The Gluten-Free Homemaker

When I published the first Keeping a Clean Kitchen challenge last week, I wasn’t sure how people would respond.  Honestly, I was afraid it would be a real flop.  While I didn’t get an overwhelming response, I was happy to receive a few comments and a number of emails from readers who thought it was a great idea.  I even received before and after pictures from one reader.

As promised, here is an update on how I am coming along with January’s tasks.

First, I gave my sink a thorough cleaning.  I do this on a regular basis since the sink does get very dirty and can harbor germs.  Also, my sink is white so the dirt really shows.  I’ve not been happy with my white sink.  I’m not sure what material it is made of, but it has scratches, nicks, and stains.  I very seldom use chlorine bleach since it gives me a long lasting head ache.  It’s just not worth it.  I usually use powdered OxyClean in the sink as a bleach alternative.  I have also used Borax and baking soda, and of course, regular liquid dish washing detergent.  If anyone has any tips for getting this particular type of sink clean, I would love to hear from you.

The sink pictures didn’t turn out well, but here’s an after photo to show that I did clean it.  The marks you see if you look closely are stains.


Next, I cleaned my kitchen window.  It is not big, but it is right above my sink (as most are) and gets dirty from sink splashes and such.  I cleaned the window inside and out as well as the window sill, frame, and the track that the window slides on.

 
I really enjoy my kitchen and the view.  In fact, when we bought this house, it was primarily chosen for the kitchen (it’s potential at the time) and the back yard.  We had the fish pond redone and added the waterfall.  I especially love it when a great blue heron happens to drop by and visit the pond.  Of course, it looks much greener in the spring.


Next, I went to work on an 8 foot sliding glass door in the eating part of the kitchen.  It really is a door, but it’s also a window and it needed to be cleaned.  I didn’t clean all of the outside because of the cold weather, but I cleaned the inside windows, frames, track, and the vertical blinds.

It was difficult to get a picture that showed the dirt on this window.  Our two dogs love to stand at the window and look outside so there is one strip on the lower part that is covered with dog nose marks.  You can vaguely see it in the lower part of this picture:

One thing I have found that helps with these nose marks is to put RainX (the kind you use on a car windshield) on that part of the door.  It keeps the door looking clean longer and makes it easer to wash the marks off.  If you give it a try, do a small area first.   Applying it so that it does not leave a cloudy film can be a bit tricky.  Here is the window after it was washed.


The dirt in this lower door track is a bit easier to see than that on the window.  I vacuumed up the loose dirt, then used the damp paper towels that I had used on the window to get the worst of the dirt up.  Then cleaned it again with a clean towel.


It didn’t look perfect in the end, but certainly better.


Still to be done:  Two ceiling fans with lights.

How is it coming along at your house?

Labels: Keeping a Clean Kitchen