Most of us have synthetic stone countertops and sinks. For such synthetic countertops, you only need only a damp cloth and mild household detergent with non-abrasive cleaning products. While artificial stone is generally able to withstand most household chemicals, do avoid using harsh chemicals or products that contain bleach.

To be safe, however, clean red wine, coffee, or gravy spills as soon as possible to prevent any seeping, stains, or mould.

If you have some stains, try leaving a layer of Jif cream detergent overnight, then thoroughly wipe it down. For mould, try rubbing baby bottle sterilising tablets over the mouldy spots.

Get a high-quality countertop

Sounds troublesome? For your next renovation or new home, consider asking your interior designer for anti-bacterial countertop materials such as the Spanish Consentino’s Silestone range that minimises the growth of bacteria.

Compared with an unprotected surface, the amount of bacteria on a Silestone surface decreases after 24 hours of exposure.

The material is also resistant to stains, knocks, scratches and acids. Your kitchens and bathrooms will also look stylish, as the countertops come in a wide variety of colours and textures.

5 Kitchen Surfaces You Should Also Clean

Also, the tops of appliances like the oven, refrigerator, and dryer (especially if it’s stacked on top of your washer) often gather dust. Make sure to wipe down these areas with a damp rag:

Handles, and surfaces of light switches: These are constantly touched (and, sometimes, not by the cleanest hands!).

Ice trays: These are regularly exposed to different types of food and bacteria.

Rubber seals: The seals on microwaves, ovens, and refrigerators collect dust and grime.

Appliances: Clean their surfaces and insides.

Inside and on top of cabinets and drawers: Don’t wait till a thick layer of dust settles.

Always change dish cloths after wiping surfaces that has come into contact with raw meat or its juice. This is very important as raw meat can cause serious food-borne illnesses.

As you’ll be using these cloths for everything in the kitchen, you don’t want to spread bacteria throughout the space.

Rinse the towels with hot water before putting them in the washing machine, and wash your cloths at the hottest washing machines temperature at least twice a week to kill any lingering bacteria.

You can also leave the cloths in a pot filled with boiling water for 15 to 20 minutes (after rinsing) and then dry them.

“A damp cloth can attract tons of harmful bacteria within hours of sitting next to your sink, so make sure it’s fully dried,” says experts at Helpling.

Your refrigerator is probably the only appliance at home that can never catch a break! Most people neglect to clean it, too. Keeping this kitchen workhouse sanitary is important, so as to ensure that food and groceries are kept fresh.

Clear out the old food from your refrigerator and check the expiry dates of all the condiments languishing in there.

This is also a good time to wipe down the compartments – especially the fruit and vegetable drawer – and rearrange your items. Consider investing in pull-out compartments so that your items are easier to reach, as well as a charcoal deodoriser to absorb smells.

Clean Fridge Checklist: 6 Steps to clean your fridge

Step 1: Arm yourself with: a multipurpose cleaner spray, dishwashing liquid, a non-abrasive sponge, a washcloth, paper towels, and trash bags.

Step 2: Air out the fridge and get it ready for a serious scrub down. Take everything out and divide the contents into three categories: one for things that need cleaning out, another for things that will go back into the fridge, and the last for discarding.

Step 3: Clean the contents. Next wipe up drips, leaks and the bottom of jars and cartons with a damp cloth. Make sure that whatever goes back into the fridge is clean, so you don’t run the risk of reintroducing odours and mess.

Step 4: Clean the interiors by removing shelves and drawers, before spraying the inside of the fridge with cleaner, letting it soak into difficult stains. Wash these fixtures with warm soapy water and a sponge, and set aside to dry.

Wipe down the interior of the fridge with a damp cloth to remove any traces of cleaning product. Tackle hard-to-reach areas and crevices with a paper towel. Make sure to clean the fridge doors, too!

Step 5: Return shelving and contents. To prevent mould growth, make sure the removable shelving and drawers are totally dry before inserting them back into the fridge.

Step 6: An open jar of baking soda, a dish of fresh ground coffee, or a clean sock filled with activated charcoal are some ways to absorb unpleasant smells. You can also crumple up balls of brown paper and place them with fruit and vegetables in the drawers to absorb smells and excess moisture.

Clean the rubber seals of your fridge

One day, I happened to look and was horrified to find black mould lurking within the folds of the seal. I checked the top of the door and it was black with mould too.

But it is easy to clean off that gunk if you do it regularly, every week, during fridge-cleaning time.

Ingredients you’ll need:

• Baking soda
• White vinegar
• Toothbrush
• Piece of cloth

For the fridge seal, I used two parts of baking soda to one part of coarse salt, added about a tablespoon of white vinegar and then mixed everything into a paste.

This paste is effective and harmless, unlike those creamy bleach cleansers, which will eat into the rubber seal over time.

Then I used an old toothbrush to apply this paste along the seal, scrubbing well into the folds.

You have to pull the folds open to get into them. Then wipe them well with a damp cloth.

Keeping your kitchen appliances clean is important!

Don’t forget to clean out the appliances you often use, such as the microwave, oven, air fryer, and coffee maker. If there are parts you can dismantle in the air fryer, for example, remove those and give them a scrub with hot soapy water.

For items you can’t dismantle, such as the interior of your microwave, wipe down the interior with a damp rag. Before that, loosen up any dirt by microwaving a bowl of water. The steam will make it easier to remove stains and grease.

Then, use a small bottle brush to get into all the crevices. You can buy a teat brush, which is used to clean baby bottle teats, for this. Or use an old toothbrush.

Do not forget to unplug each appliance before cleaning. And, yes, never use a metal skewer to get into crevices of these electrical appliances; it is safer to use just a bamboo stick.

How to remove stickiness from kitchen appliances?

Over time kitchen appliances get dusty and sticky. This layer can be removed with a soft damp sponge that you dip in a little baking soda for devices made of chrome or stainless steel (e.g. toasters).

We tend to accumulate bits and bobs in our kitchen drawers and cabinets, so now is a good time to go through and sort them. Throw away any old, stained chopping boards (these tend to be breeding grounds for bacteria especially if there are deep grooves), and invest in drawer liners and organisers to keep things within easy reach.

For disposable plastic items such as takeaway containers and cutlery, consider recycling them if you’ve accumulated too many. Alternatively, you can put them to good use this CNY by setting them out for visitors to use. It saves you a lot of washing up!

If you have a gas stove, make sure to give it a thorough clean.  It is dangerous to cook on a stovetop that has oil, rust, dirt and food debris on it as they could catch fire and cause a disaster in your kitchen.

First, switch off the gas valve and make sure all burners are cool. Then disassemble them one by one, taking out each unit’s removable parts.

Soak each part in hot soapy water for 15 minutes and gently scrub before rinsing and drying. For stubborn food crusts and stains, you may have to use steel wool to scrub them off.

After all the parts have dried, replace them on the stove, making sure to reposition them properly.

Expert Stove Cleaning Tips by Ninette Herberger, Helpling

Burnt, crusty spots on the stove are best removed by dissolving a dishwasher tablet in warm water, rubbing the mixture on the warm stove and leaving it for a couple of hours. Then simply wipe it off!

Same thing with the oven.

For an all-round oven cleaning, fill a baking tray with water and a few drops of washing up liquid. Set at 100 ° C, allow the heat to evaporate the grease and scrub the surfaces when finished.

Wipe down your cooking hood with a natural cleaning solution made of 1 part distilled white vinegar to 2 parts water, with a few drops of essential oil if preferred. The vinegar helps to cut through the built-up grease.

I thought my kitchen was spotless until my domestic helper left and I had to clean the place myself. That was when I discovered areas which had obviously been overlooked.

To my horror, I discovered a thick layer of dust over the entire shelf and the items there.

It was so thick that it needed several hard wipes to remove the dirt.

It was a task that called for my store of small pieces of rags, which were cut from old clothes. I soaked a few of them and used them to wipe the dust off. I threw the rags away after that.

Which brings me to the next neglected area: While we rely on the dishwasher, fridge, cooking hoods on a day-to-day basis, how many of us actually clean these appliances?

And while you have a wet cloth in hand, wipe down the areas outside the kitchen cupboards – countertops, shelves, doors and drawers – that are closest to the cooking stove.

Likewise, the kitchen’s light fixtures, including under-cabinet lighting, are also exposed to oil-laden cooking fumes and dust.

Again, a good wipe with a microfibre cloth and, perhaps, a paste made with baking soda and vinegar can get rid of such gunk – but first, you have to remember to clean the area.

Tiles are a fun way to add colour and interest to your space.

However, over time, in spaces like the kitchen and bathroom, they are prone to staining and the grouting between them could get brown. We tell you how you can get rid of the dirt and stains here…

GROUTING
If you notice brown or yellowing spots on your grout, it’s probably time to give it a good scrub. Soap is usually not enough to lift household stains from between your tiles, but you can try oxygenated bleach powder. It is non-corrosive, so it will not wear away the grout.

A good example of oxygenated bleach would be Kao Bleach Colour powder. Make a paste with the bleach powder and water, and leave it to rest on the grout for a few seconds before scrubbing with a toothbrush. For tougher stains, soak the spot in lemon juice and the scrub mixture. Keep the now-clean grout white with grout sealer, easily found in hardware stores such as Home-Fix.

STAINED TILES
If your bathroom is constantly damp, water stains will form over time. Find out if the stains are made of soap scum or hard water (also known as limescale) by scratching the surface with your nail – if it flakes off, it is probably soap scum and will be easier to remove. Use an abrasive sponge with some Cif cream to clean the tiles.

For hard water stains, wet a sponge with white vinegar and wipe the area. If the stain doesn’t lift, sprinkle baking powder over the surface and use a clothes brush dipped in white vinegar to scrub off the spots. Be sure to use clean water to wash off the vinegar and dry the area once you’re done.

Always try to keep your bathroom dry, and wipe surfaces dry after a shower to prevent stains from forming.

Want an easy-clean kitchen? It all boils down to the materials used for your countertop, cabinetry and backsplash! Whether you do heavy cooking or not, grease and grime builds up on these surfaces over time.

Don’t forget to scrub down your backsplash and sink area. These areas often accumulate dirt and stains over long periods of food preparation.

If yours are made of stainless steel, scrub with the grain instead of in circular motions to maintain the brushed finish.

4 Easy to Clean Kitchen Backsplash

So why not pick one that works to your advantage? Here are four easy-to-clean backsplash materials you should consider for your next renovation or next home:

1. Glass

A glass backsplash is functional as it is easily wiped down. It’s pretty too, since a choice of colours is usually available. Just be sure not to hit the surface with anything hard.

2. Stainless Steel

More functional than fashionable, stainless steel is a durable material that’s easy to clean and maintain. Go for it if you’re going for a modern, industrial kitchen look.

3. Stone

When using stone as a backsplash, choose granite over marble, as it’s less porous but much hardier as compared to the softer and more vulnerable latter material. It’s also heat-resistant.

4. Tile

If you’re into mosaic or prints, you’d be more inclined to go with a tiled backsplash. However, grease tends to build up in the grouting between tiles, so you’ll have to put in a little more effort into maintainance.

All is not lost; should there be stains, scrub the surface with warm water and powdered bleach.

If you’ve just moved into your first rental or co-living space away from your parents, or are a new homeowner, you will need to buy some basic kitchen cleaning tools such as sponges, kitchen towels, detergents etc.

To take cleaning further, it’ll be handy to have some higher-quality home organisation and cleaning products around the kitchen.

Magiclean Kitchen Bleach ($3.35)

Deal with the accumulated bacteria on your cutting boards, linen and kitchenware, with Magiclean’s kitchen bleach.

Made in Japan, the multipurpose product kills bacteria and disinfects at the same time.

It is safe to use on everything, including utensils – a multipurpose cleaning product for everything in your kitchen.

Magiclean kitchen bleach costs $3.35 (600ml) at supermarkets, and Amazon.

Keeping things neat in the kitchen is essential, as that allows you to prepare meals easily, while ensuring the space is free of clutter.

Having a trusty dish rack helps you organise your clean tableware and utensils so they dry effectively, preventing mould and mildew from forming.

Yet, many dish racks still pose the problems of causing countertops to be wet as water from the washed dishes drip. Some dish racks with water retention plates accumulate water over time, and additional effort is required to dispose the water off.

So, find yourself a higher quality dish rack such as this Eko stainless steel dish rack ($93 from Shopee).

Made of solid stainless steel, this dish rack comes with a wine glass holder, knife block, cutlery holder to allow ample space for different types of cutlery and kitchenware. There’s a swivel drainage pipe that ensures excess water drains out into the sink.

When you’re facing a whole shelf of kitchen towels, you might be tempted to go straight for the pretty ones. But how it looks shouldn’t be your only criteria.

“Kitchen towels serve as a multi-purpose tool in the kitchen, from wiping kitchen tops to drying wet dishes. The most important thing to look for in a good kitchen towel is its absorbency,” say experts at cleaning company Helpling.

Hey, you don’t want to move water around with your towel — you wan’t to absorb and get rid of it!

Cotton towels are recommended for drying dishes and wiping countertops, as their fluffy-textured surface makes them highly absorbent. If you’re looking for towels to clean glasses or tableware, go for the microfiber ones — they are lint free. However, they can also be less absorbent as compared to cotton and linen.

Tip! Buy lots of kitchen towels, as you should be changing them regularly. And, always wash towels before use, to get rid of germs as well as make them softer and more absorbent.

We have all heard about the benefits of the humble lemon. They are not only good for your health, but very effective cleaning agents, too.

These citrus yellow gems can double up as natural deodorisers and sanitisers and be used to banish unpleasant food odours that make your kitchen smell bad.

Here are some easy and convenient ways you can use lemons to eliminate bad smells from your kitchen.

• Leave slices of lemon to remove bad smells from your refrigerator and microwave oven
• Rub a lemon over wooden cutting boards to remove pungent smells and stains
• Kill germs from surfaces
• Sanitise kitchen tools, with some lemon juice in a saucer
• Cleaning the sink
• Use a toothbrush dipped in lemon juice to clean kitchen backsplash tile grouting
• Rub half a lemon over kitchen taps to get rid of water stains

Text: Melody Bay/Home & Decor

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