When it comes to house cleaning, the kitchen can be one of the most frustrating places to clean and maintain. Food and moisture are two places that bacteria likes grow on. Since we use our kitchens to prepare, cook and eat food it is no mystery why bacteria likes the kitchen. Thus maintaining a clean kitchen is necessary to create a healthy cooking environment. Here are five creative kitchen cleaning tips to help keep your kitchen clean and fresh.

Sponges: When a wet sponge sits by your sink it gathers bacteria. Disinfecting your sponges can be a cheaper alternative to buying new clean ones. To disinfect, start by boiling water and then place the sponge in for a couple minutes. Remove carefully with utensils and let it cool down before using. You can also disinfect other hard to clean kitchen tools such as can openers by boiling them in water.

Microwave: When food splatters inside the microwave and hardens it can be difficult to clean. To loosen up stuck on food in your microwave place a microwave safe cup or bowl filled with water inside. Turn the microwave on high for 3 minutes so the water creates steam. When done carefully remove the cup of hot water. Then use a microfiber cloth or paper towel to remove the food particles.

Broken Glass: Accidents happen, especially in the kitchen where we keep plates and glassware. Cleaning up broken glass can be dangerous to do with your hands. We recommend using play-do or a piece of bread to dab at broken glass shards. The shards will get stuck in the play-do and bread. Just make sure no one plays with the play-do afterwards.

Garbage Cans: Kitchen garbage cans can be some of the messiest in the house. This is because they hold old food and other kitchen debris that makes them more susceptible to garbage bag leaks. We recommend double lining your kitchen garbage cans so if one bag breaks you will be protected from the spill. You will also want to keep empty garbage bags on the bottom of the bin so you can quickly reline a garbage can after you take the trash out.

Silverware: To polish your silverware, start by fill a bowl with warm water. Add in one cup of vinegar and two table spoons of baking soda. Mix the bowl and place you silverware in the mixture. Let your silverware sit for several minutes then rinse and wipe with a cloth in your sink before letting your silverware dry. Repeat if necessary.