20 SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
You wipe down the counters,
clean the floor and run the
dishwasher regularly. Your
kitchen appears clean on the surface,
but there’s probably a lot that could
use a refresh. It’s time to pay attention
to frequently used but oft en forgotten
items in your kitchen.
Make sure to include these five
kitchen items on the next round of
cleaning so you get the sparkling
kitchen you deserve.
How to thoroughly clean
your dishwasher
Why would a machine with the
main job of cleaning need cleaning
itself? Because food debris and
mineral buildup from water can clog
important components, causing your
dishwasher to work ineffi ciently. To
thoroughly clean your dishwasher,
start by removing the fi lter and cleaning
it out. Then fi ll a dishwasher-safe
coff ee cup with white vinegar, put it on
the top rack and run on the hot cycle to
remove soap scum and other buildup.
Try to do this monthly for a sparkling
clean dishwasher that works great.
Cleaning your coff eemaker
is surprisingly simple
Cleaning your coff eemaker regularly
is an important step for it to
work at peak performance and keep
beverages tasting their best. Don’t be
intimidated by cleaning your coff ee
machine, particularly if you have a
Keurig brewer. It’s surprisingly simple
to clean your brewer with this simple
three-step routine:
1. Use Keurig Rinse Pods once a
week to rinse away old coff ee oils and
residue, or use any time aft er brewing
a fl avored beverage to reduce fl avor
carry-over between brews.
2. Every two months, replace your
water fi lter cartridge to help remove
chlorine, calcium and other impurities
from water to improve the taste and
quality of beverages.
3. Every three months, use descaling
solution to safely and eff ectively
remove mineral buildup from inside
your brewer.
How to clean your microwave
with water and lemon
Food steams, spurts and splatters
in a microwave every day, and even
if it appears visually clean, there’s
probably a lot of grime on the inside
walls. Rather than scrubbing harshly,
make it easy to get off the grime with a
simple solution: Fill a microwave-safe
bowl with one cup water and then slice
a lemon in half. Squeeze the lemon in
the water and then add the halves. Microwave
for three minutes and then let
sit for fi ve so the steam can penetrate
the buildup.
Finally, open the microwave, remove
the bowl and easily wipe away
grime with a washcloth.
It’s time to clean
under appliances
Just because you don’t look there
doesn’t mean the dirt and dust goes
away. It’s time to clean appliances,
particularly the refrigerator where
food, dust and dirt oft en collect and
clog up the coils.
Carefully pull appliances out
and clean well underneath. Start by
vacuuming and then wipe down with
soapy water. You should also look at
the back of appliances and wipe off to
remove dust and other grime. If the
appliance has an air vent, make sure
to vacuum it well to help it continue to
run effi ciently.
The kitchen is the heart of the home
and deserves a good clean. Add these
fi ve items to your next round of kitchen
cleaning and you’ll have a sparkling
clean space you can enjoy.
— Courtesy BPT
AT HOME
Make sure you clean these kitchen items
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