How to Clean Ridges Around Sinks and Stoves

*Please note - knives can be very dangerous and cause scratching if used improperly.  Use extreme care with this method of cleaning so as not to endanger yourself or others.

About a year ago, I had my boys take over cleaning the kitchen.  It has been an interesting experience to say the least!  Aside from the fact that some nights it will literally take them hours to finish just loading the dishwasher, things never quite get cleaned the way I would like it.  I pick my battles at this point, and go in about once a month to do a heavy cleaning in there. We are working on improving their skills.

One thing that always drives me nuts when I am doing a deep clean is seeing the dirty, nasty, gunk that builds up on the edges of the stove.  It also happens around the spout of the sink, and in our bathrooms around the sink.  It just really stands out to me and makes the room still look dirty.  My solution to this is quick and easy!  Grab a damp rag and a knife.  You will need to be careful as you do this so that you do not scratch the counters or fixtures you are cleaning around.

Using the edge of the knife, gently trace the seams where that gunk is hiding out.  You will see it starting to build up on your knife.  With each pass, wipe your knife and the seam with your damp rag.  I usually have it done in about 2 passes.

See all of that stuff that has built up!  Nasty!  That was from the second pass too!

After you have wiped everything down, you can stand back and admire how much better this little detail makes your kitchen look!  I have heard people say that they use dental floss to clean these areas as well.  I have never tried it because the knife always works well for me.  I have used toothpicks however, and they also work really well especially in small areas like around sink fixtures.

Once again I apologize for the grainy pictures.  One of these days I will figure out how to get good pictures from my phone!  So are there any areas in you kitchen that you can't stand to see dirty?  How do you keep them clean?