46 THE QUEENS COURIER • AT HOME • AUGUST 15, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
at home
Cleaning tricks: 5 overlooked items in
your kitchen that deserve a refresh
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.
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
and 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.
Coff eemaker
Cleaning your coffeemaker 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 coffee 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 2 months, replace your Keurig
Water Filter Cartridge to help remove
chlorine, calcium and other impurities
from water to improve the taste and quality
of beverages.
3. Every 3 months, use Keurig
Descaling Solution to safely and eff ectively
remove mineral buildup from
inside your brewer.
Microwave
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 3 minutes and then let sit for 5 so the
steam can penetrate the buildup. Finally,
open the microwave, remove the bowl and
easily wipe away grime with a washcloth.
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.
Kitchen knobs and handles
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.
The kitchen is the heart of the home and
deserves a good clean. Add these five items to
your next round of kitchen cleaning and you’ll
have a sparkling clean space you can truly enjoy.
Courtesy BPT
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