Cabinets and Appliance maintenance

If your cabinets are made of painted wood, metal laminate, or vinyl, clean them with a warm soap-and-water solution and a sponge. Remove soapy residue with a cloth and clean water and then dry with towels. If your cabinets are made of solid wood (or high quality veneer over a solid base) and aren't terribly nicked up or scratched and have drawers and doors that still work well, all they may need is a little elbow grease. In fact, a good cleaning could be just the trick to make their surface look new again.

To give fine wood cabinets (or furniture) a super cleaning, mix up the following potion (our formula isn't made for painted surfaces):

• 3 tablespoons turpentine
• 3 tablespoons boiled linseed oil
• 1 quart boiling water

This mixture is moderately flammable. So, no smoking or open flames while you're working. For the same reason, don't try to reheat the mixture -- mix up a new batch when it gets cold. Dispose of the leftover liquid by letting it evaporate outside (not down the drain). Even the rags can be flammable -- let them completely air dry outside before disposing of them in trash. Do not keep these rags inside.

For thorough cleaning follow these steps:
• Remove all the knobs and handles.
• Cover countertops and floors with drop cloths.
• Wearing rubber gloves, wet a soft rag in the mixture and ring it out well.
• Thoroughly wipe all cabinet surfaces (inside and out), doing small sections at a time.
• Wipe the surface dry with a clean rag.
• Repeat wiping and drying until all old wax, sticky grease film, and grubby fingerprints are gone.
• Replace the pulls and drawers and clean up the mess.

Maybe your cabinets look great and don't need cleaning or refinishing. There still are some things you'll need to do on a regular basis. Don't worry: None of them require any special tools or materials, and together they take no more than half an hour a year to do:

• Tighten knobs and pulls. Don't over-tighten them.
• Lubricate and adjust hinges. Don't go crazy -- a lot of oil is not better than a little.
• Lubricate and adjust drawer slides. A little squirt of WD-40 works well on metal guides.
• Use beeswax or paraffin if your drawers have wooden guides.
• Remove finger smudges. Try spray cleaner first, then a vinegar-and-water solution, then, if all else fails, a little mineral spirits on a rag.

• Countertop Maintenance

• Granite is stone -- one of the hardest. In our opinion there is no surface that is as durable or easy to maintain. Ten years later it shines as beautifully as the day it was installed. Warm water on a cloth or paper towel is all that it takes to remove coffee or tea stains from granite. Hot pots have no effect on it, and cold granite is an absolutely perfect baker's surface. To maintain your granite, simply keep it clean by wiping with a damp cloth. It will remain beautiful and literally-last forever.

• Whether in sheets or pieces marble is an elegant surface. Unfortunately, it is unbelievably soft. Many folks think that marble is a type of stone. It isn't. It's actually petrified calcium -- old seashells. It can be easily damaged. A spill of orange juice, a few drops of hair spray or a splash of your favorite alcoholic beverage is all it takes. If you see a circle on the counter where the juice glass once was you can count on the fact that the spot has been permanently etched. There are companies that can be hired to polish out etched areas. Better yet is to keep alcohol and even the mildest acids away from marble. Silicone sealer can be applied, but prevention is the only safe method to preserve marble.

We have a neat trick that you can use to clean stained marble. You'll need half a lemon and a dish of table salt. All you have to do is dip the lemon into the salt and rub the marble. It really is amazing how well it works. If you can't get it clean with this trick, chances are you won't get it clean.

• Synthetic solid countertop surfaces You probably know this beautiful, easy-to-care-for countertop material by one of its brand names: Corian, Avonite, and so on. Plain and simple, solid-surface countertops require little care and are virtually impossible to permanently damage. Because they are made of a nonporous, plastic or plastic-like material, soap and water keeps them clean. Scratches, stains, and other imperfections are removed by sanding with 400-to 600-grit wet/dry sandpaper. A cigarette burn or pan scorch is not a disaster -- it can be sanded out, too. The manufacturer of your countertop probably offers a repair kit. If you need to undo some self-inflicted imperfection, read the instructions and do exactly what the manufacturer's instructions tell you to do.
A ceramic tile countertop offers a trade-off: It lasts forever, but it requires more maintenance than other types of tops. If you ask us, it's worth the extra work.

The tile itself is tough. It's the grout you have to worry about. Grout is the cement-like stuff that fills the gaps between tiles. For the record, grout readily absorbs moisture and stains.

• Ceramic Tile: sealing out trouble The best way to prevent grubby grout is to seal it after the tile is installed and before the first cup of coffee spills. You need to wait a few months or so for the grout to thoroughly cure. Your local home center probably has several different brands of grout and tile sealer with handy sponge applicators. Silicone base sealer is best. Follow the manufacturer's directions. The sealer goes a long way toward preventing stains and keeping your beautiful new countertop looking good. Actually, it couldn't hurt to seal it twice.

To clean your grout, you need a bottle of vinegar, a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, water, and a small brass brush (a steel brush would leave rust marks in the grout and dark scratches in the tile). If you can't find a brass brush, grab a couple of brand-new hard toothbrushes.

Make a solution of 1 part water, 1 part vinegar in a big jar. Dip the brush in the solution and start scrubbing the grout. Yes, it's going to take a while. And yes, it's going to be tedious. The vinegar, a weak acid, helps remove hard water deposits and other hard-to-remove chemical stains.

• People who love to cook love an in-counter butcher block. Heck, anyone who ever chops an onion likes the convenience of a solid, stable cutting surface. Care of this surface is simple:

• Maintain a smooth surface by sanding out scratches and cuts.
• Prevent swelling, shrinking, and warping by not flooding the surface with water or letting water stand on the surface.
• Clean with a soapy damp cloth and then remove soapy residue with a clean damp cloth.
• Protect and preserve the surface by periodically applying mineral oil (not vegetable oil or olive oil) monthly. Mineral oil doesn't go rancid like vegetable-based oils do. Mineral oil also helps prevent the wood from drying out and cracking or literally coming apart at the seams.
• Apply the oil with a soft cloth, rubbing with the grain. Allow the oil to soak in and then wipe off excess oil.

• Natural gas has no odor. A heavy smell is added to the gas for only one purpose: to make it easy to detect even the smallest of gas leaks. If you smell gas, move quickly: Open all the doors and windows and leave immediately. If the range shut-off valve isn't within easy reach, turn off the main shut-off valve at your gas meter. Don't use the phone or flip a light switch. Even the tiniest spark can ignite a massive explosion. From a neighbor's home, call the gas company and the fire department.

• With electricity, your major danger is electrical shocks and destructive corrosion caused by carelessness, excessive wear in protective insulating materials, and water or moisture.

• The life span of most major household appliances can be severely shortened by neglect -- and often greatly prolonged with simple care and very basic preventive maintenance that mostly centers on, you guessed it, cleaning.

When food spills occur, immediately sprinkle them with table salt, which absorbs the moisture and makes them easy to clean up later when the stove top cools.

• The most important thing for any refrigerator is to keep the condenser coils clean. Air passing over these coils is what cools the refrigerator, and if they are dirty, the unit has to work harder to do its job. These coils are usually located at the bottom of the refrigerator behind a removable grille. On some older models, they may be located on the back.To clean the coils, first unplug the refrigerator. Remove the grille by grabbing both ends and pulling gently. Use a vacuum cleaner with a brush or crevice attachment to get as far into and under the unit as possible (being careful not to force access, which can bend condenser tubing and the thin metal coil fins).

While the grille is off, also remove the refrigerator drain pan and wash it. Use the power-saver switch (usually located inside your refrigerator). It controls small electric heaters that keep the outside of the cabinet from sweating. Only turn the switch on when it's humid and you see moisture beads. When both the weather and your refrigerator are dry, turn this function off to save energy costs. The power-saver switch also helps prevent rust and nasty mold buildups.

The chilly environment of a refrigerator is kept that way primarily by a gasket at the perimeter of the door. It helps maintain a good airtight seal. It is also a prime candidate for mold. To remove mold from around the gasket, clean it with a solution of liquid chlorine bleach and water (4 tablespoons in a quart of hot water), and scrub well with an old toothbrush. Afterwards, wipe all residue off completely with warm water and a mild liquid dish detergent.

Replace the rubber gasket's oils you've removed by applying a light coat of lemon oil, mineral oil, or any type of body lotion with lanolin in it to keep the gasket soft and supple (just like with your skin). Always wipe off any food or liquid spills, drips, and runs from around the door and gaskets. If you don't, they dry and become sticky, possibly ripping away the gasket when you open the door.

Temperature wise, keep the food compartment set between 34 and 40 degrees, and the freezer compartment at about 0 degrees. Generally, refrigerator controls should always be set midway initially, and then only adjusted up or down as needed.

To clean the interior, first turn off the refrigerator and remove all the food. Wash removable shelves and bins in the sink with liquid dish detergent and warm water. Wipe down the interior walls with our All-Purpose, Handy Dandy Cleaner or a solution of warm water and baking soda.

• When cleaning a stove's range top, pull off both upper and lower control knobs and wash them separately in warm soapy water. Air dry the knobs thoroughly and completely before replacing them. Use a hair dryer to remove moisture from nooks and crannies, if necessary.

Plug-in burners have a tendency to collect grease and moisture down at the tips where they go into the power source receptacle. This leads to minor arcing (electrical shorting) that slowly builds and eventually ruins the burners. When you replace a burner, you must also replace the plug-in receptacle to prevent the arcing problem. This is not exactly a cheap or convenient repair.

To prevent this problem, remove the plug-in burners and carefully clean the surfaces and tips with a damp rag or stiff nylon brush. A soapy steel wool pad can be used if plain water and a rag or nylon brush don't do the trick.

Never fully submerse plug-in burners in water. If you do, while the metal prongs may appear to be fully dry, trace amounts of moisture usually remain on the plug-in tips and electric receptacles. The tips and receptacles contain porcelain, which is extremely porous and absorbs water. The result: you've brought water and electricity together for a potential electric shock and serious zapping.

There are also Euro-style solid cast iron burners (also called hobs). They have a coating that wears off with use. To prevent rusting, manufacturers and dealers offer a special cleaner/sealer that you apply to a cold burner (it burns off when the burner heats). You can also use a light coat of mineral or cooking oil to prevent rusting, but oil smokes a bit when the burner heats. Turn on the vent fan to remove any light residual smoking or burning odor.

Round cast-iron tops that cover elements to create a neat Euro-burner look can distribute heat more evenly and prevent spills from dripping down to the drip pan and receptacle below -- but also they often cause undo heat stress and can ultimately shorten the life of a burner. There's no real danger; it's a question of whether you want to trade off a longer life span for a slicker image and ease of cleaning.

• You can clean oven interiors with commercial cleansers, steel wool soap pads, or a People-Friendly Oven Cleaner. If a commercial cleaner says you must wear rubber gloves and avoid breathing fumes, it's probably very caustic and possibly toxic. It may even give off harmful gases even after the cleaning is complete and the oven is again heated for use. Thus, we suggest that you avoid using them whenever possible. If you must use a commercial cleaner, follow label directions to the letter.

To loosen up tough, baked-on spills, preheat the oven to 200 degrees, turn off the heat, and then put a bowl of ammonia in your oven overnight. This works well as long as you don't mind the smell of ammonia in your kitchen the next day.