Clean Your Kitchen This Diwali Like a Pro

How to clean your Indian kitchen? Where to start and how to end? The number of kitchen cleaning products available are mind-blogging and extremely confusing too. Which ones to choose? Here are all my tips to thoroughly clean your kitchen easily, efficiently and as quickly as possible with economical cleaning products this Diwali.

Cleaning Your Kitchen

Diwali ki Safai – is an excellent Indian tradition which gives you the perfect excuse to put your house in order, disinfect it and start afresh. Before we start putting up our Diwali traditional decorations, we always traditionally clean the house first to welcome the Goddess of Wealth.

The kitchen is one of the most used, and thus, the most affected room of any house. Throughout the year, spills, stains, grease and dust inevitably make your kitchen unhygienic. From morning to night, crumbs and food leave stains on the platform, ceiling, storage racks and even the floor. Maintaining clean stove burners becomes a challenge. Cleaning the kitchen also involves cleaning household appliances, and in particular:

• The Hob and Chimney
• Refrigerator
• Other Appliances

In addition to keeping them clean, cleaning allows you to take full advantage of the performance of the devices. For optimal hygiene, it is necessary to clean the kitchen regularly but it certainly requires special attention during Diwali cleaning.

Once a Year Thorough Kitchen Cleaning on Diwali

Some items should be washed and cleaned daily, such as:

• The hob
• The platform or counter
• Cutlery
• Cooking utensils
• The kitchen floor

Once a week, wash:

• The stove grates
• The surface of the hood
• The oven
• The microwave cavity and tray

Every month, wipe and clean:

• The interior of the kitchen furniture
• The fridge
• The walls near the cooking stations

But for Diwali, you need to clean from the top to the bottom. One by one, tackle the

• Ceiling
• Chimney
• Exhaust fan,
• Gas stove,
• Kitchen sink,
• Kitchen slab,
• Tiles
• Cabinets
• Appliances

Choose the Right Kitchen Cleaning Products

Start by gathering all the cleaning materials beforehand. You will need:

• Brooms and Cobweb brooms (Jaala Jhadu)
• Scrubs
• Kitchen Sponge Wipes
• Cleaning Cloths – Dry and Wet (Use clean rags for each)
• Effective Kitchen Cleaners like Cif
• Floor Wiping Cloth

The number of kitchen cleaners on the market can seem confusing. I like to use a one-stop solution for the entire kitchen. My favorite product is Cif Kitchen Cleaner. It eliminates the need for buying multiple kitchen cleaning products and I find the spray function extremely handy. I can use it as easily to remove stubborn, burnt stains from the gas stove as I can for cleaning grease and stains from the sink.

Step by Step Pre-Diwali Kitchen Cleaning

Now that we are equipped with the right tools, let’s get started with the actual cleaning.

Note: Always clean any room from the top to the bottom. If you forget to clean the ceiling first, you will end up dropping all the dust from the ceiling on to the cleaned walls and surfaces later.

1. Empty the Cupboards, Drawers and Fridge:Go the traditional way and empty out the kitchen first. Takes time but that’s the only way to do it right. This also allows you to take inventory of storage and get rid of products whose use-by date has passed.

   In the same way, empty your refrigerator, unplug it and defrost it.
   Take all your aprons and kitchen linen and soak them in hot soapy water to wash later.

2. Ceiling: Start with the ceiling by removing any cobwebs. Dry wipe the ceiling fan to remove dust. Spray Cif and wipe thoroughly.
3. Chimney or Exhaust Fan:Chimneys or Exhaust Fans can get quite greasy so directly spray Cif first. Let the grease loosen, then wipe off. Cif power and shine has excellent Grease stain removal properties and I find that it cleans all kinds of grease stains very easily.
4. Walls:Use a broom or dry cloth to brush down dust from the walls. Spray Cif wherever you see stains. Leave for 5 minutes, then wipe off to remove stains.

   

5. Kitchen Furniture, Cupboards, Drawers:Dry wipe all the dust. Then look for all the stains you can find inside and on the doors and handles of the cupboards and drawers. Most likely suspects are masala, spice stains (turmeric, chili powder etc), oil, dried liquids and grease. Spray Cif on all stains and wipe clean. For any tough stains, spray and leave for 5 minutes before wiping. Use a clean rag to dry off. Leave them open to air out until you get to the point of putting all the supplies back.
6. Kitchen Platform/Countertop and Backsplash:Now this is a place we clean every day and still requires a thorough cleaning. That is because we tend to leave some of the tough stains out during everyday cleaning and only clean what is easily removable. Wash down, or use an extremely wet cloth to clean the dust from the countertop and tiles. Spray Cif Kitchen Cleaner on all stains on the backsplash (oil, spices, curries) and wipe off. All kinds of stains and dried food will be easily removed by Cif.
7. Gas Stove:For a spotlessly clean gas stove, first remove the grates and clean them separately. Now, clean any food stains (burnt milk or curries) by spraying Cif and leaving for a few minutes.
8. Ovens: When cleaning appliances like the microwaves and convection oven etc. remember to clean the inside of the oven cavity, grills, doors, handles etc. For both ovens, I find Cif can easily remove all the burnt food stains as well as spills.

   

9. Other Appliances:Clean all other appliances in the same way. You are likely to find dried food spills on your mixer grinder or food processor and burnt food in the toaster. Just follow the same steps and clean them with Cif.
10. Refrigerator:When cleaning clean the fridge,

• Empty the refrigerator as mentioned in the first point
• Remove the clean shelves, drawers and vegetable bins separately and set them aside to dry
• Disinfect and clean the fridge cavity and door shelves. For stains and spills on the inside walls and door, spray Cif and wipe.
• Put back the dried shelves and bins.
• Sort the food and keep it back in an organized manner

11. Floor:Finally, clean the floor using a broom or a vacuum cleaner. Use Cif to remove any stains on the floor as well. Then mop thoroughly to clean all the dust and disinfect.

Declutter and Organize

Now that your kitchen is all clean and free from any stains, spills and grease, start putting your food items back. Wipe all containers clean before putting them back. But not before carefully going through each item. Get rid of anything that is spoiled or causing pantry moths. Air out dals and pulses in the sun if you store anything for longer periods.

This is your chance to organize your cupboards and pantry more effectively. Try to put things back in a better and convenient order and get rid of anything impractical or which is no longer of use to you. Change containers with broken lids. Do away with utensils that are no longer of use and have been replaced by new ones.

Donate all the things that are in good condition and start your Diwali on a positive note. And don’t forget to add a touch of Diwali traditional decorations to your kitchen also!

A Quick Cleaning After Cooking Diwali Special Food

Once your Diwali ki safai is done, it’s time to do some special Diwali cooking. I love to make some of my favorite easy-to-cook Diwali recipes every year. While it is a lovely feeling to cook in a freshly cleaned and sanitized kitchen, my traditional sweets like Chiwda or Mixture, Gudpaare, Ladoos etc. do end up making quite a mess. Everything involving maida and besan has got to spill and drop on the gas stove and the oil just cannot do without splashing on the tiles lol! But don’t worry. Always keep Cif handy just like I do and #Don’tJustCleanIt,CifIt. It will immediately take care of all spills and stains and your kitchen will be spotless to welcome Goddess Lakshmi on Diwali 🙂