GREENER CLEANER
Food writer Debora Robertson shares her trusted and thrifty tips to clean your kitchen the eco way
1 FRESHEN UP YOUR CHOPPING BOARDS Dip the cut side of a halved lemon in salt, rub over the surface of a wooden board, leave for five minutes, rinse and dry immediately.
2 WASH DISHCLOTHS, DUSTERS AND SPONGES in the machine at minimum 60C, without fabric conditioner. Keep a generous stack of them and change frequently. Toss washing up brushes in the dishwasher to clean them.
3 KEEP THE DISHWASHER SPARKLING Empty a sachet of citric acid (available from chemists) into the detergent dispenser, then run on a hot cycle once a month to banish built-up grease and limescale. Alternatively, pour about 400ml white vinegar into the bottom of the dishwasher and leave for 30 minutes before running a hot cycle.
4 DON’T LET YOUR FRIDGE become a memorial to meals that time forgot. Keep an eye on what you have, use up things before they turn, and wipe up spills as they occur. Wash the handles of your fridge and freezer with hot soapy water every day. Place an open tub of bicarbonate of soda in the fridge to absorb odours.
5 CLEAN GLASS-FRONTED CABINETS, TILES AND MIRRORS with a spray made from a half-and-half mixture of white vinegar and water. Buff them dry with microfibre glass cloths. 6 DON’T DAMAGE SHARP CHEF’S KNIVES by putting them in the dishwasher. Natalie McVeigh, who imports high-quality Japanese I.O.Shen knives to the UK, explains that knives with a high carbon content can be damaged and blunted by the high heat and salts. She advises carefully hand washing, drying and storing on a magnetic wall rack. Avoid wooden knife blocks as they can blunt blades as you slide knives in. They’re also unhygienic as they get dusty inside and are impossible to clean.
7 WIPE DOWN SPLASHES IN YOUR MICROWAVE after each use. Once in a while, slice some lemons (or save bits of squeezed lemon you’ve used in cooking), place them in a heatproof bowl filled with hot water and blitz on High power until the microwave is good and steamy. Carefully remove the bowl and dry the interior of the microwave with a clean cloth.
8 NEED TO CLEAN THE OVEN? Little and often will save you from this dreaded task. Prevention will help, so put baking sheets under pies and anything that might bubble over, and get into the habit of cleaning up splatters as soon as the oven is cool enough to do so safely. To get rid of built-up dirt, mix 4 tbsp bicarbonate of soda and 2 tsp table salt into a paste with water. Spread it over the gunk (avoid the element and seals) and leave for an hour. Spray with white vinegar until it begins to fizz. Leave for 20-30 minutes, then wipe clean with plenty of hot water. 9 REMOVE LIMESCALE on taps by soaking a soft cloth in vinegar and wrapping it around the badly affected area, securing it with an elastic band. Leave for an hour, remove the cloth and rinse well.
10 GET YOUR COPPER GLEAMING Leiths School of Food and Wine knows a thing or two about copper pans. Staff clean theirs with a paste introduced by Prue Leith, the school’s founder, who worried that commercial products might damage the copper.
To make the paste, mix equal quantities of table salt, vinegar, flour and egg white (freeze leftover egg whites in an ice cube tray for just this purpose). Rub the paste into the copper, rinse well, then buff with a clean, soft cloth.
REMEMBER… Prevention is usually easier, greener and cheaper than cure. Wipe up spills as you go, apply a bit of elbow grease when needed, throw open the windows for a few minutes each day. This will go a long way to keeping your kitchen clean, and will save time and money in the long run.