How do I clean and maintain my kitchen equipment?

Cleaning your oven doesn't have to involve the use of harsh chemicals that could hurt you. You can clean your oven just as effectively with common household items such as vinegar and baking soda. To do this, you'll first need to remove the oven racks from inside the oven and set them aside. To make the cleaning solution, mix a half a cup of baking soda with a few tablespoons of water until you have a nice, spreadable paste. Spread the paste all over the interior surfaces of the oven and being careful not to get the heating elements. Coat the spread as evenly as possible. At this point, the spread will turn a brownish colour as you rub it in, and that means it's working. Let the spread sit overnight. In the morning, take a damp dish cloth and wipe out as much of the paste as you can. Then, put a little vinegar in a spray bottle and spray the inside of the oven – everywhere you still see baking soda residue. The vinegar will react with the baking soda and begin to foam. After this, do a final wipe down with a fresh, clean, damp cloth until all of the baking soda residue is completely gone.

Doing this once a month should keep your oven is pristine condition, but of course, the frequency of your cleaning depends entirely on how often you cook and how messy you are when you do.

Cleaning as you go truly is the best way to save yourself from having to cleanup a disastrous mess. But because life gets so hectic, you don't always have time. So here's a step by step process on how to clean gas stove tops:

Start by removing the grates and setting them in your sink with with hot, soapy water, and set aside the burner plates. With a dry brush or paper towel, brush any loose crumbs off of the stove top. Spray the stove generously with an equal mixture of vinegar and water and let sit for a minute or two, then wipe the surface down with a clean rag. The vinegar spray will easily remove spills, but if it's been a while since you've cleaned your stove and have any sort of grease buildup, you will need to clean it with soap. Apply a bit of dish soap to a small toothbrush to get into all the small nooks and begin to work away any stains by moving the brush around in small circles, then rinse the mess away with a damp rag. Before you put the grates and burner plates back on, lift the range and vacuum up all the crumbs that may be in there. 

Finally, place the burner caps and grates back on and you have a lovely, clean stove!

It's not only possible to get a squeaky clean microwave without using harsh chemicals, but the technique we're about to show you is also hands down the easiest way to clean it.

First, pour half a cup of water into a microwave safe bowl. Then, take a lemon and slice it in half and squeeze the juice into the water. Drop the halves into the water as well and microwave for three minutes until the liquid comes to a boil. After the three minutes is up, let the lemon water sit in the microwave for five minutes. Don't open the microwave door, as the steam trapped inside will help loosen up any food gunk. After the five minutes is up, you can start wiping down the microwave. Open the door and carefully remove the bowl with lemon water. If your microwave has a revolving plate inside, pick it up and wipe it clean with a damp towel. Then, wipe the inside of the microwave, starting with the upper part and then work your way down the sides and to the bottom, sweeping any crumbs into your hand and throwing them out. If you stumble upon any stubborn spots that won't wipe away easily, place the corner of your dish rag into the lemon water and scrub the spot until it comes off. 

Every now and then it's nice to give your entire refrigerator a good scrub down in order to de-stick and de-grime all the little nooks and crannies. I know that emptying out the whole fridge can be overwhelming, but it's definitely worth the twenty minutes of cluttered counter space if it means you'll have a squeaky clean fridge.

First thing, if your fridge is in need of some serious cleaning power and/or the shelves are not removable, unplug the fridge so you don't waste energy, but if the shelves are removable, and you are conscientious about closing the fridge door between steps, you can leave it plugged in. Next, take everything out of the fridge and set it on your countertop, tossing any old food items. Remove any element inside your refrigerator that you can – like shelves and produce drawers – and wash them in warm, soapy water, rinse, and set them aside to air dry.  Spray every part of the inside of the fridge with either a multipurpose cleaner or a vinegar and water solution. Make sure to wipe down the walls, shelves, shelf seams, and the rubber door seal, and use a sponge to remove sticky, caked-on spills. Then you can replace all the shelves and drawers you took out earlier and put your food back in your fridge, being mindful to wipe down bottles and jars that may have sticky substances on them. Don't forget to plug the fridge back in if you unplugged it earlier! Finish up by wiping down the exterior of your fridge with a damp cloth that's been soaked in soapy water. If you have a stainless steel refrigerator, you should  use a special stainless steel cleaner, making sure to dry in the direction of the grain to prevent streaking.

Most people who start using an electric kettle soon become addicted to it, as it boils water much, much faster and easier than on a stove top. But the one drawback to kettles is that they build up calcium quite quickly, and it can look very dirty. But cleaning a kettle is super easy and involves almost no work.

First thing you're going to want to do is fill up the kettle to half or three quarters level with equal parts of water and vinegar. Then, bring the solution to a boil. After the solution comes to a boil, turn off the kettle and remove its power cord from the outlet. Let the solution sit in the kettle for fifteen to twenty minutes. Then just throw away the water and rinse the kettle and you're golden! You may want to bring about a litre of water to a boil inside the kettle after you've used the solution, just in case there's a bit of vinegar still left over in there.

Last, but not least, we're going to show you how to clean your mixer. The blender is by far one of the easiest pieces of kitchen equipment you can clean. Every kind of mixer you buy on the market comes with pieces that easily detach for cleaning purposes, but we can show you an easy way to clean without ripping the whole mixer apart. 

First, start off by making sure your mixer is properly assembled. Sometimes it can be hard to notice when the base isn't sitting on there correctly. Then, fill the mixer up halfway with warm water, adding a couple drops of dish detergent and a few slices of lemon. Plug in the blender and mix the soapy water with lemon for 30 seconds to one minute, remembering to place the lid on the mixer before using it. The lemon rinds in the mixture will scrape off any particles inside the mixer, and the juice will eliminate any odors. After you've mixed the solution, pour it down the drain and rinse out any remaining soap residue. Let the mixer air dry on a drying rack, and you're all set!