FOR MANY OF us, the kitchen is where everyone gathers. As a result, it should be somewhere you’re happy spending time.

As well as offering up delightful life inspiration, Laura de Barra regularly shares pro cleaning tips with her Instagram followers, from dishwasher overhauls to sink scrubbing.

Every fortnight she’ll be bringing her expertise to the Glenveagh Home Magazine on TheJournal.ie – and to start, she gave us the lowdown on how to make your kitchen the ultimate happy (and clean) place.

When deep cleaning your kitchen, I am happy to say, all you’ll require is

• Washing up liquid
• Bicarbonate of soda
• Instruction manuals for the dishwasher, oven and fridge (to tell you how to remove parts – you can usually download these online if you don’t have them to hand)
• A bit of cop on

You may prefer to add in kitchen sprays and cleaners, but the below are my cheaper suggestions. They’re easier too, and use minimal chemicals.

1. Use warm soapy water for tiles and countertops

This should be part of your regular cleaning routine – don’t just save it for the deep clean.  The main thing you’ll need to remove is the airborne grease from cooking, so clean them as you would a frying pan, with warm soapy water and a non scratch sponge to lift the grease off. 

2. Get back to basics with the fridge

My rule with fridge cleaning is that I will never use a product I wouldn’t clean a plate with. Enter a basin of warm soapy water for cleaning the parts and a spray bottle of warm water and bicarb for cleaning the interior.

Once you’ve emptied the food out of the fridge, remove the shelves, crisper drawers and door shelves. That outer strip on shelves should slide off for soaking separately – bacteria can live here. 

Clean rubber seals with a damp clean cloth, peel back the folds and feel free to gag if you have pets because a lot of hair can end up hiding here. Spray down, wipe down, then wipe again with a damp clean cloth, and finally buff dry. 

Don’t forget to wipe over the drain at the very back, as this can block with food.

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3. Soak dishwasher parts and wipe everything

Listen, she may be a machine that cleans but you’ll be shocked at how dirty a dishwasher can get. Wear heavy duty gloves here as you may come upon unexpected sharp edges. You can watch my dishwasher tutorial on Instagram for a step-by-step rundown, but here are some of the steps people commonly forget: 

• Check the holes of the spray arms for food and wipe them down – trapped food affects the cleaning cycle.
• De-gunk the filter. If you have never done this prepare for some bad smells, and breathe through your mouth maybe. 
• Leave both the spray arms and the filter to soak in warm soapy water (I call this a goddess bath) while you clean the inside of the machine with either bicarb and water or a basin of soapy water handy. Make sure you wipe down the inside walls with a clean damp cloth and buff dry after you have used any cleaning products. You don’t want any washing-up liquid getting in to the cycle. 
• Check the hinges and edges of the doors for any food. Again, enjoy if you’ve never done this.
• And finally, place a dishwasher-proof mug with two cups of vinegar on the top tray and run a hot wash. The vinegar will gloriously work her magic throughout the interior of the machine, its pipes and filters.

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4. De-grease your oven like a pro

If your oven smokes when you use it, it is often down build-up of food (or if you’ve recently cleaned it, it could be excess cleaning product that needs to be wiped away with a damp cloth). Regardless of whether your oven smokes or not though, you should be giving it a regular deep clean.

If you consult your manual, it’ll usually tell you how to take off the glass panel on the oven door. This means those annoying grease, drips and debris you see stuck in between the two panes can be cleaned.

Be super careful when removing the glass. What happens when you remove a large pane from a light spring hinged door? It becomes even lighter and will fly back up, so be aware of this. Smooth, slowly and steady here my friend, as this is delicate work.

You can carefully lay this greasy glass in a low shallow tub to soak or lay a tea towel on your draining board to avoid slipping and any breakages. Use an oven cleaner or even just washing up liquid, the best grease fighter in your house, and wipe down with a non-scratch sponge.

Your manual will also tell you how the knobs on your hob and oven come off (this usually just involves a firm pull). You’ll be shocked at the amount of food and grease gathered here. I like to soak these in warm soapy water while I clean the hob and the front of oven.

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5. And wash any gunk out of the drain

When you clean your kitchen it is always handy to clean the sink drain to stop any build up. First, pour a kettle of hot water down to loosen any grease. Pour ¾ cup of bicarb then a cup of white vinegar on top of this.

Immediately put the plug or a cup over the drain as this will cause a reaction with loads of foam. This foam will work its way down the drain and take any build up with it. Follow with another kettle of hot water.

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Follow @lauradebarra on Instagram for more pro cleaning tips (and plenty of general fabulousness too).