I'm a big believer in keeping a clean house; in fact, my wife would argue that I'm a bit compulsive about cleaning, but hey it's fun, mindless, work and it gives me great satisfaction when I see clean hardwood floors, a shiny stainless steel fridge, or crystal clear windows!
I take special pride in cleaning our kitchen, but it does present some challenges because of the varying materials and the amount of use the room gets from a day-to-day perspective. Here's a quick tips list for cleaning your kitchen:
Cabinets:
Cleaning your wood cabinets (painted or stained) is a two step process and given that we have white cabinets I like to clean them every 1 - 1.5 weeks:
1. Dust all cabinet surfaces. By dusting I don't mean using a feather duster which merely moves dust from one place to another, rather use a product that captures dust such as the Swiffer Sweeper Dry Cloths. Swiffer cloths are a bit expensive, but they do an outstanding job of capturing dust.
2. Mix a solution of 1 gallon of warm water with a ¼ cup of Murphy's Oil Soap. Grab a clean micro fiber cloth and submerge into your Murphy's solution. Ring the cloth well and begin cleaning your cabinet's surfaces. I like to work in sections and thoroughly dry the cabinets with a second micro fiber cloth.
Stainless Steel Appliances:
Stainless steel is a pain in the butt to keep clean, however it does look great when polished and is a great material to have in the kitchen from a durability perspective. I wipe down the stainless steel in our kitchen once a week via the following process:
1. Grab a clean micro fiber cloth and wet it thoroughly, next wipe the stainless steel in the direction of the grain (never go against the grain). Dry the stainless steel with a second micro fiber cloth.
2. Apply a high quality stainless steal polish to a clean micro fiber cloth and rub with the direction of the grain. Let the polish sit for 30-50 seconds and remove with a clean micro fiber cloth. I use Signature Polish and it works great (I also find that a creamy polish works better than a thin, water-like, stainless steel cleaner)
Porcelain or Ceramic Tile:
In my view tile is the ideal surface for any kitchen and it hould be cleaned, at the least, once per week. I've experimented with a white vinegar/water solution, dish soap and water, dedicated tile soap, etc., but I've found that a generic pine oil/isopropanol cleaner works best. I mix a ¼ cup of pint oil all purpose cleaner with about a gallon of hot water. Before cleaning tile, it's key that you sweep your floor very well. I like using a sponge mop for tile, as it gives you precise control over how much cleaning solution you apply to the floor. Casabella makes a nice mop, but you can purchase cheaper alternative at your local supermarket.
Stovetop:
We choose to purchase a large commercial-type oven/range at home given that we cook each and every day. And I clean my black stovetop once a day because regardless of how careful I try to be during the cooking process, there's always some liquid or piece of food that makes it's way to black enamel surface or stainless steel parts. Here's my process for cleaning the stove:
1. Mix a solution of hot water and regular dish soap and wipe down both your block stove top and stainless steel sections of your stove.
2. Next, with a clean micro fiber cloth, place some of the same pine oil based cleaner on your cloth towel and wipe down the black stovetop area (do not use this cleaner on your stainless steel).
3. Dry the surface with a clean micro fiber cloth.
Granite Countertops:
Granite is a wonderful material for kitchens (it's heat resistant, tough, and retards most stains). Most granite types should be sealed, at the least, once per year (I think the Dupont Stonetech Professional Sealer / products are great. My nightly ritual for cleaning granite consists of:
1. Removing any dirt/debris from the granite with a paper towel.
2. Wipe down the granite with a solution of white vinegar and water (I keep this mixture in a spray bottle in a <using 1 part vinegar / 3 part water>) .
That's it! You don't need to buy any fancy granite cleaners or desanitize your countertops with some intense, anti-bacterial, formula (unless of course you're butchering a large farm animal in your suburban kitchen). I do advise, however, that you quickly wipe down water, wine, juice, acidic liquids, etc. before they have a chance to sit on your granite, this will make cleaning your countertops much easier and require less work during your nightly clean up. Note: Some folks and granite professionals recommend not using white vinegar to clean granite given the possibility of etching, so you may want to use a mild dish soap and warm water instead of white vinegar/water. I haven't had any problems with my granite in 3+ years - it's a pretty tough material.
I'm a big believer in not using or purchasing many household cleaners (both for financial and environmental reasons). In turn, my overall house cleaning arsenal includes:
1. White vinegar
2. Unscented bleach
3. Pine Oil based multipurpose cleaner
4. Murphy's Oil
5. Bleach based mildew cleaner
Do you use other products for your home or have other kitchen cleaning tips?
Our granite guys said not to use a vinegar mixture cause it would cause etching. I googled it and a lot came up saying it is not good for your counter tops. I use a micro fiber cloth and soap and water and about twice a year I use a professional cleaner sealant.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_reaction_does_granite_have_when_exposed_to_vinegar
Hi Katie,
Your granite guy is technically correct, however I haven't seen any etching with the 1 part white vinegar 3 part water solution I've been using. My technique includes spraying a little of the solution on a clean cloth and then wiping down the granite countertops and ,thereafter, quickly drying with another cloth. If you do not want to use a white vinegar based solution, you can use some mild dish soap, as you said (it works well, but, at times, it requires 2-3 passes to remove all of the suds)!
Thanks for reading!
Best,
Vince
My friends who has three small children (think LOTS of fingerprints) shared with me that she uses just a touch of baby oil on a dry rag to clean her stainless steel. She applies it weekly and only needs to give it a quick wipedown mid-week with another dry cloth.
Definitely a frugal alternative to those expensive stainless cleaners!