Some Tips To Clean and Maintain Your Kitchen

Proper maintenance and care of work surface is very much important. It not only makes Kitchen looks good but also keeps us free from harmful bacteria. The following are some ways to keep work surfaces clean and healthy.

WORK SURFACES in today's kitchens usually are made of materials than can be cleaned with the wipe of a damp cloth or sponge. If they need more, use a cloth or sponge wrung out of suds made with your favorite detergent. Mild scouring powders can be used on porcelain, stainless steel and monel metal, but always rinse them off well after cleaning.

Shelves also needs attention, as we keep the food in the shelves, which invite the insects to come and hide in the shelves. Find some tips to clean and maintaining the shelves from the insects.

LINOLEUM SURFACES should be protected as carefully as possible from standing water and seepage around the edges. Water damages linoleum if it is in contact long, unless it is kept well waxed.

COMPOSITION SURFACES of various types are often waxed too, although they are not especially sensitive to damp* ness. Plastic surfaces need only to be wiped with a damp cloth or a cloth wrung out of suds made with soap or detergent They can be waxed if desired.

WOOD MAKES A DURABLE WORK SURFACE attractive and easily wiped clean if it is treated with boiled linseed oil. To give this finish to old wood, scrape and sand it down to clean wood then apply the linseed oil hot. The oil is highly flammable so heat a small amount in a double boiler, or in a small pan or cup set in a larger pan of hot water. Rub the oil into the wood with fine steel wool (not a soaped pad) and repeat the application on the following two days.

WALLS, WOODWORK AND FLOORS have been discussed in chapters two and three, and there is no need to repeat the instructions here. However, we have not quite finished in the kitchen; we have the pantry or the food shelves, and cabinets and drawers to consider. They require a special cleaning now and then.

SHELVES. Clean and put in order the shelves holding dishes and equipment, a few at a time if you prefer a piecemeal approach; but it probably will be simpler to attend to all the food shelves and cabinets on the same day. When cleaning these, sort your supplies over carefully, making note to use first the canned and packaged foods that have been there for a while and discarding those that are suspiciously old. Packages of dried peas, beans, and cereals that have stood around open invite insects. When cornmeal, cornstarch, and flour develop little lumps and cobwebby threads, the flour moths have been busy. You may have seen them flying around. Little holes in dried peas and lima beans show that the package has been invaded by weevils. Burn these infested cartons or throw them out and clean the shelf extra carefully. Dust up all crumbs and dried bits of food and scrub the shelves well, not neglecting the little supports that hold the shelves.

INSECTICIDE SPRAYS AND POWDERS;safely applied at points of invasion usually enable a housekeeper to control infiltrating insects. Use them on window and door sills and around the water pipes under the sink, always, of course, following the directions on the container. If insects have become a serious problem, a full scale attack should be launched with the best weapons available.

"KNOW YOUR ENEMY* is a good motto for the war on pests. Insects are clever when it comes to a strategic retreat, hiding in crack and crevice to reappear when all is safe. They like certain foods and are fussy about living quarters. You may not believe it, but they can detect the odor of their favorite foods miles away and fly to it. They even have their favorite colors and wave lengths of light. So try to suit your lethal weapons to the type of invader.

"KNOW YOUR WEAPON." Insect sprays and powders, available under many trade names, contain such chemicals as DDT, chlordane, pyrethrum, lindane, and dieldrin, alone or in combination. The carrying agent of the killer may be oil or water. If it is oil, you must be careful not to use the spray near any open flame and this includes the pilot lights of gas stoves and refrigerators. Some sprays are available in pressurized cans, making a hand sprayer unnecessary.

Waxed the linoleum surfaces to prevent damages from the water, plastic surfaces only need to be wiped with the damp cloth. Apply the linseed oil for finishing after cleaning the wood surface. Dust up all crumbs and dried bits of food and scrub the shelves well, not neglecting the little supports that hold the shelves. Apply the insecticide sprays and powders as per direction on the container.