I used to clean my entire house every day when I was younger, healthier and generally more active. But, due to age, a chronic back problem and just sheer laziness, I resorted to hiring a full-time maid from a domestic cleaning service in Cape Town. Out of pure respect and admiration, I want to center this article around domestic workers because they don’t get enough credit. Day in and day out, they keep our homes clean, and they do a better job of it then we do. My cleaning lady even taught me some great tips on cleaning my dark appliances, which is the topic of this article today:

Charcoal and black themed kitchens provide a sophisticated contrast when implemented together with lighter coloured appliances, flooring and cabinets. Often people make the mistake of assuming that darker themes only create a gloomy atmosphere. This couldn’t be any further from the truth. Black appliances are in fact well known for giving off that “shiny look” as the light easily reflects of their surface to create a glamourous effect when contrast with lighter colours.

As amazing as it looks, the biggest problem with dark appliances is that they end up losing that shine over time, largely due to the collection of dirt and dust, as well as the obvious accumulation of fingerprint stains.
Yes, it’s easier to see dirt on lighter appliances, however, loss of shine is a telling sign that your darker appliance need to be cleaned.
A quick cloth wipe-down may seem like enough to remove most of the dirt, but, it’s important to schedule a time (at least twice a month) to really focus in on doing a deep clean on these appliances.

My Domestic Worker’s Dark Appliance Dirt Destroyer

Even though I consider myself a clean freak. My maid really opened my eyes and showed me what a big difference a twice-a-month deep clean makes to dark appliances, and the overall positive effect and shine it brings to my kitchen. Below is the step-by-step process she uses, which I highly recommend that you start using too:

1. Take a microfibre cloth soaked in warm water and wipe the surface of the dark appliances gently on areas where stains and dirt are present.
2. Ensure that all visible stains are completely removed
3. Now, rinse the cloth again in warm water and add a few drops of dishwashing soap liquid to the cloth.
4. Scrub the appliances again with the soap-drenched cloth. This will really provide an ultra-deep clean that will get rid of any dirt that is not easily visible to the naked eye.
5. Rinse the cloth in warm water to wash away and remove the soap and dirt and then gently clean the surface of the appliances for a third time.
6. Wait 10-15 minutes for the appliances to dry.
7. Take a new, dry microfibre cloth and wipe-down the appliances to remove any remaining water streaks and remaining dirt. This will really bring out the shine.

Adding this deep-clean routine to your cleaning schedule will make a big difference and will keep your dark appliances looking BETTER than new. For those interested, I found my awesome domestic worker from www.homecleaning.co.za. Are there any awesome cleaning tips that your domestic worker has taught you? Send me an email, I would love to know!