How to give your kitchen the best spring cleaning - oregonlive.com

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The busiest room in the house, the kitchen, can also be the germiest, with bacteria on cutting boards and sponges, and who know what’s on the floor under the fridge.

Here are easy, general cleaning tips from experts, authors of house cleaning books and Consumer Reports (check the owner’s manual or manufacturer’s website first):

Grease: Use dish soap or don goggles and add eight parts water to one part ammonia to wipe up grease. See brand name grease removers

Mildew: Clean with bacteria-killing bleach (never mix with ammonia or any other cleanser). See brand name mildew removers

Bakeware build up: Use a plastic-edged scraper; wipe with a damp sponge, rinse with water or soak it in water to loosen build up.

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Coffee maker: Wash the carafe and brew basket, then rinse and dry. Run water and white vinegar through the machine, then plain water. Or use a coffee-machine cleaning solution. Keurig sells a special descaling solution.

Dishwasher: First remove food, bones, toothpicks and other hard items from dishes. Don’t put in sharp knives, brass, bronze, cast-iron, pewter, silver, wood, fine china or anything with gold leaf. Use a dishwasher cleaner, such as Affresh. Remove and rinse a manual filter to prevent food from collecting and producing odors. If hand-washing, air drying is the most sanitary method; dry with a towel to prevent spotting.

Garbage disposal: Run cold water and the garbage disposal until all waste has been ground and flushed away. Grind ice cubes to break up grease deposits. Shake in baking soda, which is mildly abrasive and counteracts smelly acids poured down the drain.

Microwave oven: Wipe the walls and floor of the oven with a hot, damp cloth. Wash the removable turntable in hot water and dishwashing liquid. If there are odors, microwave a bowl of water with a quarter-cup of lemon juice for one minute. Take out the bowl and wipe down the condensation and sides. Use warm, soapy water to wash grease out of a filter in over-the-range microwaves.

Oven and stovetop: Remove cast-iron grates and burner covers on a gas cooktop and wipe up spills with hot, soapy water (steel wool and abrasive cleaners can leave scratches). If the flame isn’t even, clean out the burner slots with a toothbrush. Clean range controls in the sink with hot, soapy water.

Opt out of the self-cleaning cycle, which takes hours and leaves a burn smell, and wipe down the oven with hot, soapy water and a plastic scrub pad. Clean the oven door with a sponge or damp cloth. For the outside, apply stainless steel cleaner with a soft cloth in the direction of the metal’s grain. For black or white finishes, use soapy water and a sponge.

Refrigerator and freezer: Wipe with a damp sponge dipped in water with one-quarter baking soda, and dry with a cloth to keep the appliances sanitary and looking clean. Wash removable shelves in hot water and liquid detergent. An open container of baking soda absorbs odors.

Trash bin: Remove the liner and wipe the pail out with mild detergent and water.

Cabinets: Use a handheld vacuum to remove dust inside cabinets. Take away dirt and grease inside and out with a mild solution of dishwashing liquid mixed with clean, warm water. Wipe down with a clean, damp cloth and dry with another clean, soft, lint-free cloth or a microfiber cloth to avoid scratching laminate and high-gloss cabinetry, according to MasterBrand Cabinets.

Counters: Use a clean, soft cotton cloth with water and a mild, non-chemical liquid detergent to wipe down Formica laminate. Don’t let water penetrate the seams, which can cause the substrate to swell. Don’t use cleaners containing acid, alkali or sodium hypochlorite that will mar, etch, corrode and permanently discolor the laminate surface, says the Formica company.

Cutting board: Clean after every use. Nonporous chopping boards made of plastic, marble or glass are easier to clean with hot, soapy water than wood, especially when preparing raw meat. Wooden cutting boards should be thoroughly scrubbed with a scrub brush and dishwashing liquid in hot water, followed by a hot water rinse and air dry.

Floor: Microfiber mops are most effective at removing dirt and bacteria, say experts.

Windows: Dilute ammonia-based window cleaners and wipe with streak-free microfiber cloths.

Use a disinfectant wipe on soap dispenser pumps. Wash cleaning rags, shake out dusters and brooms, and microwave the kitchen sponge for two minutes daily then replace it every two weeks.

— Compiled by Janet Eastman | 503-294-4072

jeastman@oregonian.com | @janeteastman

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