You’ve bought a bunch of new and amazing small kitchen appliances! Enhancing your life in ways you previously never thought possible. You wake up to the smell of hot coffee, make yourself some toast or waffles, turn on the kettle just for fun, and revel in how relatively painless getting up in the morning is now.
Alas, being an adult is not all fun and games, and sometimes we must be responsible and actually take care of the things that we own. Cleaning and maintaining your appliances will ensure their longevity and keep them in good working condition. Today we’ll run through a few things you can do to clean and maintain the small kitchen appliances in your home.
Cleaning your Kettle
Your kettle is the quiet achiever of the kitchen, it will keep going and going and never complain. It will continue to perform its duty quietly for years. You need to clean it though. Limescale, mildew, mould and bacteria in your cup of tea is a bad vibe. On the bright side cleaning it is pretty easy.
When
Every 4 to 8 weeks
How to
Fill the kettle with half water, half vinegar and boil. Leave overnight, and in the morning pour the vinegar water out and rinse out the kettle repeatedly until all traces of limescale are gone. Wipe with a dry, clean cloth and your kettle is once more ready to use.
Note
You can of course use commercial descaling products, always making sure that the product you’re using is suitable for your model of kettle.
Cleaning your Coffee Machine
If you’ve gone to the trouble of selecting and buying a nice coffee machine and then learning the specifics of that machine to make your own perfect cup of coffee, you should definitely be cleaning it on a regular basis. There’s a few things to do here at various times to keep your machine running smoothly and your coffee tasting delicious.
Every Use
- Empty the portafilter and rinse it out with water, and wipe with a clean towel.
- Wipe down and purge the milk frothing wand (this is important, the wand can get pretty nasty).
- Wipe down the bench around the machine.
- Empty the drip tray.
Weekly
Refill the water tank (weekly or as needed - don’t be the person who leaves the tank empty for the next person).
Empty your knockbox if you have one.
Monthly
Run a commercial coffee machine cleaner through the machine.
Remove the filter basket from the portafilter and clean it thoroughly.
Yearly
Descale the machine following manufacturer’s instructions.
Disassemble, soak and clean the group head according to manufacturer instructions.
Empty and brush around burrs in the grinder.
Cleaning your Air Fryer
I’m a huge fan of air frying absolutely everything all of the time. Your air fryer is one of those appliances which, if you don’t clean it regularly, will quickly become super gross. Clean it often, clean it well, use it again and again.
When
After every use
How to
- When you’re finished cooking, unplug the air fryer and let it cool.
- Empty out all the solids and oils from the drawer into the bin.
- Clean the removable components in warm, soapy water. Check your manufacturer instructions to see if the drawer and basket can be put into the dishwasher.
- If food is stuck to the basket or drawer, soak them in hot soapy water and then wipe the mess away.
- Dry the basket and drawer separately.
- Check your manufacturer instructions on how to clean the heating element, making sure to wait until the machine is unplugged and completely cool.
- Wipe the exterior.
- Move the air fryer, wipe the bench underneath it, and put it back.
- Let everything dry and you’re ready to go.
Cleaning your Microwave
All it takes is one boiled over dish to mess up your microwave. We forget about how dirty the microwave can get simply because we leave the door closed all of the time. Out of sight, out of mind and all that. Cleaning is simple and highly satisfying.
When: ideally after every use (ain’t nobody got time for that), really I reckon whenever it needs it or as part of your weekly routine.
How to
- Use a drop or two of dishwashing detergent with a damp microfiber cloth and give the inside a decent wipe down.
- Alternatively you can also use a mild general purpose surface spray and some elbow grease.
- For heavier dirt fill a bowl with water and add in slices of a whole lemon. Heat the bowl on high for 3 mins, let stand for 5 mins and then wipe down the inside of the microwave.
- For strong odours, put a bowl of fresh coffee grinds in the microwave and leave it overnight (don’t even turn the microwave on). This will absorb any odours from the food you’ve been cooking.
I guess the overall message here is to clean your stuff! Keep it sweet and clean and nice and you’ll be appreciating it for years to come.
