56 THE QUEENS COURIER • AT HOME • FEBRUARY 20, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
at home
Five items to clean for a sparkling kitchen
You wipe down the counters, clean the
fl oor 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 fi ve 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. Th en 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.
Leave kitchen knobs and
handles looking like new
You make it a habit of wiping down
your faucet knobs when you clean the
sink, but what about the other knobs in
your kitchen? Th e knobs on the cabinets
are sometimes touched hundreds of times
in a month by diff erent people, which can
transfer germs and bacteria, not to mention
grease and other grime on fi ngertips.
Start by wiping all knobs down with
disinfectant wipes. For grimy buildup,
use hot water with a touch of dish soap
and wipe down with a rag to break down
grime and leave knobs looking good as
new.Th
e 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
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