Nowadays, not all housewives manage to keep their entire house absolutely spotless. Due to the fast pace of modern life, some nuances simply elude their eyes. However, when the kitchen starts looking bad, due to the build-up of greasy plaque, you cannot close your eyes to this, the grease should be urgently removed. You can quickly clean the kitchen with folk remedies, their effectiveness has been tested by more than one generation, also, they are more economical than household chemicals.
The best ways to clean your kitchen
Modern housewives are divided into two camps. The first half of them uses a different household chemical for each type of furniture, tableware, appliances, etc. The advantage here is that the composition is made up in such a way as not to damage the surface and effectively remove the dirt. The second half of the housewives prefers to use well-tried means that their mothers and grandmothers had used, too. The advantages of old recipes are their cost and safety for people and nature, because household chemicals are highly allergenic and can hurt the normal functioning of the human body and animals.
To remove the grease in the kitchen with detergents, you just need to read the instructions on the packaging. When you use it, please observe these rules:
- You have to adhere to the indicated concentration of the substance so as not to damage the surface being cleaned.
- Before starting work, you need to put on rubber gloves to protect the skin of the hands from damage and burns.
- You need to open the window before you start cleaning, so that the pungent smell of the substance does not cause dizziness or pain.
- If you are not sure how the product will affect the selected surface, test it by using a small amount on an obscured area.
Alternative methods are safer for people, but require an individual approach in each case. Nevertheless, they can compete with special detergents, and be just as effective at cleaning the surface.
Mustard powder
Housewives have used this product for centuries to clean different surfaces. To clean the kitchen with it, you need to wet the dirty areas with water, sprinkle them with mustard powder, then rub them with a dry rag. At the end of the cleaning, the remains of mustard powder should be removed with a wet rag or sponge. Mustard is an excellent degreaser, so all the dirt will remain on the rag. You can use this way to clean an electric stove, sink, refrigerator or kitchen cabinets with a protective coating, this method doesn’t work for wooden surfaces.
Soap and baking soda
The easiest method to clean kitchen and household appliances is to use a solution of laundry soap and baking soda. These components can perfectly cope with different types of dirt and using them together helps achieve the desired result easier.
Grate the soap on a coarse grater so that it dissolves faster and exhibits its cleaning properties, and pour the amount of water necessary to get a slightly muddy solution. Then wipe all contaminated surfaces with the solution.
Then, while the solution has not yet dried, pour some baking soda onto a sponge, and rub it over all the greasy areas. Leave the baking soda for 15 to 20 minutes, then washed it off with a wet sponge. The undissolved soda powder acts as an abrasive brush that thoroughly cleans the surface. Soap, in turn, allows you to not only wash greasy areas but also to disinfect them.
You can use this way only for metal elements, like a stove or a back-splash. All surfaces with a glossy or lacquer finish might get scratched by soda.
Baking soda and vegetable oil
This method is used to clean wooden surfaces in a kitchen, such as your kitchen cabinets, cutlery, table or chairs. You need to make a thick solution, similar in texture to sour cream, mixing baking soda and vegetable oil at a ratio of 2: 1. Apply the resulting mixture to grease stains and then rub, preferably with a brush with soft bristles.
You don’t need to rub the mixture into the surface too intensely, so as not to spoil it. The solution should be left on the surface for 10 – 15 minutes, then washed off with a wet rag.
When you clean your kitchen cabinets, lay sheets of paper or newspaper on the floor in case the soda falls.
Garment steamer
If you have a steam generator for steaming clothes, it can also be used to clean the grease from the kitchen. This appliance is quite expensive, so buying it exclusively for cleaning the kitchen is uneconomical. Water is poured into the device, which, under pressure, is already released in the form of steam. By directing the stream to dirty areas, you can quickly clear them of the grease. This method is considered the safest, as it does not damage a single surface and does not cause allergies. Also, it can even remove old stains of fat that you cannot clean in any other way.
Household ammonia
This medicine from the first-aid kit will help to clean kitchen surfaces, but before working with it, it is better to open the window so that the pungent odor evaporates faster. Make a solution of one table spoon of ammonia to one liter of water. Using this mixture, treat all greasy surfaces in the kitchen with a rag, sponge or spray bottle. After a few minutes, you will need to remove the solution with a wet rag.
Alcohol and table vinegar
This method can be used to remove grease from any surfaces in the kitchen. Also, it perfectly disinfects furniture, appliances, and utensils, eliminating bacteria and germs. You need to mix water, table vinegar, and alcohol on ratio 2: 1: 1 and add a third of a teaspoon of any essential oil to the mixture.
Pour this solution into a spray bottle and treat all the contaminated areas with it, then leave to soak for 10 – 15 minutes. After that time, you need to wash off the grease with a wet rag or sponge. After, the surface will exude a light aroma of essential oil.