Have you ever seen one of those kitchens? Yeah, you know it.
The modern, shiny-looking one, with every dish in place behind a glass cupboard door, and the appliances neatly tucked away in an impossibly orderly way? Honestly, you probably only see them in advertising or our kitchen dreams, and there is a reason for that.
KITCHENS ARE USED DAILY. Because they are used daily, maintaining pristine surfaces and empty countertops is virtually an impossibility for most of us.
However, having clean and shiny small appliances on the counter can make for a better first impression, even if you didn’t get those last few toast crumbs whisked away.
How to Clean Small Kitchen Appliances
This article will tackle how to clean (and how often!) 3 of the most commonly used small appliances. Step one for every one of these items is to unplug the appliances before you do anything else.
Toaster
There are an enormous variety of toasters out there, so consider this a basic how-to.
First, figure out where the crumb tray is and how to remove it. This is the messiest part, so do it first.
Turn the toaster over and give it a good shake. Wipe that tray with a wet cloth to take care of the sticky stuff.
Once finished, wipe the counter it will sit on. If you can get to the metal inside the slats where your toast rests, reach in there with a scrubber to give them a good brush off at least once a month.
Follow with a good scrub of the whole body of the toaster, including knobs and levers. Most homes use the toaster every day, so a good clean is necessary once a week!
Coffee Maker
Cleaning will be different for each variety of coffee maker. No matter what type you have, empty the reservoir of water and wash the outside first.
Some pod-type makers will have a setting to clean the inside which only requires you to put water in the reservoir, whereas drip makers need a more hands-on approach. In either case, scrub your carafe well before doing the inside clean.
Vinegar cleans the inner workings of drip makers very well. Put the machine through its cycle, and follow with 2 cycles of plain water.
Be sure to wipe under the head where the water comes out, as well as where the filter goes, since coffee grounds can build up there and change the taste of your morning joe!
Again, since coffee makers are usually a daily use item, wipe it down weekly, but clean inside according to manufacturer’s instructions or monthly.
Microwave
Get a clean cloth very wet and microwave it for a minute. Then remove the cloth (it’s hot!) and use a damp cloth to wipe the inside down from top to bottom.
Generally, chemical cleaners aren’t a good idea as the taste might transfer to your food, so vinegar or a very mild soap are your best bet. Depending on use, you may need to do this as much as twice a week.
Some microwaves have a tray that can be put in a dishwasher; do that weekly. Buff up the outside of your microwave at the same time, paying attention to any knobs that can be removed to clean underneath.
Whatever your kitchen style, cleaning your small appliances can make for that picture-perfect kitchen aesthetic.