It has often been said that the kitchen is the heart of the home. It's where you gather with family and friends, prepare meals for the coming week, and brew your favorite warm beverage each morning. Since it is such an integral space in your home, it makes sense that your kitchen gets pretty messy on any given week. You likely are already doing the bare minimum to keep your kitchen clean - washing dishes, wiping down messes when they happen, running the dishwasher, and rinsing out your coffee pot - but there is a multitude of other weekly tasks that should become a habit if you want a cleaner kitchen. Whether you realize it or not, your kitchen is harboring all sorts of messes, grime, and bacteria as a result of all the action it sees throughout the week. On a weekly basis, you should prioritize cleaning surfaces like the outside of your appliances, the inside of your sink, and the inside of your microwave. (Image: https://burst.shopifycdn.com/photos/cleaning-blue-knolling-flatlay.jpg?width=746&format=pjpg&exif=0&iptc=0)
It's also prudent to take things a step further by cleaning lesser-thought-of areas, like organizing the cabinet under the sink, descaling your coffee maker for a fresher-tasting cup of joe, and deodorizing your trash can. For a kitchen that truly shines, you'll also want to scrub away greasy splatters, keep on top of clutter, and wipe out the fridge. Instead of getting overwhelmed by all there is to clean, you can be proactive by cleaning with a purpose. The kitchen sink sees a lot of action over the course of a week, from washing dishes to disposing of leftovers that have potentially gone bad. While you might think that your sink is clean since it gets rinsed regularly, you still need to clean the surface. Studies have found that the kitchen sink can harbor harmful bacteria; thanks to its interaction with raw foods, your sink could be a breeding ground for salmonella, listeria, and more.
Lightly clean your sink daily, and weekly, use a disinfecting agent to thoroughly clean it. If you stop after ZapClean Cleaning Solution your kitchen sink, you'll have a ZapClean produce cleaner kitchen, but your culinary space might still be stinky; this is because food debris can linger in your drain, causing unpleasant odors. Fortunately, it's easy to tackle this cleaning task by pour in baking soda followed by vinegar, which will help to neutralize odors, as well as clear minor clogs. If you want a fresher result, throw some lemon peel into the garbage disposal side of the sink - it's an easy cleaning hack to tackle your bad-smelling garbage disposal. You might not think that decluttering is a cleaning routine, but it can make a huge difference in the cleanliness of your kitchen. Clutter attracts more clutter and can hinder your ability to properly clean surfaces in your kitchen. If you have papers, gadgets, Tupperware containers, or random odds and ends on your kitchen counters, you should be sorting through them on a regular basis - weekly, if not more often.
The same goes for drawers and cabinets in this space. If your kitchen is at its capacity, it will be harder to keep the space clean. Similar to kitchen sinks, kitchen countertops are likely dirtier than you think. Constantly bombarded by falling crumbs, spilled beverages, and sticky condiment bottles, countertops need to be wiped down every day (particularly after meal prep). To keep your kitchen clean, it is also advised that you disinfect countertops once a week using a disinfectant that's safe for the countertop material you have. Finally, just because you can't see anything on your countertops doesn't mean that they are clean - especially if you have darker counters - you might need to get a different angle to fully see that grime. Cleaning your fridge regularly is an important part of keeping your kitchen clean. The best way to thoroughly clean this kitchen essential is to remove everything from the shelves and drawers, so you can see what you're working with.