Christmas Cleaning Tips for The Kitchen

The Christmas Countdown has well and truly begun! And while it may look a little different for many this year, at least there is still a chance for a celebration with family and friends.

Are you in charge of cooking Christmas dinner this year? Let's get your kitchen looking its very best! Read on for our top Christmas cleaning tips for the kitchen.

Clean & de-clutter your worktops

Before you add any Christmas decorations to the kitchen, it's a good idea to de-clutter the worktops. Shred and recycle any paper waste that has piled up on the side, put away anything you won't need for cooking and give the worktops a good old clean.

We recommend using an all-purpose cleaning spray (or a homemade alternative) and microfibre cloth to clean your worktops. Follow up with a disinfectant spray to kill off any germs and bacteria. Remember, you often need to leave disinfectants to work for a period of time, before wiping your worktops for a final time.

Clearing and cleaning your worktops will give you much more space for food prep and cooking on the big day. It'll also make your kitchen appear bigger and more spacious!

Make your glasses sparkle

After the year we've had, we all deserve a glass of bubbly at Christmas. Want to get your wine glasses and champagne flutes sparkling? White vinegar is the answer!

Fill up your sink or washing up bowl with white vinegar. Place your glasses in the solution and leave for half an hour to soak. Next, remove the glasses and rinse thoroughly with hot water. Finally, dry and polish the glasses with a microfibre cloth. The result? Super sparkling glassware that you'll be proud to display on your Christmas table.

And your cutlery shine

White vinegar also works a treat on stainless steel cutlery. Dampen a clean cloth with a splash of water and white vinegar. Use it to buff the cutlery, concentrating on any tarnish or stains. Once clean, rinse thoroughly with hot water and use a microfibre cloth to dry and buff the cutlery. You'll be left with shiny cutlery, fit for royalty!

Deep clean the oven

We'd hazard a guess that the Christmas cleaning task you're dreading most is the oven. It's such a pain to clean but unfortunately, necessary. After all a cleaner oven is not only more hygienic, it's also easier to cook in. Some would also argue your Christmas dinner will taste much better cooked in an oven free from burnt-on food and debris.

While there are hundreds of different oven cleaning products available, if you haven't got time to go to the shops, why not make your own? Bicarbonate of soda is great for cleaning the oven quickly. Simply mix it with water to create a paste and spread it on your oven and metal racks. If you have the time, leave it to work over night, before rinsing and wiping the follow morning.

For a step-by-step guide, read our blog post: How to professionally clean an oven

It's also a good idea to give your cooker extractor hood a clean before Christmas. It'll stop your kitchen getting smoky and prevent any unpleasant smells from lingering. Remove and wash the filters in dish soap and scrub with a non-abrasive cleaning pad. Dry the filters with a clean tea towel before placing back inside the extractor.

Clear out the fridge

Before you fill up your fridge with Christmas food, it's worth spending a few minutes seeing what's already in there. Remove all items and check the dates on any food to make sure you're not keeping anything that's past it's best. Getting rid of old food will leave you more room for the good stuff!

While your fridge is empty, remove the shelves and clean them in the sink with washing up liquid and water. Next, mix a little bicarbonate of soda with water and apply it to a clean dish cloth. Use it to wipe the fridge door and walls. Pop the shelves back in, along with the food you're keeping. Finally, place a pot of bicarbonate of soda in your fridge to neutralise any unpleasant odours (like the Christmas camembert) and keep it smelling fresh.

Clean the microwave

Like to heat up leftovers on boxing day? Don't let a dirty microwave stop you. Cleaning it is simple. All you need to do is fill a microwave-safe bowl with water, a slice of lemon and two teaspoons of white vinegar. Set your microwave to boil the liquid and watch the window steam up. Next, carefully pour the solution down the sink and use a clean cloth to wipe out your microwave. The steaming process loosens any burnt on food and makes cleaning the microwave that little bit easier.

Disinfect the kitchen bins

It's a nasty job but yet another one that has to be done! Take your empty bin outside and spray the inside and outside with an antibacterial cleaner. Next, grab a cleaning brush and use it to scrub any dirt away. Rinse with water and dry with a clean cloth or tea towel that you can bung in the wash.

Once your bin is dry, place a pot of bicarbonate of soda at the bottom, before adding a fresh bin bag. This will help to prevent any nasty smells from lingering.

The same cleaning method can be applied to recycling bins and food waste caddies too.

Christmas cleaning made easy with NG1 City Cleaners

We hope you've found our Christmas cleaning tips for the kitchen useful. If you need a little help with the rest of the house, be sure to check out our Christmas cleaning posts from previous years:

• 4 reasons to hire a cleaner for Christmas
• Christmas Cleaning Checklist to get your home guest-ready

And remember, you don't have to do all of the Christmas cleaning yourself. Rope in your family to help, or even better, hire our professional cleaners in Nottingham to do it for you. You deserve a treat - it's Christmas! Book online now to avoid disappointment or give our friendly customer care team a call on 0115 971 3157.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

We'd just like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you for your kindness and support during what has been a rather challenging year. Fingers crossed 2021 is kinder to us all! Keep safe and well and have a wonderful Christmas and New Year.