Kitchen Cleaning; Old School Versus New

Just as there are two schools of thought regarding processed and artisanal foods there are two distinct thoughts about old school versus new age kitchen cleaning. Many are switching back to the concoctions our grandmothers and great grandmothers used to wash dishes and polish silver. Do they work better than  the commercial cleansers? are commercial soaps and waxes better at getting pots and pans to gleam and shine? That is the question.

Dish detergent is the one cleanser that is almost used every day . Most, such as Dawn is effective, despite its' mildness. In fact it's used on birds and animals that have been soiled by oil spills. To be honest it can even be used as a shampoo, that's how gentle it is. Other brands, like Palmolive, are the same. They're not harmful on skin and not damaging when they accidentally splash onto the face. However there is the school of thought that just uses white vinegar and water  or baking soda. The last is great on removing stubborn coffee and tea stains  and returning cups to their original whiteness. Dishwashing soaps are great for degreasing and for working on stubborn stuck on crusts. Yet again vinegar also works well in this case as well and ketchup (!) as well is great at dissolving those crusty burnt pieces and grease spots.Another novel duo is lime and salt. Liberally sprinkle lime juice over the areas and then sprinkle on a medium layer of salt. Minutes later rinse away to reveal a shiny surface.

As any home chef can tell you cleaning the oven is not only a chore, it's also sickening -literally. Most commercial oven cleaners are effective but with them comes that horrible chemical odor along with  several warnings,A better bet is again, a kitchen cleaner's  best friend baking soda and vinegar. It.s a simple chore of first coating your oven with a baking soda paste and leaving it on for twelve hours.It is then washed off with a vinegar and water mix. Put the last two in a spray bottle and liberally spritz the interior. do the same with the oven racks.Baking soda  and vinegar also work  as an excellent cleanser for silverware too.You will also need sea salt and aluminum foil too. The last is used to transfer the tarnish from the silver to the foil.  salt is also a good cleaner for cast iron pans too. Just scrub it on the surface to remove any grease or leftover burnt bits. The kitchen sink, usually the place where all this cleaning takes place also needs to be scrubbed every now and then, Most of us use bleach to get rid of any of the stubborn tea stains however it's baking soda- again - to the rescue. This miracle powder also clears up clogged drains too.


Howver you clean your kitchen is up to you. The commercial powders and lquids work ell but some can be toxic. You can go back to family recipes using all natural products like baking soda and vinegar. They , too do an amazing job of bringling back the clean. do what works for you to have a spotless kitchen ,