5 Places That You’re Forgetting to Clean in Your Kitchen
Many homeowners are in the habit of doing the dishes, wiping down countertops, and rinsing out the sink. But there are lots of other parts of the kitchen that get neglected with regular cleaning routines. Some appliances and surfaces really stand out to us when they get dirty, while others can go unnoticed for weeks, months, and even years.
Here are some easy tricks for cleaning these often-forgotten locations and why it’s so important to keep these places clean.
Underside of Kitchen Cabinets
You’re more likely to clean the fronts of your kitchen cabinets because they’re more visible. But the undersides of the cabinets are splash zones that often get forgotten about. It’s a good idea to clean this area at least once per month, or more frequently if you cook a lot. Other common splatter zones include the inside of the vent fan, light fixtures near the cooking space, and the sides of the counter near the oven and range. If your kitchen cabinet hardware has become damaged, tarnished, or simply out-of-date, head over to the Grand Central Showrooms of NY to shop for stunningly beautiful replacements.
Inside the Dishwasher
Many people are under the impression that their dishwashers must be clean because they’re constantly running with soap and water. However, dishwashers tend to be actually very dirty and in some serious need of cleaning. There are a lot of moving parts and tiny crevices in dishwashers that can accumulate dirt, and the drain at the bottom can get clogged with food particles if it’s not kept clean. Also, don’t forget about the outside of your dishwasher. This is a prime location for food splatters and dirty hands, so wipe down the outside handles and surface at least once per week.
Dish Drying Rack
Also in the realm of doing dishes, many of us forget to wash down our dish drying racks from time to time. This is where you put your clean dishes to air-dry, but the rack itself collects dirt and dust from sitting out on the counter. Due to the moist environment, it may even begin to grow mold over time if it’s not cleaned regularly. This means that you could be ingesting dirt, dust, and mold the next time you eat off of those clean dishes. Scrub your drying rack at least every couple weeks with warm, soapy water to ensure that your newly cleaned dishes really are as clean as you think they are.
Stove and Refrigerator Drip Pans
Stove drip pans are another part of the kitchen that don’t get the amount of regular cleaning they need. When using the stove, food may drip down and become burned. You can wait until they become really caked in gunk and buy new ones. Or you can save yourself the waste and cost by wiping yours down about once a week or after cooking messy meals. Don’t forget that your refrigerator has a drip pan too where condensation from the freezer deposits. Pull this out from the bottom of the fridge and look for signs of mold. Mold in the kitchen is a common cause of household allergies, so make sure to sanitize the drip pan a couple times each year.
Kitchen Garbage Can
You take out the garbage on a regular basis, so that should be good enough…right? Wrong! Not surprisingly, the kitchen garbage can is one of the grossest parts of the home. However, it rarely gets a good scrub. Kitchen trash bags have a tendency to break and tear when they become too heavy or have sharp objects tossed inside. This leaves behind a residue from leaky leftovers and unrinsed food containers. Bacteria love warm, moist environments like this, and food residue can also attract ants and other pests. Every month or so, take your trash can outside, squirt in some dish soap, hose it down with water, and let it dry out in the sun.