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How to Care for Your Apartment Home

Settling into your new apartment home and loving it?

Repair and replacement of appliances are very expensive. Remember that you are responsible for maintaining these appliances throughout your lease term and will be financially responsible for anything above and beyond normal wear and tear. Keeping that in mind, we want to offer you up the best information possible to keep your appliances and home in tip top shape!

Glass top stove and stainless-steel appliances are super easy to maintain BUT they ARE different than what you may be used to. Here are some easy tips and tricks to keep your counters spotless and your appliances smudge-free!

GLASS STOVE TOP:

Let’s face it—glass-top stoves can be hard to keep clean without routine maintenance, but we love the extra counter space they can provide as well as the sleek look and usual easy wipe down. A few drops of water spilled while cooking can create crusty halos around your burner that won’t simply wipe away clean. Burn marks can build up over time until your stove constantly looks dirty. It’s a frustration we all share. Thankfully, there’s a solution—and it’s an easy one.

You can use a mixture of white vinegar (to remove the grease) and then baking soda to rub away caked on stains. Bon Ami powdered cleanser (easily found at any grocery or super store) is another great option. Because a ceramic glass top stove isn’t coated in another material (like a window or mirror is), it’s okay to use a mild abrasive cleaner like Bon Ami or baking soda to remove residue and stains.

To make your glass stovetop look new in minutes, first wipe it down with a wet cloth. You can wipe it with white vinegar to remove grease. Then, sprinkle the surface with Bon Ami powder cleanser or the baking soda and give it a good scrub with a soft cloth or the soft side of a sponge. If the stain doesn’t rub away at first, apply more Bon Ami and continue working it until it disappears.

Please note: the cleaning of a glass-ceramic cooktop should be uninterrupted; with plenty of water used to keep the surface moist. All the cleaning solution, including any residue, should be completely removed from the surface once cleaning is completed. Bon Ami, or any cleaner, should not be left in contact with the cooktop for an extended period of time.

When all the stains have been rubbed away, wipe the surface clean using a wet cloth. For a streak-free shine, dry the surface using a clean, dry cloth.

STAINLESS STEEL APPLIANCES (DISHWASHER/REFRIGERATOR/MICROWAVE):

To get your stainless steel appliances shining like new, you’ll need to invest in some microfiber cloths. These super-soft, non-abrasive cloths will last you a long time — especially since you can throw ’em in the wash and reuse them! You’ll also need white vinegar (in a spray bottle, preferably), paper towels and mineral oil like olive oil.

1.      Gather your supplies: This task (and most others!) will be so much easier if have all of your supplies collected and ready to go.

2.      Determine the direction of the grain: I know that we usually reserve the term “grain” for wood; however, stainless steel also has a grain. Look closely. It will either be running horizontally or vertically. To clean your stainless steel, rub in the direction of that grain.

3.      Do a preliminary clean of your appliance with vinegar: Spray your appliance liberally with vinegar.

4.      Wipe it down: Using either a paper towel or a very soft cloth, wipe the vinegar off in the direction of the grain. This should remove the initial debris from your appliance and start to shine it up a bit.

5.      Dip your soft cloth into a little bit of oil: You don’t need a ton, as you can always come back for more.

6.      Polish your appliance: With your oiled-up cloth, wipe in the direction of the grain. You will start to see all of the marks disappear! Now you have a shiny new appliance again!

You can also purchase a pretty inexpensive Stainless Steel cleaner from the store but it should always be a two-step process, one that cleans, and one that buffs or shines.


There you have it! All of the easy tips and tricks you’ll need to keep your beautiful apartment  home looking like new!!! Enjoy!
















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