Deep cleaning the kitchen: Burns, stains and grime
16th Mar 2024 Home & Garden
3 min read
A build-up of burn marks and grease can leave your kitchen looking worn out over time. When next deep cleaning the kitchen, use these tips to restore its shine
There’s a burn mark on my laminate countertop
Try baking soda on light burns
If the burn mark on your laminate countertop is light brown, you may be able to remove it by covering it with a thick paste of baking soda and water. Let the mixture sit for 20 minutes, then scrub it off.
If the burn has eaten through the laminate, you may want to install a drop-in insert.
My laminate countertop is scratched
Hide the scratches with car polish
If the scratches aren’t deep, you can hide them with a car polish, such as NU Finish. Apply the product according to the directions. Buff with a soft cotton rag.
My expensive stone countertop has a stain
Stone countertops are susceptible to water stains, due to their porous texture
Removed water-based stains with hot water
Most stone stains result from liquids that seep into the stone’s pores and then evaporate, leaving coloured solids. To remove the stain, you need to put those solids back into solution and extract them.
To remove a water-based stain, such as fruit juice, pour hot (but not boiling) water on the stain. Let the water stand for a few minutes and then soak up the excess.
Lay a handful of paper towels on the stain, cover that with a piece of plastic wrap, and lay something heavy on top, like a pot of water. Let this stand overnight.
In the morning, the paper towels should have drawn out the stain.
Remove oily stains with acetone
For oil-based stains, such as olive oil, follow the same procedure but instead of hot water, use (unheated) acetone. You can buy acetone at the hardware store, or you can use most nail polish removers, which are acetone.
Next morning, remove the towels and wash the spot with warm, soapy water. In either case, if the stain is still there, repeat the process.
The carpets near my kitchen are grimy
Use a grease-absorbing powder on nearby carpets before vacuuming
Use a special grease-removing compound
That dingy film on the carpet near your kitchen is grease. When you cook, minute particles of airborne grease land on the kitchen floor, get picked up by your feet, and are tracked onto the carpet.
Vacuuming won’t help. Unless you remove the grease, it will sink deeper into the fibres, turning darker and darker as it collects more dirt.
There is an easy solution: carpet stores sell a product, called Capture, specifically designed to combat this stubborn grease. It looks like moist baking soda and comes in a plastic tub.
Here’s how to use it:
- Using water in a spray bottle, mist the high-traffic areas of the carpet where the grease has collected.
- Sprinkle the product on the dark spots and let it sit for half an hour to absorb the grease.
- Vacuum up the powder.
Keeping carpets near the kitchen clean
Keep the carpets leading to your kitchen cleaner by using your range hood’s extractor fan. It removes the tiny particles of airborne grease before they can land on the floor and get tracked onto the carpet.
Even if your exhaust fan removes only 50 per cent of the air-borne grease, you’ll still be cutting half the grease from your carpet.
My big family gathering left a big mess
Fit as many plates as you can in the dishwasher after messy gatherings
Clear up the worst right away
There’s no need to wear yourself out by tackling the entire mess immediately. Spend just a few minutes whipping the aftermath into shape, and then do the detail work in the morning.
Assuming you have already put perishable foods away, here are the steps to follow:
- Collect bottles, cups, and glasses. Look for spills and deal with them right away.
- Empty half-filled glasses and cups in the kitchen sink. Toss out plastic and paper. Set the glasses on the counter. Do the same with plates and utensils.
- Fill the dishwasher with as many dishes as you can fit in and start it when it’s fully loaded.
- Gather up the rubbish in plastic bags, starting in outer rooms and working your way toward the kitchen, so that you centralise the clutter there. Take rubbish out as soon as bags are filled and tied, to prevent accidental leaks and odours.
- In the morning, after a good night’s sleep, finish up by dusting and vacuuming, again working your way toward the kitchen. Clean the kitchen last.
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