Washing Utensils: How to keep them shining bright

While we usually look forward to hosting parties at home, we are never too happy about the aftermath, which involves piled up dirty utensils in the kitchen sink. In such situations, we’ve stood and wondered how to get our dishes squeaky clean again. Removing tough stains of masalas, gravy, turmeric and other popular Indian cooking ingredients is a mammoth task, one that can take up a lot of time, especially if the liquid detergent we’re using is not a powerful one. Also, we’ve tested home remedies like vinegar and coffee, but they’re not always effective in dealing with burnt food and other stubborn stains. So, we’ve come up with a list of simple steps for cleaning your kitchen utensils to keep them looking new!

You will need:

• A sink full of hot water
• Scrubber
• Dishwashing liquid
• Lemon
• Salt
• Baking soda
• Detergent powder

How to Wash Kitchen Utensils by Hand

1. Step 1: Remove Leftover Food

   Scrape big chunks of leftover food from your utensils and toss them away in the dustbin. Throwing leftover food bits in the kitchen sink will clog the drain and leave a bigger mess for you to clean up.

2. Step 2: Fill the Sink with Hot Water

   Close the drain in the kitchen sink and fill it with hot water. Hot water helps lift grime and break stubborn stains easily. It reduces the amount of time you need to otherwise spend on scrubbing. Add 2 drops of an effective dishwashing liquid to this hot water. Do the dishes as soon as you can. Use Vim Dishwash Gel to keep them clean and shiny.

3. Step 3: Soak the Dirty Dishes

   Put your dirty dishes in the soapy water in your sink. Put the less dirty ones before the dishes which are heavily soiled.

4. Step 4: Scrub Each Utensil

   Once you take the boards and utensils out of the water, pour a liquid dishwash such as Vim Dishwash Liquid Gel on them and use a brush to scrub off all the stains. We’ve noticed that once you dry out the boards, there will be no stains left for you to deal with. This is because Vim Dishwash Liquid Gel is a powerful dishwash liquid when it comes removing tough and greasy stains! It has the power of lemons that work like magic on stained utensils.

   We’ve literally managed to clean a sink full of dirty dishes with just a single teaspoon of Vim Dishwash Liquid Gel with no white residue left on them. To add to that, our utensils always end up looking shiny after every wash and we save both time and water in the process! We’ve never used salt or any other solution when soaking our utensils prior to washing and still get excellent results with this dishwash liquid. It is designed for Indian kitchens and aids hassle-free washing. We’ve tried it and the results are surprisingly good!

5. Step 5: Rinse the Utensil

   After scrubbing the utensil, rinse it with tap water properly. Ensure that the utensil cleaner is thoroughly removed.

6. Step 6: Dry the Utensils

   You can use a lint-free kitchen towel to dry your utensils. Or place them in a drying rack to let the utensils dry naturally. This way you can avoid watermarks on your steel cutlery.

How to Wash Wooden Utensils

1. Step 1: Scrub with Soapy Solution

   Soak the wooden utensil in a hot soapy solution. Mix 2-3 tsp. of dishwashing liquid in 1 large bowl of hot water. Scrub off the utensil using a sponge. Rinse with tap water. You can try using Vim Dishwash Gel for this as it is easily available in the market.

2. Step 2: Rub Salt and Lemon

   Lemon’s acidic properties helps remove any odours and when combined with salt, helps lift grime and stains easily. Cut a lemon in two halves. Take one half and cover it with a layer of salt. Now, rub the salt-covered lemon on the stained area of your wooden utensil. Keep at it until the salt dissolves completely.  Rinse with cold water.

3. Step 3: Treat with Baking Soda

   Baking soda acts as a cleaning agent because it is a mild alkali and can dissolve dirt and grime easily in water. It helps clean stains thoroughly. If the stain persists, mix 1 cup of lemon juice with ½ cup of baking soda. Scrub this paste on the stain. It will come right off. Rinse with cold water to remove the lime juice  residue and baking soda.

4. Step 4: Dry In Sun

   Keep your wooden utensil under the sun to dry naturally. The sunlight will lighten any old stain and help you keep your wooden utensils odour free.

    

How to Wash Kitchen Utensils in a Dishwasher

1. Step 1: Empty the Dishes

   Remove the leftover food from your utensils. Please note that it is important to rinse your dishes once before putting them in the dishwasher for cleaning.   

2. Step 2: Arrange the Dishes in the Dishwasher

   Put your dishes in the dishwasher. Knives and forks should be kept in the cutlery basket. Glasses and soup bowls should be placed at an incline so that the cleaning detergent reaches the insides of your glass. Please note that the bottom of the dishwasher cleanses at a higher temperature. So, no plastic items should be placed at the bottom. Only dishwasher safe plastic items must be washed in the dishwasher. Please note that wooden cookware cannot be washed in a dishwasher.

3. Step 3: Add Soap

   Use a dishwasher tablet like Vim Matic Dishwash All in One Tablets  - the tablet contains all-in-one benefits of a detergent, rinse aid and salt, so there is no need to use the other three if you’re using this tablet in your dishwasher!

4. Step 4: Start the Wash

   Turn on the hot water pipe and start the wash cycle of your utensils.

How to Sanitise Your Kitchen Utensils

1. Step 1: Boil Water

   Pour some water in a deep bottom pan and turn on the gas. Wait for the water to start boiling.

2. Step 2: Place Your Utensils in Boiling Water

   Immerse your kitchen items in boiling water and cover the pan with a lid for 10 minutes.

3. Step 3: Remove the Items

   Turn off the gas and remove your kitchen items from boiling water using a clean pair of tongs. Place these items on a drying rack and let them dry naturally. Avoid direct contact with your sanitised items as they will be extremely hot. Wiping the utensils with a kitchen towel can transfer germs so drying naturally is a better alternative.

How to Save Water While Washing Utensils

Remember to keep the tap turned off whenever you are scrubbing any utensil. It will help save water to a great extent. Always scrape food residue off utensils before washing. This helps save water. Also, wash your utensils before the food dries on them. Immediate washing consumes lesser water as compared to washing when the utensils are dry. For stubborn stains on your cookware, it is best to pre-soak them by filling in water and 3-4 drops of dishwashing liquid in each utensil. This helps lift stubborn food deposits and consumes lesser time when scrubbing.

Using the Right Scrubbing Pads for Your Utensils

Using the right kind of scrub pad is important for specific type of utensils and helps maintain them in good condition for longer. To scrub your stainless-steel utensils, you may use your regular scrub pad or a specific stainless-steel scrub pad. For expensive ceramics, it is best to use sponge-based scrub pads to avoid scratches. For glass cookware, you may use a foam scrub pad which gives gentle exfoliation. For aluminum cookware, a steel wool scrub pad works best.

Keeping your utensils clean and shiny is extremely important if you like to host dinner parties and get-togethers. But while you are at it, don’t forget that your kitchen towels, washing sponges etc. need cleaning too. Replace your scrub brushes regularly.

Key Step

Do not use a dishwashing liquid to wash your cast-iron pans. Rinsing them with warm water is enough. However, if you want to give them a thorough cleaning, sprinkle some salt over your cast-iron pans. Scrub off the salt with a sponge and rinse to remove the residual salt. Ensure that the pan is dried properly before you put it away. Dampness will cause your pans to rust.

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