Fun way to clean kitchen

With the Covid-19 pandemic moving into bigger scale, a clean kitchen is a must. It is important that we manage our kitchen to ensure that the hygiene level is within control. This would not only reduce illness due to food but also due to contact as in Covid-19.

Cleaning is usually tedious. So, it is important that we find ways to make it fun. The main idea is to gamify such activity and to add family as part of the activities. Lets go through the 10 step to a fun cleaning kitchen.

Step 1: Create a Clean Kitchen Team

First of all create a team of cleaning within the family and friends. Set it as team A vs. team B, boys vs. girls or even parents vs. children.

Step 2: Divide the game field

Next is to create an area of the game, or the field of which everybody will participate in the game – counter tops, sinks, refrigerator, high zone areas, upper cabinets, microwave, stove tops, dishwasher, fridge, lower cabinet, sink, trash and floor. Those are generally the area and the equipment within the kitchen.

Finally, set who takes which zone. That is the 5S way. Everybody have their own area to do the cleaning, lubrication and re-tightening. Divide almost equally, both is size and in level of work.

Step 3: Setup the game rule for a clean kitchen

Now since the sizing is done, let’s see some of the activities that needs to be done. This is the rule of the game to say by each divided team for example. You can even divide into three teams if you like as below, Team A, B and C.

Team A

1. Clear the counters of anything that doesn’t belong: straggling mail, cookbooks, permission slips awaiting signatures.

2. Fill the sink with hot water and a few squirts of dish soap. Drop in items that need soaking, like the crisper drawer, the dish rack, and the microwave turntable.

3. Empty the refrigerator, tossing anything that has expired. Throw dirty food-storage containers into the sink to soak. Working from top to bottom, wipe down the shelves with a paper towel or a rag spritzed with a nontoxic all-purpose cleaner.

4. Dust the high zones, knocking dirt and debris to the floor, where they will be swept up later. Using a telescoping duster, start right above the sink and work your way around the room, cleaning upper corners, light fixtures, and tops of cabinets. Don’t forget the top of the refrigerator. When you’re back at the sink, you’re ready to move on.

5. Clean the upper cabinets and anything else on the walls, including a mounted microwave. Spray the microwave interior with all-purpose cleaner and let sit for two minutes. With a damp, soapy cloth, wipe down the exterior. (If it’s stainless steel, use a cloth moistened with diluted white vinegar, instead of soapy water, to clean any fingerprints.) Next, wipe the doors and the pulls of the upper cabinets and anything else (frames, hooks, vent grates) you encounter as you circle the room. With a fresh damp, soapy cloth, wipe down the backsplash if you have one.

Team B

1. Clean the microwave. Your two minutes are up. Wipe the solution from the inside using a dry cloth. It’s OK if crumbs fall to the stove or the floor.

2. Spray the stove top with all-purpose cleaner and let sit for a few minutes. For stubborn stains, add a powdered scrub that won’t scratch.

3. Load and clean the dishwasher with the items soaking in the sink, or hand wash them.

4. Wipe the stove top with a clean, dry cloth and, again, just let crumbs fall to the floor. It’s more efficient to get them at the end. When you’re finished, swap out the cloth to keep grease from transferring to another surface.

5. Clean the coffee maker, toaster, stand mixer, and other small appliances from top to bottom, using glass cleaner or a multisurface formula (spray the cloth rather than the appliance) or a cleaning wipe. Dip drip trays or crumb catchers in the sink’s leftover warm, soapy water, then rinse and dry.

Team C

1. Scrub the countertops with small, circular motions, using a cleaner formulated for your surface.

2. Get the fridge doors, the front of the dishwasher, and the oven with a cloth dipped in clean, sudsy water (or diluted white vinegar if a door is stainless steel). Pay attention to the handles and the edges. Use a soft toothbrush or a cloth-wrapped spatula to degrime tight spots, like the folds of the refrigerator seal. Next, clean the sides of the dishwasher door with an all-purpose formula or a cloth dipped in a solution of hot, soapy water and white vinegar. (You can use this mixture to clean the stovetop and the countertops, unless they are marble, granite, or some other porous stone.)

3. Clean the lower cabinets and drawers with a damp, soapy cloth.

4. Drain the sink and rinse with hot water. Buff the basin with a mild abrasive cleanser and a microfiber cloth; rinse with hot water. Wipe down the faucet and the handles.

5. Sweep the floor with an electro-static dry duster, like a Swiffer Sweeper. Get right up to the baseboards and under the cabinets, where crumbs can hide. Pull out appliances to reach the spaces near the walls. Follow with a mop (or a steam cleaner, if you have one), starting at the corner farthest from the room’s entrance, and use a bucket. (Dipping a mop in the sink could contaminate items that ultimately end up in your mouth.) Dump the dirty water outside or down the toilet.

Step 4: Score the game – which team win the clean kitchen award

Now is the best time to identify how you would score the game. It is the faster cleaner. The most cleaned in an area. The most number of trash removed. The best team and so on. This need to be decided by you and your family members. If you live with friends, this could be done as well. The main idea is to make it fun, and you’ll be cleaning in not time.

5S is a step by step process. Use the 5S technique to improve your cleaning process. Review 5S step 3: Shine.

Special Game: Speed Trash Fallout

Empty the trash, swiping the inside of the can and the interior of the top with a cleaning wipe before replacing the bag. This could be made a speed test on who sent it first to the front or the back of the house.

“Life is more fun if you play games.”

Roald Dah