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Kitchen - The Heart of Your Home
Some of the earliest memories of our childhood are brought back by the aroma that drifted from the kitchen of those wonder years. The whiff of strong coffee on a Monday mornings that gave a confident and sharp start to the week, the scent of vanilla being added to a cake batter for a school bake sale. Whether it is memories or people, food has a way of bringing them together. It is rightly said that a family that eats together stays together. Chores related to the kitchen bond family members in way that they would never link them to another person. Most of us sheepishly remember squabbling over chores such as doing the dishes, setting the table or taking out the garbage. The kitchen is where generations have connected the art of living with the art of cooking. Where else would you find such a blend of flavors, scents, colors, spills and messes but in life, and yes, in the kitchen. And as in life in the kitchen too someone has to clean up after. This is where the art of cooking meets the science of cleaning.
It is okay to go about cooking in a creative and spontaneous manner but order is the cornerstone when it comes to the cleaning process. The health of your near and dear ones depends on the hygiene and well being of the kitchen. Thus it would be fair to say that the health of your kitchen reflects on the health of your family. Irrespective of how organized and careful you might be, spills do happen, and that is part of the cooking process. However keeping a kitchen clean and germ-free need not be the grueling task that it often becomes. The first rule of cleaning as you may have often heard is to 'clean as you go'. Simple enough; all it takes is a bit of self discipline to start with, and before you know it, it will become a habit. It is easy to keep postponing cleaning tasks and more difficult to do it altogether. So, create a plan of action to organize your cleaning. The best kind of management uses all the resources available especially the new age bio sensitive cleaning products to get the work done efficiently with the minimum energy spent. Divide your work into a daily, weekly and monthly schedule. A basic list of items you will require for this routine include:
" A non-abrasive cleaner for stove tops that cleans, polishes and protects its surface.
" A cooking range hood and filter cleaner.
" An all purpose degreaser with a spray for easy handling.
" Multi-purpose kitchen brush.
" A brush for dishwashing.
" A brush for scrubbing pots.
" Disposable wipes moistened with a powerful cleaning agent.
" Dishwashing liquid and sponge.
" A garbage disposal cleaner and deodorizer.
" A cleaner with a pleasant fragrance for hard surfaces such as countertops and cabinets.
" A good dish washing gel for all types of utensils and crockery.
" An appliance cleaner and wax to keep them spotless and shining.
" A natural based cleaner to scale and remove hard water stains from sinks and dishwashers.
" A brush to clean out dust and dirt from cleaning coils of your refrigerator.
" Concentrate heavy duty cleaner for the floor.
Armed with your cleaning aids divide your chores into a routine such as the following:
Daily:
" Always start your cleaning process from the top and work your way down so that you need to clean the floor only once.
" Return the ingredients you used during cooking to their respective places and move dirty mixing bowls, etc, from the work platform to the sink as soon as you are done with them. Rinse immediately with water to avoid hard-to-remove food residue.
" Clean and wipe stove and work counters. Wipe down countertops, backsplashes, table, stove, food processor and inside of the microwave.
" Hand wash dishes or place in dishwasher, dry and put back in place.
" Scrub the sink and sweep and mop the floor.
" Rinse and disinfect sponges used for the cleansing process.
" Check if the garbage needs to be taken out.
" Wipe clean the dinning table.
Weekly:
" Throw out old food from the refrigerator and wipe it clean, inside out. Also remember to clean the freezer. The best day to do this is the day before your weekly shopping.
" Scrub stove top, and clean frequently used appliances such as the toaster, food processor, can opener, etc.
" Clean and wipe sink fixtures.
Monthly:
" Scrub the top of stove vent.
" Dust light fixtures, wipe outside of cupboards, clear away cobwebs and dust baseboards and wash with an efficient cleaner.
" Take stock of any groceries that you are running short of, check expiry date on canned products.
" Clean top of the refrigerator
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