Kitchen Appliance Cleaning - Page 1

• cleaning the oven interior
  Even if your oven is really dirty you don't need to go to the desperate lengths of buying expensive and toxic oven cleaners. All you need is a thick paste of baking soda and water. Wipe over the inside when the oven has cooled down. Let stand overnight while the soda does its work. Wipe down with warm water to remove the grease and grit. Stubborn areas can be treated with straight baking soda on a scourer or cloth. You can clean a glass door with a weak solution, perhaps kept in a labeled spray bottle.
  
  An alternative method is to spray the inside of the oven (once it is cool/cold) with water and place baking soda on the oven floor. Keep the oven moist by spraying every few hours and then let stand overnight before removing the deposits.

• Greasy oven buildup prevention
  1/2 cup (125ml) vinegar
  1/2 cup (125ml) distilled water
  
  After going through the effort to get your oven sparkling clean, protect your hard work and avoid the inevitable greasy buildup a little longer by coating the inside of your oven with equal parts of vinegar and distilled water (used distilled water to avoid coating your oven with the minerals found in tap water). Apply with a clean cloth and let air-dry before using your oven.   

• Freezers
  Use Baking Soda and water when the spare freezer in the garage has been off, or we've stored various family members' freezers etc. Cleaning with baking soda and warm water has always kept the units fresh-as long as the door is kept propped open.
  
  If you defrost the freezer, wait for all the ice to melt, then wipe carefully with warm water solution and let it dry thoroughly. Restart the freezer... and close the door! 

• removing plastic wrappers from hot surfaces
  Have you ever caught a corner of a plastic bag wrapper of a loaf of bread on the toaster? It can be hard to get it off again. Dampen a cloth and make a mild scouring pad with some baking soda. Obviously you need to unplug electrical goods, such as toasters, before cleaning them like this and avoid getting any moisture on the inside element. 

• antique appliances
  For cleaning antique appliances: Pour white vinegar straight out of the bottle onto a sponge to soak stubborn buildup for a few minutes. After your appliance's first-time cleaning, future quick cleanups are easiest using a small spray/squirt bottle with a diluted vinegar-water mixture. 

• Tea-kettle cleaner
  1/2 cup (125ml) vinegar
  2 cups (500ml) water
  
  With repeated use, tea-kettles tend to develop a buildup of lime scale that's essentially the accumulation of minerals form hard water. Aside from drifting free now and them into your teacup, lime scale can also slow down the efficiency of the pot in reaching a boil. Fortunately, a quick vinegar steam is all it takes to significantly eliminate much of the problem. Boil the vinegar and water in the teapot for 10 to 15 minutes, remove from heat, and let cool. Drain and refill with fresh water and boil again for 10 minutes to remove all traces of vinegar. Repeat every few months (or more frequently, if you're an avid tea drinker) to keep your pot in tip-top shape.

• stainless steel appliance cleaner
  1 small spoonful baking soda
  
  Stainless steel appliances are popular in part because they tolerate heat well, resist germs, and look great, but they do require careful cleaning. For most messes, baking soda is the perfect cleaner for the job because it won't scratch the metal. To use, put a small spoonful on a damp sponge and squeeze the sponge a few times to form a thick paste. Rub lightly on stainless steel in the direction of the grain. Make sure to rinse thoroughly and buff with a dry paper towel to remove water spots.

• cleaning waste disposal units
  Clean and freshen the waste disposal by running a tray of ice cubes through it with 6 tablespoons of vinegar poured over them once a week. 

• Stove Gas Burners
  If you can remove the stove's gas burners easily to clean around them, immerse them in a pan of boiling water with four tablespoons of baking soda for a few minutes. 

• microwave cleaner
  To clean a microwave oven, all you need to do is put a couple of tablespoons of vinegar in a bowl with a cup of water. Microwave on High for 45 seconds to 1 minute (the time depends on your particular model). Carefully take the bowl out and wipe out the oven. Any baked-on splatters will be softened and easily removed.