Three kitchen messes a pro cleaner always deals with straight away so they’re not harder to clean later
Whether it’s cooking splatters, an accidental spill or the inevitable marks from opening an appliance, it feels so much easier to leave it for later. But the longer it’s left and the more those things build up, the harder they are to clean in the future.
Professional cleaner Kellsie Zapata has named the three messes she always tackles straight away to avoid having to scrub harder and using stronger products later.
Yes, you do need to tackle those stovetop spills straight away. iStockphoto
Top of her list is stovetop grease. After cooking, once the stove is cool to touch she recommended scrubbing the surface with dishwashing liquid, before rinsing with water and wiping dry.
For stubborn stove buildup, Zapata advised using Easy Off, if that is safe for the surface. For example, it’s best not to use it on a stainless-steel surface and a degreaser spray will suffice.
Fingerprints and smudges on stainless-steel surfaces are also worth cleaning as soon as possible.
“I’d rather wipe it away before the whole appliance starts looking cloudy or streaky,” she said.
For regular cleans, a multi-surface cleaner and a soft towel is recommended, and for best results Zapata said to wipe with the grain of the appliance.
“If you need a deeper clean with Bar Keepers Friend, wipe with the grain and remove all product residue with water before drying/polishing,” she said.
Leaks and spills on fridge shelves also made the list because things like sauce can be quick and easy to remove when you first spot them, but can take a lot of scrubbing to get off later.
“If it’s already dried on, pull the shelf out, wash it with hot soapy water and then dry it before putting it back,” she said.
Zapata’s instructions included the step of rinsing and drying, which is important to prevent streaks and product building up on the surface; the last thing you want after removing food splatters quickly is to leave streaks and a heavy buildup of product as that will also cause problems down the track.
“A mistake I see all too often when people are cleaning their houses is that they leave a ton of residue from their cleaners behind, and over time that dries sticky and then attracts more dirt making your home more dirty,” Brandon Pleshek, janitor and cleaning expert, explained in a TikTok.
To prevent this problem, Pleshek recommended using three cloths when you clean a surface.
The first cloth is the one that gets dunked into a bowl or bucket of soapy water and used for wiping and scrubbing.
“Now obviously with this [cloth] you want to pay special attention to any of those dirty grimy or sticky areas while you’re cleaning because this [cloth] is really doing the heavy lifting from the surface,” he said.
Once you've used the first cloth to clean the surface you then grab the second cloth and dampen that in a bucket filled only with warm water.
Pleshek said people often stop after rinsing the surface, which leaves it streaky and damp.
Wring out the cloth so that it's not dripping wet and wipe it over the surface to rinse off the cleaning product you just used.
Cleaning expert Brandon Pleshek on how to clean surfaces properly, using three cloths TikTok/@cleanthatup
But to make the area completely clean he advised using your third cloth, which should be dry with nothing added to it, to dry and buff the surface.
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