Cleaning the kitchen properly

The kitchen produces more varied soiling than any other room, and using one product on all of it is why so much cleaning takes longer than it should.

Grease

The kitchen's characteristic problem, and the one that responds to chemistry rather than effort.

Grease is broken down by alkaline cleaners and by detergents, which is why washing-up liquid works and why acidic products such as vinegar do not.

Heat helps substantially, since warm grease is soft and cold grease is not.

And time helps more than pressure: applying a degreaser and leaving it for several minutes does more than scrubbing immediately.

The place grease accumulates unnoticed is the extractor and the surfaces above the hob, where an aerosol of cooking fat settles continuously.

Wiping these weekly prevents the annual job that requires a strong product and an afternoon.

Limescale

The opposite problem, requiring acid rather than alkali.

Limescale is a mineral deposit and dissolves in mild acids — citric acid, white vinegar, or a proprietary descaler.

Kettles, coffee machines, taps, sinks and the inside of the dishwasher all accumulate it, and in hard water areas the accumulation is rapid.

The caution: acid damages natural stone, some metals and some finishes, so it should be kept to the surfaces it suits and rinsed off afterwards.

Wiping taps and sinks dry after use prevents most of it forming at all.

The hob

Which varies by type.

Gas burners lift off and can be soaked, which is far easier than scrubbing them in place.

Ceramic and induction surfaces need a dedicated cream cleaner and a scraper held at a shallow angle for burnt-on material, and should never be scoured, since scratches are permanent.

Sugar spills on ceramic hobs should be removed while still warm, since sugar can pit the surface.

And on any hob, wiping while the surface is still slightly warm rather than after it has cooled completely is markedly easier.

The oven

Where the job people most dislike can be reduced substantially.

Prevention does most of the work: a tray beneath anything that might spill, covering roasting dishes, and wiping spills once the oven has cooled after each use.

For built-up carbon, a caustic oven cleaner is effective and requires gloves, ventilation and care, or a paste of bicarbonate left overnight works more slowly with no hazard.

Racks are easiest soaked in a bath or a large container rather than cleaned in place.

Pyrolytic ovens burn residue off at very high temperature, which works well and requires the racks to be removed first.

Never use oven cleaner on the door glass of a self-cleaning oven or on any part the manufacturer excludes.

The refrigerator

Which is cleaned less often than it should be.

Empty it, remove shelves and drawers, and wash them in warm soapy water rather than anything strong, since residues transfer to food.

A bicarbonate solution deodorises and is food-safe.

Clean the door seal, where mould grows in the folds.

Check and clean the drainage hole at the back of the compartment, which blocks and causes water to pool.

And clean the condenser coils at the back or beneath, which are frequently thick with dust and which directly affect running cost.

The dishwasher and washing machine

Appliances that clean and therefore are assumed not to need cleaning.

Both accumulate grease, limescale and biofilm.

Both have filters that need removing and rinsing, which most people have never done.

Both benefit from a hot empty cycle with a descaler or a machine cleaner periodically.

And both have door seals that need wiping and drying.

The order

Which saves time.

Clear surfaces first, then start anything that needs soaking, then work top to bottom so that dislodged material falls onto surfaces not yet cleaned, and do the floor last.

Starting the soak first is the single change that makes a kitchen clean faster, since the waiting happens while other work is being done rather than afterwards.

General information only, not professional advice. Follow manufacturer instructions for appliances, ventilate when using strong cleaners, and never mix cleaning products.