Cleaning Your Gas Stove and Oven

Regular cleaning of your gas cook stove will keep it looking as good as the day you bought it, but you need to take care with the cleaning products you use on your gas stove or oven. Many commercial cleansers and abrasives will cause discoloration and can scratch gas stove and oven surfaces.

Before cleaning any gas stove or oven surface, be sure the unit is off and completely cooled. Steam burns can occur from wiping a hot surface with a wet cloth or sponge. Follow these guidelines for care and cleaning without damaging your gas stove or gas oven surfaces.

Surface Burners and Burner Box

Most newer gas stove models have sealed stovetop burners. This means they are completely sealed off from the burner box (area of the stovetop below the metal cook top). Sealed burners should never be removed by home owners – it’s a job only for professionals during installation and service. Sealed burners also mean that food and spills cannot spill into the burner box, so removing the burners is not necessary in order to clean the stovetop. If you have an older model stove with a lift-up cook top, follow your manufacturer’s instructions for opening the surface for cleaning.

Regular cleaning of spills will lessen your cleaning work load. Wipe your stovetop after each use when it has cooled. Clean burners with dish soap and a plastic scouring pad. Stubborn cooked-on spills can be cleaned with a mild abrasive cleanser and a cloth, or make a paste from baking soda and water for a mild homemade alternative. Wash removable burner grates in a sink full of warm, soapy dishwater with a plastic scouring pad. Rinse all parts with warm clear water and dry.

Be careful to avoid the gas ports on your burners. If they should become plugged with debris, poke the ports clean with a toothpick or straight pin, or brush gently with a soft-bristled brush. For pilot-less stoves, check the port and area below the igniter wire and clear it as well. Debris left under the igniter can keep the gas burner from lighting.

Clean the solid cook top surface with soapy water. Avoid abrasives and harsh chemicals as they can damage the surface of stove top finishes like porcelain enamel. Rubbing alcohol and household ammonia diluted with water (1:1 ratio) are other good stove top cleansers that will leave your top shining.

Controls

Remove control knobs and wash them in warm, soapy water. For clocks and display areas, wipe with a damp cloth and dry. If you are cleaning the display with glass cleaner, spray it first on a cloth and not directly on the surface to avoid cleaner seeping inside the mechanisms. Replace controls after they are cleaned and turn each one on briefly to ensure proper replacement.

Oven Door

The oven door on nearly all ovens is removable for easier cleaning. Avoid soaking the door or window with excessive amounts of water; it can seep inside and caused staining or discoloration. Wash the door and window with soap and water and rinse with clear water. Use glass cleaner only if sprayed on a cloth first. Do not use abrasive pads, powdered cleaners, or steel wool on glass and enamel, or the surfaces will be scratched.

Oven Interior

Mild abrasive cleaners and plastic pads can be used inside the oven. Metal scouring pads will scratch the oven’s surface. Commercial oven cleaners should be used according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Acidic spills (like tomato and milk bases) should be wiped up as soon as possible to prevent discoloration of the porcelain. To absorb a spill when it is hot, pour salt on it and wipe it up when the oven has cooled. A mildly abrasive baking soda and water paste can be used in the oven, too.

Remove oven racks and clean them in warm, soapy water. Stubborn messes can be cleaned by using mild abrasive cleansers or a soap filled scouring pad. Rinse and dry the racks before returning them to the oven. For easier cleaning of oven racks, soak and wash them in the bathtub – they fit much better into a bath.

Trim

Spills and drips from fat, grease, and acidic foods like tomatoes should be wiped up immediately using a paper towel to keep your trim and finishes from discoloring.

Metal trim can be cleaned with glass cleaners or mild cleansers, soap and water. Abrasives or cleaners made for oven interiors should not be used. Plastic trim pieces are best cleaned with a glass cleaner on a soft cloth. Any abrasives and harsh cleansers can cause pitting and discoloration to oven surfaces, and so should not be used.

For a good, general, all-around cleaner for your gas stove and gas oven, use warm, soapy water. Avoid anything that is very caustic or abrasive. Baking soda and water pastes are good back-up, mild abrasives. When using commercial cleansers, read the manufacturer’s directions to be sure it is safe for use on your stove’s finishes. Consistent care and cleaning of your gas stovetop and oven will keep your appliance shining and new looking.

Article By: doityourself.com

How to Clean your Refrigerator

Cleaning the refrigerator helps keep the food you store inside fresh. By keeping science experiments and spills to a minimum, the food that is stored in your refrigerator will not take on the scent or flavor of other foods.

In order to properly clean your refrigerator, follow these simple steps.

1. Turn the temperature control knob to the off position. Your fridge will be open for a while, so there is no sense in having your fridge run and waste electricity.
2. If you have a drip pan underneath your fridge, remove it.
3. Take everything out of the refrigerator and put it on the counter nearby.
4. Throw away spoiled food, anything that is moldy, expired or hasn’t been used in more than a month or two.
5. Take the shelves, wire racks and drawers out of the refrigerator.
6. Wash the shelves and wire racks in warm soapy water, using regular dish soap and a sponge or cloth. Use a soft scrub brush if there is caked or dried on food or spills. Let the shelves and wire racks dry on newspaper or in a dish rack.
7. Empty out the drawers and dump out any residue or food matter from the bottom. Wash the drawers by hand with warm soapy water and a dish cloth or sponge. Let the drawers air dry on newspaper, towels or in a dish rack.
8. Wipe away any food matter from the bottom of the refrigerator with a wash cloth or paper towel.
9. Fill a bucket with warm, soapy water (mild dish detergent is fine). Wash the inside walls of the fridge using a dish cloth or sponge and the warm soapy water. Wash inside all the compartments and inside the door racks. Use a soft scrubbing sponge for caked or dried on food or spills.
10. Rinse the inside of the fridge with a clean sponge or dish cloth and clean warm water.
11. Replace all the shelves, wire racks and drawers.
12. As you are putting food back into your fridge, using your warm, soapy wash cloth, wipe off to clean and dry any sticky or messy jars, canisters, etc. You can now put all your food back into the fridge. Turn the temperature knob back to the “on” position at the recommending temperature setting.
13. Wash the outside of the refrigerator and the rubber molding around the fridge door with warm soapy water. Rinse with a clean cloth and wipe dry with paper towel or a dish towel.

If you need to control odor in your refrigerator, use 2 tablespoons of baking soda in one quart of warm water to wash the inside of the fridge. Subsequently, you can also use one cup of vinegar in a quart of water and wash the inside of the fridge. Remember to rinse when you are finished though. Placing a fresh, open box of baking soda in your fridge will also cut down on odors.

A few times a year, you should pull your refrigerator out and vacuum the condenser coils at the back. They have a tendency to get dusty and could cause a fire if there happened to be a spark.

You should never use harsh abrasives, scouring pads or harsh cleaners in your refrigerator. Abrasives, scouring pads and harsh cleaners can damage the finish inside your refrigerator and compromise the integrity of the lining which could cost you more in energy to keep the refrigerator cool.

Article by: doityourself.com