Top tips to keep your kitchen clean

You're in the kitchen multiple, whether to whip up a quick meal or to entertain guests. Here's how to keep it clean and inviting.

• The kitchen is the family nerve centre, the heart of the home and the most popular room in the house.
• It's where meals are prepared and enjoyed, a family reconnects and where guests tend to congregate.
• This means it deserves special and regular attention.
• A clean kitchen is an ongoing work of art! The good news: you generally don't need special equipment or chemical cleaners if you stick to a routine and deal with cooking mishaps when they occur.

Countertops and other well-used surfaces in your kitchen require daily attention to keep them clean and bacteria-free.

• Plastic or granite surfaces are easy to care for; they can be washed off with a sponge and a soap solution, or even with one part vinegar and one part water. Wipe them dry immediately to avoid streaks.
• Wipe down large surfaces with a rag in each hand — one for cleaning and the other for drying.
• To eliminate unwanted germs from the countertop, scrub unsealed wood surfaces regularly with salt or a mixture of 60 millimetres (four tablespoons) of baking soda and 25 millimetres (two tablespoons) of lemon juice.
• Rub wood surfaces with a little olive oil or linseed oil after cleaning to make them dirt resitant.
• When cleaning cabinets inside and out, add a little vinegar to your soapy water to cut grease.
• Remove watermarks on wooden furniture or flooring by rubbing on a little toothpaste (but not the gel kind), wiping it off with a clean, damp cloth, drying it and polishing.

• Get stainless steel sinks spotless with bar soap. Other worthwhile proven methods include rubbing them with potato peels, baking soda or lemon juice.
• Use a couple of dashes of lemon juice on a dishwashing sponge to rub down a discoloured sink.
• Rub out heat marks in your sink with club soda.
• Lime spots disappear when you treat them with a mixture of vinegar and salt: place a paper towel over the spot, sprinkle with the solution and let it set in. Remove the paper towel and rinse.