Best ever kitchen cleaning hacks 2021

As one of the most used rooms in our homes, our kitchens take on a lot of everyday mess and clutter. From spills while cooking to that pile of dirty dishes residing by the sink, the chances are that your kitchen feels a little like a space where the battle for order never stops. Kitchen cleaning can feel like a full time job!

As the place where we prepare food, it is vital that our kitchens are sanitised and safe, but sometimes the task of keeping on top of grubby worktops, greasy kitchen cabinets and limescale sinks can feel endless.

But there are ways to both speed up your kitchen cleaning process, and make some of those harder jobs just a tad easier. So we’ve bought together a list of the best ever kitchen cleaning hacks in 2021 that will help to make keeping your kitchen spick and span a complete doddle.

Cleaning tips for your sink

Most cleaning experts agree that, when it comes to keeping the kitchen spick and span, your sink is the best place to start, and let’s be honest, seeing a gleaming sink and taps can make you feel great, even if the rest of the kitchen still needs some work.

Here’s some quick hacks to keep your sink sparkling.

• If you have a stainless-steel sink, you can clean it quickly and efficiently with bicarbonate of soda. Just sprinkle over your rinsed sink, then scrub your sink from the tops downwards so that you are working your way towards the drain, a sponge will work for this, but a toothbrush is even better.
• Is your plughole starting to clog? Before using drain cleaner, brush the area with a toothbrush loaded with an anti grease solution and wiggle it around to unclog any food particles that may be stuck underneath.
• Make your taps shine by using a solution of vinegar and water. For a stubborn build up of limescale, wrap a cloth soaked in the solution and wrap is around the taps, leave for an hour and then rinse.
• Always dry your sink after cleaning to avoid water stains. A microfibre cloth works well for this.

Keeping your oven clean

Cleaning the oven is one of those jobs we all put off until we have to (usually around the time that the smoke alarm starts beeping every time we open the oven door). But keeping your oven clean need not be a big deal. Here are some tips to get your oven in tip top condition.

• Use a dishwasher tablet (one of the pressed power type ones) to get the greasy glass on your oven door clean. Simply dip the tablet into warm water, and then use it like you would a sponge or cloth on the door – rub in circular motions across the glass. Leave for around 30 minutes then wipe of the residue with a damp cloth
• Clean oven racks with foil in the bath (yes we know it sounds odd). Firstly pop an old towel at the bottom of your bath. Wrap your oven racks in foil and pop on top of the towel. Add some warm water and two dishwasher tablets and leave to soak overnight. In the morning, simply unwrap and wipe down with a microfibre of other soft cloth.
• To loosen up burnt on oven stains try a bit of water and lemon. Fill up an oven dish with water and add the juice of three lemons plus leave the halves in the pot. Put in the oven and turn it on, and leave until the water is boiling. The steam helps to dislodge some of the grime and grease, making scrubbing it off a little easier.

Keeping your kitchen hob clean

Hands in yellow gloves washing the gas stove.

Spills aplenty tend to happen on our hobs, from splashes of sauce to overflowed water stains on an induction hob. Grease can also start to build up around extractors and on hoods too. Here are some top ways to keep your hob looking its best

• Prevention is better than cure – if you are planning on making something on a gas hob that’s likely to spill (or if a more over enthusiastic member of the family is cooking) consider using a Teflon stover burner cover which protects the area underneath
• The best way to clean an induction hob cooktop is by wiping it with a layer of vinegar and sprinkling it with baking soda then leaving for around 30 minutes. The wipe down with soft damp cloth
• Use oven cleaner to clean gas burner caps and rings. Simply remove from the hob and include in your oven cleaning routine.

How to clean kitchen worktops

The best methods for cleaning your kitchen worktop will very much depend on the materials used. For example, marble will need a different approach to wood. However, here are some top tips for different types.

• Stainless steel worktops tend to attract lots of grubby finger marks. Remove them by using a little drop of cooking or baby oil on a soft cloth and rub in a circular motion.
• For stubborn stains, that good old mixture of vinegar, baking soda and water works really well – but on granite or marble worktops they can harder to shift, so instead of leaving for a few minutes, cover with clingfilm and leave overnight before wiping off.
• A cleaning hack taking the social media world by storm is to use a plastic knife covered by a baby wipe to get to tricky edge areas, such as metal edges of hobs or the back of your worktops.

Keeping kitchen cupboards clear and clean

Dirt and grime can easily build up on both kitchen cupboard doors and within the inside the kitchen units themselves, but there is nothing more satisfying than seeing your kitchen units looking their best. Here are some hacks to keep the mess at bay

• Keep high gloss kitchen cabinets looking stain and streak-free by washing with a gentle solution of vinegar and water. To keep streak-free, always dry the doors with a soft cloth
• If layers of old grease and grim have started to build on your kitchen cupboards, vegetable oil is great aid to help you to get rid of them. Mix the oil with 2-parts baking soda for even better cleaning results. Rub in the solution with a soft damp cloth.
• Keep your kitchen door handles clean by using an old toothbrush to really get to those areas that are harder to reach with a cloth.

Kitchen cleaning tips for the floor

Crumbs, spills, and muddy footprints – kitchen floors can take a bit of a pounding when it comes to keeping clean. The method you use will vary depending on what type of flooring you have but here are some easy kitchen floor cleaning tips.

• Make life easier by using a vacuum cleaner (as opposed to a broom) to hoover up crumbs once every day or so – it takes just a moment and makes mopping up a doddle.
• Ever find that half of what you put into your dustpan just falls back out onto the floor when you are trying to sweep up? Simply wet your dustpan before using it – the water will grab onto dirt, hairs and dust, keeping them in the pan. Just wipe over when you are finished.
• Grout lines in tiled floors can build up dirt quickly, but did you know that using a carpet cleaning spray can work wonders to get rid of dirty grout lines? Just spray a foam carpet cleaner into the lines, scrub with a stiff brush and leave for 5 to 10 minutes. Then just wipe over or use your mop as normal.

Whatever  the size of your kitchen, keeping it clean and clutter-free helps to keep it looking at its best, so we hope that these hacks will go some way to helping you stay on top of your kitchen cleaning routine.