To ask for your kitchen cleaning secrets?

[Merrow]

To start with, I accept that I am a chaos demon. I get Weetabix crumbs everywhere when I get DS1 his breakfast. I'm sure there's a knack of how to grate cheese without the cheese ending up in a halo around the grater, but I don't have it. All my nice glasses go in the dishwasher because that is definitely safer than me attempting to wash them by hand.

I'm not going to be able to change any of this. But what I do find immensely frustrating is that there's clearly a way of cleaning kitchens that mean they look clean after. And I don't know what I do wrong! How do you wipe up cheese without it smearing into the surface? Why do streaks reappear when the surface is dry? Is there a well known order of how to achieve what is encompassed by the phrase "wipe the surfaces"?

In other circumstances it would make me the master of strategic incompetence, but unfortunately it's just incompetence.

I solved the weetabix crumbs issue by decanting them. Now I get some crumbs everywhere when I put them in the container but every time anyone wants weetabix they just pick them
out and make no mess. It’s been life changing!

Cheese I grate onto a board, preferably a board big enough that the cheese ring stays on it. My sister has one of those ikea grating boxes and that seems fairly mess free too.

Wiping the surfaces for me is a damp (not wet) cloth. Sometimes some spray otherwise just soapy water. I like Swedish dishcloths because they seem easier to get the right level of damp. Give the cheese smears a bit more of a rub (and get any actual pieces of cheese off before you wipe). Go over with a dry cloth to avoid streaks.

I am currently posting on here to avoid cleaning my own kitchen 😂

Decant the weetabix, or take them out of the packet over the sink. Rinse crumbs away.

Grate cheese on a large plate.

Use ecloths and hot water, wrung out. Spray kitchen spray, wipe, rinse cloth, wipe again.

Thank you! These are the level of very basic tips I was hoping for. It had not occurred to me to put something under while grating - I thought there was a correct method of cleaning I was missing, but obviously avoiding the need to clean would be ideal. I also definitely thought wet cloths were better. I'm not the Weetabix eater in the house and assumed they needed to stay in the paper for some sort of freshness, if they can be put straight in Tupperware that's great!

@Ilovemyshed Amazon informs me I have already ordered ecloths. Every so often I decide I really do need to tackle my inability to clean efficiently, so clearly I bought these on a previous spurt of inspiration.

What are you grating the cheese into? I use a big plate or a pasta bowl and don't get it anywhere else.

I will grate half a block of cheese into a big lidded dish and keep it in the fridge.
If there's loads of crumbs I use a dustpan and brush and sweep the crumbs off.
Proper scrub the counters is spray and sponge with hot water, simple clean is spray and kitchen roll.

We use a hand-held Microplane grater and that doesn't produce as much cheese debris as a normal grater. Decanting Weetabix is a good idea... I'm going to try that!

As others have said, a grating box can help 'some' of the bits flying about.
Tesco Grater & Storer - Tesco Groceries
Box Grater | OXO UK

Next to my sink, I have these drying mats. Lidl/aldi have them sometimes and they are easy to wash in the machine. When not drying something, you can store them away for a cleaner, kitchen look. Antibacterial Drying Mat | Dunelm

I have small mat on the floor where I do most of my food prep. I can shake out any loose bits and throw in the washing machine if it gets stained.

Try and be gentler… you sound like my husband, he grabs the weetabix and crumbles bits because he’s not gentle enough. Sends the cheese flying because he puts too much effort in. Smears the cheese on the side because he’s pushing down not just gently sweeping it off.

I may be wrong, but your description made me think of exactly this!

Have you thought about getting a cleaner? They can make kitchens look sparkling in no time!!!

I'm glad I'm not alone in Weetabix crumb rage

I have a little dustpan and brush (£1 in Tesco ages ago) and I sweep crumbs off the surfaces before I wipe with anything damp or wet.

Most cleaning sprays benefit from sitting to work for a few minutes so I go round the kitchen and spray, then go back round and wipe. This includes the microwave.

Now the washing machine is in the utility rather than the kitchen, I set an alarm to remind me to check on it. It lies about how long the programme will take so I add twenty minutes. Saves the washing sitting in the machine while my foggy meno brain forgets it.

This might sound bonkers but... depending on the material of your kitchen counters, WD40 spray. Mine are normal melamine, it leaves them looking uber polished (after a cloth/soap wipe etc). Gets rid of any streaks and I like the smell it leaves as well!

This does sound like me! I think the decanting tip will help the Weetabix - there's something about how I dislodge the paper that sends crumbs flying.

I'm very, very aware the creation of the mess is a me problem, but I've given up attempting to fix that after years of frustration. Cleaning up after myself is the aim now.

@Quitelikeit this post was actually inspired by a visit by the cleaner, who achieves miracles. I couldn't believe how quickly I managed to achieve a veneer of grubbiness despite attempting to clean up after myself.

I think the cheese must be partly a technique thing as I've the same issues no matter what I use - which is mainly the IKEA box grater or a microplane one. I've used it over a chopping board tonight though and that has caught 90% of the created mess though!

And it sounds like do a lot while things are dry is the answer to some of my issues.

Our new house has black marble countertops, which I love because I can put hot things down anywhere, but does seem to be causing me more problems to clean. Maybe our old surfaces hid more!

If you have a pyramid grater, lie it on its side then the cheese falls inside the grater. Even less mess! Possibly might not work for large amounts but v handy.

My main tip (not sure if it applies here but still) is to a) declutter and b) make sure anything remaining after the purge has a place to live in which is CONVENIENT for use.

There's no point making everything fit by elaborately packing it in around itself - you need to be able to get to the saucepan you want, not have to unstack five to get it out, or pull out a giant box of tupperware that then takes ten minutes to repack like a russian doll.

It makes it much easier to use the right thing for the job, and much easier to clean up. Be ruthless, and also make the most of the space you have.

Oh also, keep your surfaces bare, so wiping up takes two seconds. I am a tartar for not leaving anything on the work surfaces, whereas my partner will just... absentmindedly push the ketchup against the wall and leave it there. No. NO. The only things that live on surfaces are the kettle and the microwave.

(Admittedly my kitchen is tiny, so I might relax to allow oil and a container of cooking implements if I ever move somewhere larger 😁)

I have a range of those tall plastic containers with the white lids from Ikea and all our cereals and pastas go into them.

Although it reminds me of a B&B a bit 😬

The 'kitchen feather duster' changed my life (well...the length of time it took to clean the kitchen)

Get dishes and rubbish sorted and away.
Swipe all surfaces down with a feather duster that is exclusively for kitchen counter use.
Spray surfaces with cleaning spray of choice.
Quick hoover of the floor. (I now cheat and put the robot hoover on)
Wipe surfaces with a hot cloth.

Black shiny worktops are a pig. You need to dry them I’m afraid to avoid the streaks.

Vinegar is a superb cleaning solution on counters, sinks and other surfaces. Cheap too.

https://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/cleaning/cleaning-vinegar#:~:text=To%20create%20an%20all%2Dpurpose,with%20a%20lint%2Dfree%20cloth.

I find cleaning up cheese with a cloth rinsed in cold water helps get all the bits off the worktop, and then spray surface cleaner on the worktop and wipe with a cloth rinsed in hot water.
Using cold water to initially clean the grater works too. If you use hot water it melts the cheese and smears it everywhere.