Keep your kitchen area clean and tidy with these handy hints

As we mentioned in our Cooking Guide: Your Food Safety Essentials, in an average home, it is our kitchens that harbour the most germs and bacteria. With one study suggesting that your kitchen sponge alone may be an astonishing 200,000 times dirtier than your toilet seat, it's vitally important to get a good cleaning plan in place.

As your kitchen is communal, you'll want to establish a rota early on so that you can spread the workload amongst everyone in the flat. Find out more about how to go about that in our article, Keep your flat in great shape with a Cleaning Rota.

To help you get started, we've pulled together some useful pointers. 

What you'll need 🧽

You've already been provided with mops and a vacuum cleaner so, if you pick up the following items, you'll be good to go!

• Rubber Gloves
• Kitchen Cleaner Spray
• Scrubbing Brush
• Sponge
• Scouring Pad
• Cloths

You'll be able to purchase these items for around £10 so keeping your kitchen in good, hygienic condition definitely won't break the bank👍

Your Hob/Cooker

After using the hob, and it has cooled down, it is always good to give a quick wipe with a damp cloth. This will help to reduce any chance of crusty stains getting baked on to the surface. Combine this with a more thorough clean scheduled at least once a week to avoid a build-up of grease and dried-in foods.

Choose a good kitchen cleaner that is appropriate for hobs and use a scouring pad to help get the dried in foods off without a fuss.

For info more about your hob check out our Appliance Guide: Ovens and Hobs.

Oven and Grill Pan

When cooking food in the oven, always use a tray or oven proof dish to hold your food. If your dish has a lot of liquid and oils, it is also a good idea to use aluminium foil to capture any splashing.

Wipe up any spills or debris as soon as possible to avoid it getting burnt on and clean the bottom of oven and the grill pan on a regular basis to avoid a build-up of grease/food items.

For info more about your oven check out our Appliance Guide: Ovens and Hobs.

Kitchen Wall Tiles

Clean the wall tiles with some soapy water or spray on cleaner and wipe down. This helps to remove a build-up of grease and dried on foods (particularly behind the hob and sink).

Your Microwave

Clean the inside and the outside of your microwave regularly, including the plate which can be removed and washed separately. Cover all food being cooked and don’t allow food splatters to build up inside the unit.

For info more about your microwave check out our Appliance Guide: Microwaves.

Fridge and Freezer

Make sure that you throw out any foods or drinks that have expired and wipe up any spillages as soon as they occur. Clean the shelves, the base and unit doors regularly with a damp cloth.

It's really important to avoid ice building up in the freezer. If there is a problem with the door not closing it is often caused by a build of up ice due to the freezer being overfilled and the door not closing properly. For info more about your fridge and freezer, including how to defrost, check out our Appliance Guide: Fridges and Freezers.

Worktops

Wipe down your worktops every time you use them with a warm, damp cloth and antibacterial spray and make arrangements with your flatmates for a more thorough clean, at least once a week.

When using the worktops always remember not put any hot pots/pans on the worktops, they not heat resistant! You should also remember to use a chopping board when preparing food and don’t cut directly on the worktop. For more information on avoiding damages see our UofGLiving Top Tips. 

Sink and draining board

Help keep your sink and draining board free of debris and soap scum by wiping them down with a cloth at the end of every day, followed by a more thorough clean once a week. 

Be very careful about what goes in to the sink so that you avoid any unpleasant drain blockages. As a precaution, you can also pour the occasional kettle full of boiling water down drain to clear any settling debris.

For more information on avoiding blockages check out our Fixture Guide: Sinks and Drains.

Kitchen Floor

Vinyl

If your kitchen has vinyl flooring then use the designated mop to give it a good scrub. If you do this at least once a fortnight you should avoid a build-up of dirt.

Carpet

Use your flat vacuum to collect debris and to clean the carpet. If you spill anything, mop/clean it up immediately to avoid stains and slippages. Many kitchen carpets in the residences are flotex carpets and stains can be easily cleaned if these instructions are followed.

For more information on using a vacuum cleaner see our UofGLiving Appliance Guide.

Bins

If you empty your bins regularly and use a refuse sack to line the inside, your bin should remain in good condition throughout your stay. Regular cleaning with a good cleaner or disinfectant spray will help keep germs away and odours at bay so add that to your rota. It's also important to remember the bin lid when you clean as bacteria can form here if not properly sanitised.

For more information about bins in UofG residences see our Cleaning, bins and recycling article. 

Happy Cleaning😀