Restaurants are likely one of the best places to learn from when it comes to cleaning because first, they must meet health and sanitation requirements set forth by the government to ensure safe food preparation and handling. And secondly, it has to be done in an efficient and quick manner. We’ve gathered some ideas from restaurant staff. If you’re the busy and productive type, you’ve got to check the following cleaning tricks from restaurants. You’ll be surprised that the things to use are already available at home, no fancy schmancy tools needed.
- Wipe the kitchen counters clean with a squeegee, it is way faster than using a towel.
- Remove coffee stains from the inside of a glass coffee pot by adding 4 teaspoons of salt, 1 cup of ice. Crushed ice works the best. And 1 tablespoon water. Gently swirl until clean, then rinse. Coffee pot should be at room temperature before cleaning. Do not use it if the pot is cracked or chipped. If your coffee pot is really stained, try adding a couple of squeezes of fresh lemon and swirl away. You might have to repeat a couple of times, but it will eventually come clean.
- Non-toxic cleaning with white vinegar
- For hard water buildup – Put some vinegar in a sandwich bag and use a rubber band to attach it to the faucet, then let it sit overnight and rinse in the morning.
- For cutting board – Mix one part white vinegar to four parts water and soak the cutting board in the solution for a few minutes. Rinse off and dry. Voila! Say goodbye to bacteria!
- For the oven – You’ll need to add in a spray bottle a mixture of 1/3 vinegar and ⅔ water, coarse salt and baking soda. Spray the whole oven including the inside of the door. Sprinkle baking soda. Then sprinkle a thick layer of course salt over the baking soda. Spray again with the vinegar/water. Let it sit overnight. Scrub using the coarse side of the sponge. Dirt should come off easily.
- For streak-free, sparkling glasses – soak for five minutes in white vinegar. For stubborn spots, gently rub them off with baking soda. Rinse and dry them with a lint-free towel or a microfiber cloth.
- Coffee filters do a great job at erasing fingerprints and water stains. Unlike cloths or kitchen towels, they do not leave fibers or streaks like cloths or paper towels can.
- Use two containers of used ground coffee to remove the unpleasant smell in your fridge. Coffee helps absorb odor.
- Clean tables. Use a soapy solution to clean tables or use a clean disposable paper towel. Second, after cleaning the surface with soap and rinsing with water try to disinfect tables by using a diluted bleach solution (one quarter to three quarter cups (1/4-3/4) of standard household bleach to each gallon of cool water or one to three (1-3) tablespoons of standard household bleach to each quart of cool water) Don’t forget the sides of the table! Allow the solution to sit at least 10 seconds before wiping dry, using a clean disposable towel.
- Organize your pantry. Follow the first in, first out rule. Bring the oldest items to the front to remind you to use them before they go bad. Label items in the freezer with name and date. Not only does it help keep everything organized and easily recognizable, but they help prevent spoilage, and that extra work of cleaning up leftovers or food gone bad.
Got any more kitchen hacks? Share your ideas with us!
