How to clean household appliances?

I find the best way to clean the household appliances is when I do the dishes. This way everything gets wiped off daily and the gook and grime does not build up. Also, when I use the stove, I wipe down any grease or overspill right away so that it does not stick to the surface. And the fridge needs to be wiped down on both the freezer and fridge door handles, as well as the front of the doors and the sides by the counter top. It is amazing how much stuff gets splashed on the fridge when cooking. Plus, so many people are opening it up during the day, it tends to get quite a workout and becomes dirty.

For the smaller appliances such as toaster, blender, slow cooker, pancake griddle, and cake mixer, I clean them as soon as I have finished using them, and before I put them back in the cupboards. I do not like using something if it has been put away dirty. And, it is easier to clean right away since the gunk has not hardened on the appliances. Generally, I wipe the sides down with my soapy dish cloth and then with a hot, wet cloth that is free of soap. Any parts that are removable, such as the liner in the slow cooker, I place in the sink and wash them down in the dishwater. I'll take my cloth and wipe the length of the electrical cord, as well, because the cords invariably get covered in flour and other food matter from the counter tops.

Cleaning electric and stove top kettles are another issue, though. Often, the water has all kinds of sediment that builds up in the kettle. Although I wipe the outsides of the kettle down everyday, it needs to be cleaned inside every couple weeks. For this I boil vinegar in the kettle and let it keep boiling for about 15 – 20 minutes. This loosens the calcium or lead or whatever was in water. Then I rinse it thoroughly under the tap. (Do not immerse if electric.) If I can wipe the rest out, I do so with a paper towel. One thing I will not do, however, is scrape inside with something sharp. Once the sediment is removed, I put fresh clean, cold water in the kettle, then put it back on the stove or plug it in to boil again. Another 15 minutes, one more rinse, and the kettle is good as new. Plus, tea tastes much better, because there is not little, hard pieces of white floating around the teacup.

Microwaves tend to need major attention in many households. It never ceases to amaze me how utterly filthy people let the their microwaves get. Then they put in baby bottles to warm or their supper to bake, and I am wondering how they can eat that stuff? Again, a microwave should be wiped inside as soon as one is finished using it. Take out the turntable and give that a good wash in the sink, and then wash the inside roof and sides of the microwave. Believe it or not, the food does splash all over. Once the inside is nice and clean, wipe down the outside. Vinegar is good on the glass window. And if the residue is so hard that a cloth will not work to wipe it off, do not use metal utensils to pry it off. Instead, use the cleaning sponges for non-stick pans, or make your cloth very soapy and put hot water on the hard spot to soften it.

Your big stove oven is harder to clean, for sure. Just be careful when you buy cans of oven cleaners. They are toxic and dangerous. Find products that are biodegradable, and that are not harmful to your family and pets. As a final piece of advice, all appliances are easy to clean if done right away.