kitchen handling and keeping the spills at minimal, a thorough sweep will do the magic.
Others:
Wash dirty dishes after every meal and wipe off the spills from countertops, floors, and appliances as they happen.
Weekly Cleaning Checklist
Tiles:
Tiles are the greatest sufferers in the kitchen. Everyday they see oil spills, coffee stains, cooking splatters, blackish streaks, and food traces which end up making their surfaces too greasy and dull. To preserve their shine and get them sparkling again, you need to give your tiles a thorough rinse and wash down. Use a specialist tile cleaner or a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and ammonia, if the stains are really stubborn. The next biggest challenge of many kitchens is the tile joints. The grease and spills often end up making the tile joints dark producing an unpleasant visual effect. To clean the joints, use an abrasive cloth soaked with hot water or a toothbrush, taking care not to damage the tiles.
Trash can:
Cleaning your trash can is a fairly simple process. Just empty your bin, clean the outside, the lid, the inner bin and the bottom using hot water and dry it thoroughly. Place some soda crystals or the classic air freshener, the lemon at the bottom of your bin, before placing a fresh bin liner, to limit unpleasant odours and avoid running into a stinky situation.
Cabinets:
Take a 50/50 solution of vinegar and warm water and mist on your cabinets. After letting it sit for about 2 or 3 minutes, wipe it off with a soft cloth. Don’t scrub too hard or use an abrasive cloth, as it will scratch the cabinet surface.
Microwave: Turn to lemon juice, vinegar, or baking soda to clean the outside of your microwave oven. To remove the hard stains and splashes on the inside, combine a cup of water and 2 tablespoons of lime juice and microwave it for a few minutes. The steam released will soften all traces and make wiping an easier task. This tip will also serve to remove unpleasant odours from the microwave and disinfect it.
Refrigerator:
Jam settling on the shelf or juice dripping on the door, everything should be cleaned because after all, this is the place where you keep all your fresh produce! Before putting away your purchases from the market or supermarket, empty the shelves and clean it off. A cloth moistened with lukewarm water and a small amount of cleaning agent is all you need for cleaning your refrigerator. One trick to keep your fridge out of smells is to put lemon in a bowl.
Towels:
From drying off your hands, wiping up your spills to cleaning up everything around your modular kitchen, the towels are one of the most used items in your culinary space. To keep them fresh and clean, soak them in a bucket of warm water for about 15 minutes and wash it off with detergent. For better maintenance, always hang up your towels to dry between their uses. Wash them more often if they get smelly. If they still smell bad, it’s time to get a new set.
Monthly Cleaning Checklist
Cabinets:
Give your cabinets a deep clean by emptying the contents, dusting them and wiping down all the shelves, drawers, cabinet interiors, doors and knobs with a cleaning agent or diluted vinegar. Pay special attention to the corners and tight spots which cannot get a cloth or sponge access. Take special care to ensure that water doesn’t run into the hinges as it can leave you with rusted hardware. Before restocking the contents, make sure the cabinet is completely dry to avoid unpleasant odour and crawl of germs.
Faucets:
Faucets are the ground for lime scale build-up and germs growth. Before they get really bad, use vinegar and warm water and retain their shine. Understanding the material and finish of your faucet is essential to determine which cleaning agent and tool is best to get the job done. For most finishes, abrasive brushes and scrubs are not a good choice as they can leave permanent marks.
Appliances:
Before you start cleaning your appliances, unplug them and dust them off. If there are removable parts, clean them by soaking in a bucket filled with warm water and cleaning liquid. Then clean the interior, exterior and base with a cloth dampened with water and a cleaning agent. Finally, dry the appliances with a clean towel or cloth to prevent rust formation.
Annual Cleaning Checklist
Chimney:
Your chimney gets accumulated with too much dirt, oil and grease in their efforts of keeping your kitchen smoke free. Though monthly cleaning helps your chimney to breathe some fresh air, annual deep cleaning is a must to prevent damages and enhance its performance. You can deep clean it by taking out the filters and cleaning them using baking soda or vinegar. Also, check for malfunction and worn outs.
Cabinets:
Polish the knobs and pulls of your cabinets and also make sure all the hinges hold tight. If you have sticking drawers, a few minutes of cleaning and lubricating will make your drawers glide almost like new.
Exhaust Fans and Vents:
Clean the mesh filters and fan blades of your exhaust fan using a mixture of hot water and ammonia. Vinegar can be your saviour if you want to break down the strong grease and other dirt. As the vent needs to be cleaned carefully, it is better to seek professionals’ help.
Plumbing:
Cleaning and caring for your pipes can prevent a costly plumbing disaster in the future which may occur due to serious leaks and clogs.
Though these tasks are listed on your annual cleaning checklist, you can also carry out them bi-annually if you can spare enough time and energy.
Drawers:
Before you work on your drawers, empty them, dust them and dry clean them with a non-abrasive cloth. Now cleanse it up using your preferred commercial cleaner or detergent. For an organic clean up, use a mixture containing equal parts of water and vinegar. A combination of club soda and lemon juice would also do the job. Before resettling the contents, make sure the drawers are completely waterless and dry to avoid rusting of hardware and also the development of unpleasant odours. During your drawer cleaning session, not forget to check the health of the hinges and other fittings as well. This is essential because opening and closing of the drawers happen quite repeatedly in the kitchen and they also bear a lot of weight.
Additional tips:
- Clean the spills as they happen and when they are fresh. This will make the cleaning easier and save you time, rather than fighting with dried spills later.
- Start with the highest parts and then move to the lower parts, leaving the cleaning of the floor for the end.
- Return things that don’t belong to your culinary space whenever possible. This will avoid clutter and mess inside your kitchen.
- Before you begin the cleaning process, stack up your kitchen with all the necessary cleaning agents, from lemons to sprays, and also important cleaning tools, from scrubbers to cloth.
- Use only material-appropriate cleaners – your kitchen surfaces will be thankful.
