Share your kitchen cleaning tips, tricks and secrets with Currys for a chance to win an oven, hob AND dishwasher (worth c.£1300)! NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

The good people at Currys have asked us to find out your top tips and tricks for making the oh-so-glamorous task of cleaning the kitchen a little bit quicker, easier and more straightforward.

Here's what Currys say: "We have a great range of new pyrolytic ovens in stock which are by far the easiest and most effective way to clean your oven, as pyrolytic cleaning heats the cavity to very high temperatures at the touch of a button, sealing the door and reducing all food residue to ash that can be easily wiped away. We'd love to know your own cheeky shortcuts to a clean and sparkling kitchen - do share them here!"

So what are your kitchen cleaning hacks? Do you have a secret method for getting rid of limescale? Are you a whiz with a tub of bicarbonate of soda? Have you worked out how to get the grime off your own oven without losing the will to live?

Everyone who adds their comment to this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win ALL OF THE BELOW!

a) a - Currys exclusive - Znussi Built in pyro oven - worth £400! and
b) a Znussi induction hob - worth £400!
c) AND an AEG 13 place integrated dishwasher - worth £488!

Please note comments may be used by MN and Currys on social media, on the Currys pages on MN or possibly elsewhere - please only add your comment if you're happy for it to be used like this! Closing date: 17 November.

Thanks and good luck
MNHQ

clean regularly and don't let dirt to accumulate too much, this way none of the cleaning task will be a night mare.
I regards to limescale I use the cheapest vinegar I can buy and it works like magic.

My master cleaning item is a baby wipe, I swear it's magic, if my hob has got greasy marks on it a baby wipe works better than anything else!
Also, to clean my microwave I put a bowl in with some water and a few sprays of kitchen spray and put it on for 10mins, the leave it for 10 mins, open the door and wipe everything down with a damp cloth and it saves scrubbing!!

Another vinegar fan here. We live in a hard water area but diluted vinegar shines up all of the metal work brilliantly.

Definitely agree with clean as you go. It's a dreadful shame I didn't follow that with my cooker, as I've been toying with the idea of ringing professionals to come in and clean it. (or get a new one! )

I use silicon baking containers mostly, which seem to be much easier to clean after baking, and don't get that rust on them like some of the older bakeware.

And I put all my coffee, tea, and sugar items on a tray on one side of the kitchen near the kettle, so that any dropped bits fall on the tray rather all over the counter and floor. A quick wipe out of the tray regularly keeps it clean.

Leave a dishwasher tablet in water in a burnt saucepan overnight.

After a shower use your towel to wipe water from the walks to prevent watermarks

I'm crap at cleaning the kitchen, I leave most of it to dp. I agree with a few people on here though that cleaning as you go is the best way to keep it clean.
I use antibacterial kitchen spray everywhere. I just point and spray, give it a few minutes and then wipe it off. None of us have died so far so it can't be too bad

I find cleaning up as I go is the only way to stay on top of it, r my kitchen just gets worse and worse!

For dried on gunk on the hob - soak a cloth in really hot water, lay over the gunk and leave for a bit. When you come back, it'll have softened up nicely and be easier to wipe off.

If you burn milk onto a pan, add about a tablespoon of soda crystals, some water and boil gently.

A dishwater tablet on the inside of the oven door is magic! Dip in water and scrub - gets rids of all the baked on greasy marks.

I use newspaper to clean marks off our glass doors. Works well on the car windscreen too. No smeary mess left afterwards.

Clean as you go is most important otherwise items pile up very quickly in the kitchen.

E-cloths leave all our stainless steel surfaces super shiny.

A steam mop is an excellent way to clean the floor without any toxic chemicals.

White vinegar and a toothbrush can remove the most stubborn stains. Add a bit of lemon to take away the harsh smell.

Vinegar is your friend in the kitchen, as it cuts through grime like nothing else... if you need a bit of a tougher scrape, use salt with it. If you need to get rid of tough limescale stains, soak some kitchen paper or cotton wool with vinegar and leave it on for a few hours, then rinse. I wipe stainless steel cooker with a piece of kitchen paper slightly wet with olive oil (just a tiny bit!) to make it shine and repel watermarks. Skewers and old toothbrushes are perfect for the difficult to get to places. Sponges and dishcloths get disinfected once a day by leaving them in the microwave 3 minutes at full power in a dish with some water and lemon, then they are ready to wipe the microwave too.

Keep old toothbrushes for cleaning. I use mine with bleach to brighten up tile grouting every now and then.
Also let everything soak before getting stuck in with the cleaning. E.g I use a foam cleaner on the stainless steel sink and leave it for five minutes. No need to scrub. Same with disinfectant spray on surfaces.

'My Little Friend' pet cage disinfectant spray is good for getting rid of smells in your kitchen bin/food waste bin.

A kiddies toy dustpan and brush set comes in handy for picking up breadcrumbs etc on worktops, and my mum always said to never fill the sugar bowl up more than a quarter full (the next time you drop a bowl of sugar on the floor, you'll find out why!).

You can dilute concentrated fabric conditioner to stop it from clogging up the washing machine dispenser with slimy gunk - just put one cap each of conditioner and water in the dispenser.

Clean as you go - it is hard but wipe your cooker hob down every time. For oven I use lakeland cooker cleaner.
If you have granite worktops don't bother with expensive granite cleaner - just buy pledge all surface cleaner (or similar) works just as well.

Cover the top of kitchen wall units and tall appliances (fridge freezers etc) with cling film. No cleaning required, remove and replace every few weeks/months/whenever the fancy takes you!

I find it easier to clean when the cupboards are tidy and organised and the surfaces are clear and clutter-free. Everything that can go in the dishwasher does. I think the CIF spray oven cleaner is great.

Definitely clean as you go! Oven liners and vinegar/bicarb combo are great for keeping the oven clean.

Bleach and a toothbrush are great for the tile grouting.

Clean fridge using hot water and lemon juice before weekly shop so it's nice and clean when restocking.

Soda crystals down the drains with boiling hot water keep them gunk free.

In my non-super-douper oven, I use a large silicon mat on the bottom which you can take out, scrape off and put in the dishwasher. I belong to the almost no effort school of cleaning.

To clean a stainless steel hob I put a drop of sunflower or veg oil onto a cloth and work it in. It loosens any grime and leaves the hob looking shiny without any scratches which more abrasive cleaners would do

I squeeze a lemon into hot water and then put into the microwave for 1 minute on high. Afterwards, all the grime just wipes off really easily. I do a hot wash once a month using only vinegar on an empty cycle to clean out the washing machine. I find that warm water and a clean cloth keeps my stainless steel hob looking its best. I only tend to bother with proper cleaners if it's looking really grubby.

Keep surfaces clear of clutter, it is easier to wipe down. Clean gloss doors and windows with diluted vinegar, spray on then wipe. Line the bottom of the oven.

Once clean, keep everyone out of the kitchen on pain of death and survive on take aways.

A jet washer is great for extractor fan grills, just take them outside before giving them a blast!

My kitchen is really old & a nightmare to keep clean - even when scrubbed it looks grubby.

Oven liner

And cleaning as you go.

Also spray & soak.

I'm going to try the dishwasher tablet suggestion from the first page on here today