Let’s be honest, we are never thrilled to have to clean the kitchen, but apparently, it is the ‘germiest room in the home’, so it should be our priority to have it sparkling at all times!

According to Cleaning Experts:

“The kitchen is a central room in anyone’s house and is often the most used. It can however, be the most dangerous as the surfaces, utensils, and cloths contained in the kitchen can harbor many serious, sometimes lethal germs that can have a very negative effect on health. “

To understand the potential risks of an unhealthy kitchen, read on:

--    “Many food items have the potential to be contaminated with salmonella. This type of bacteria can not only be found in meats and animal carcasses and passed to humans through the meat not being cooked thoroughly but from contact with contaminated hands, surfaces, utensils and even from places such as door handles and buttons if they have been touched by a contaminated hand.

--    Listeria is another type of bacteria that is carried in animals. It can be brought into the domestic environment by purchasing foods that are contaminated. The bacteria can then be passed between people and objects by cross-contamination.

--    E-coli is yet another germ that can be found in food products. Though rare, this can also be fatal in some people. Again it is spread through contamination of hands, surfaces or utensils

Bacteria can breed at an alarming rate and within just a few hours, enough bacteria may have been produced to cause very serious illness. “

Lisa Yakas, a senior project manager for NSF International, which does product testing and certification, explains:

“For a normal, healthy person, these things might not affect them that much. But certain kinds of people, such as the elderly, pregnant women, children, and individuals with compromised immune systems, may be more seriously impacted. Those types of people could all be in our homes, and they are the most susceptible to these organisms, so we just want to bring this to light, make these areas known, so that people can start cleaning these areas.”

However, cleaning the kitchen should no longer be your nightmare, as it can be done in a simple and safe way, without the side-effects of the chemicals used in commercial cleaners and detergents.

The following nifty tips will help you clean the kitchen in an almost effortless way:

1. Deodorize Smelly Kitchen Towels with Baking Soda and Vinegar

Mix vinegar and baking soda in the washing machine to get rid of the odors from the kitchen towels.

2. Clean Grill Grates with Onion

Rub a half onion, peeled, back and forth over the grates of a hot grill to clean them.

3. Clean a Scorched Iron with Salt

Spread a few tablespoons of table salt on a soft cloth and rub the heated iron until you clean the scorch mars. Then, rub with a damp cloth.

4. Sanitize Sponges in the Microwave

Zap the sponges in the microwave for 2 minutes in order to kill all the microbes that accumulate on them.

5. Unblock Stinky Drains with Baking Soda and Vinegar

Mix vinegar, baking soda, and hot water, and pour the solution down the drain to loosen up grimy sludge and get rid of the unpleasant odors. 

6. Make the Microwave Sparkle by Zapping Vinegar

Heat a bowl o water and vinegar in the microwave for 10 minutes, and then wipe the inside.

7. Kill Germs in Your Coffee Machine

Mix water and vinegar in equal amounts, and fill the water chamber. Run the machine until the solution has passed through, and repeat once more with plain water.

8. Freshen Up the Garbage Disposal with a Lemon

Cut a lemon in half, and shove it in the garbage disposal to eliminate the bad odors.

9. Clean Baking Trays and Dirty Pans with Lemon

To clean the grease off the pots, pans, dishes, and cookie sheets, soak them in some hot water with fresh lemon and baking soda.

10. Fix Burnt Pots with Baking Soda and Vinegar

Fill the burnt pan with water and two cups of vinegar, boil the mixture, take it off the heat, and add 2 tablespoons of baking soda. In a few minutes, the stains will easily come away.

11. Unclog a Cheese Grater with Potato

Just grate a potato in the cheese grater, and it will push the cheese out of it. Then, it will be easy to wipe it clean.

12. Dissolve Water Stains with Vinegar

Rub vinegar into the stains of hard water to make the kitchen items sparkling again.

13. Get Rid of Kitchen Cabinet Gunk with Vegetable Oil and Baking Soda

Mix baking soda with some vegetable oil, and scrub the cabinet doors.

14. Scrub Cast Iron Pans with Sea Salt

Use a steel scouring pad and some coarse sea salt to remove the grease on cast iron pans.

15. Remove Baked-on Grime from the Oven Naturally

Mix baking soda, dish soap, vinegar, lemon, and some hydrogen peroxide and clean the baked-on grime from the oven.

16. Eliminate Coffee Mug Stains with Baking Soda

Sprinkle baking soda over the coffee mugs, dampen them with a dash of water, and after 10 minutes, scrub the inside of the mug with a little more baking soda on a damp cloth.

17. Remove Pet Hairs with a Squeegee

Rub a squeegee over the hairs or your pet and they will come away easily.

18. Add Shine to Wood with Coconut Oil

Coconut oil can eliminate the oil-soluble impurities and dust particles from the wood, while its lauric acid will destroy microbes.

19. Deep Clean Wooden Cutting Boards with Lemon and Salt

Mix a lemon and some coarse salt to get rid of the grime and germs from the cutting boards.

20. Wash Inside Bottles with Rice

Use water, soap, and a little rice, to clean the bottles with narrow necks or irregularly shaped jars.

21. Clean the Blender by Flicking a Switch

Fill the blender halfway with water and add two drops of dish soap. Flick the switch and blend for a few seconds. Then, just rinse it clean. 

22. Absorb Nasty Fridge Odors with Ground Coffee

To eliminate the bad smell from the fridge spread freshly ground coffee evenly on a plate and put it in the fridge for 24 hours.

23. Shine up Glasses with Vinegar

Dab a soft cloth in a little vinegar and rub the glasses to make them perfectly clean.

24. Clear Out Your Coffee or Spice Grinder with Bread

Throw in some soft white bread in the coffee or spice grinder, grind it up and then dump it out, to remove the last few bits of ground up coffee.

25. Clean the Dishwasher with Mugs of Vinegar

Fill two mugs with white vinegar, place one on the top rack and one on the bottom of the dishwasher, and leave the rest of the dishwasher empty. Run a hot cycle.

26. Clean Tiles

In a small spray bottle, mix 1/2 cup of baking soda with 1/4 cup of hydrogen peroxide, and spray onto the grubby tiles. Scrub after 5 minutes, and rinse off.

27. Dust by Walking Around!

Put on chenille socks as you go about your day, and you will dust in an entirely effortless way.

There is no doubt, spending time in a clean and sparkling kitchen is a real pleasure!

Source: www.naturallivingideas.com