There are many little semi-hidden and hard to reach cracks and crevices in a kitchen that accumulates mess. The worst culprit of these secret mess prone areas is the gap between your stove and countertop. Being so closely linked with constantly moving, cooking, and changing foods makes these spots magnets for as much food debris as possible. Sometimes it can seem like the mess of the whole kitchen can end up in the cracks between your stove and counters. It can also be very easy to ignore spots like this. Ignoring spots like this though can lead to some really serious problems for your household. Moisture-rich dark areas attract insects and are the number one spots for control in the pest control industry. In addition to this, rotting food can smell and foul up an entire kitchen. For these reasons alone it’s important to keep up with stove gap.
Most people will advise that if you can prevent the problem before it happens then your on the right path to reducing the mess. Like many things in life though this isn’t always enough to fully prevent the problem. Prevention and attention are still key to practice and to strive for. It is the immediate attention and prevention that will make actually deep cleaning these spots so much easier. One clever method we found was to use clear rubber slot guards that overlap the counter and stove closing the cap while keeping a safe distance from the high heat areas to prevent any melting or damage.
Depending on the size of the cracks and crevices around your stove you will have to employ different methods of cleaning. If you have a narrow space to work with you can try shifting the stove slightly from side to side maximizing one sides space while you clean, then doing the other side the same way. You can also utilize long, stick thin metal rulers or pieces of metal to scrap out large pieces of food that you see fell through. Narrow spaces are tough to get fully clean day after day and might require spot care in between deep cleans. Wider spaces are typically easier and you can use the same method of shifting to maximize space and also fit microfiber cloths or thin handled mops and brushes.
The deep clean involves carefully moving the stove out of its spot. You should take great care in doing this when it comes to the outlet and possibly the natural gas line. Doing a deep clean 1 or 2 times a year is crucial for the overall cleanliness of your kitchen. There is only so much you can do with spot cleans and specified tools for the crack size. Giving the sides of your counter and stove proper wipes downs with cleaning gear and solutions is necessary at the end of the day. Make sure to get under the stove as well.
Cleaning these types of hard to reach spaces takes care and attention in short bursts in the short term with a sprinkling of more involved efforts. Reducing the daily worry to a minimum so you can focus on feeding your hungry family is key to getting some of that precious time back and not having to worry about any potential grossness from food mess.
