This Kitchen Staple Works Like Magic To Clean Your Stove And Countertop Gap

Many home cooks agree that cleaning your kitchen as you go every time you cook is the easiest way to keep your space neat and germ-free without taking up a lot of extra time. After all, there's plenty of time to load the dishwasher, wipe down the counters, and even give your kitchen floor a light mopping while your chicken is roasting. However, regular maintenance doesn't mean your space is exempt from needing to be deep cleaned every now and then.

All surfaces may be sanitary, but there's still grime lurking in the shadows of your appliances — one of the biggest culprits being that skinny gap between your stovetop and the counter. It's never perfectly flush, inviting crumbs, spices, and other debris to settle in a gross layer right where you prepare your food. Fortunately, a butter knife and a little creativity are all you need to address one of the most notorious areas of the kitchen everyone forgets to clean.

Most metal butter knives are narrow enough to slip easily into the limited space between your counter and stove, making it the perfect tool to scrape out the majority of the mess. Avoid using plastic butter knives, as they're usually thicker and less sturdy, meaning they won't work as well and are more prone to breaking. It's also important to work slowly to avoid scratching either your counter or the enamel on your stove, as you don't want to cause yourself additional issues.

When using a butter knife to scrape the who-knows-what from this little gap, spraying it with cleanser is actually a huge mistake. Moisture can cause the debris to stick to the surfaces around it, making it harder to remove. In fact, the butter knife might just tamp down the damp particles, creating a compact layer that's basically permanent. Dry, loose crumbs, on the other hand, will slide out easily, at least for the first pass.

Additionally, when sliding the knife into the gap, make sure the lightly serrated edge is facing away from you. Not only does this help prevent injury in case the blade slips, it also prevents crumbs from getting caught in those tiny serrations and compacting debris inside the gap. In any case, it's a good idea to have a kitchen-specific first aid kit close by whenever you're cooking or cleaning to address injuries as quickly and efficiently as possible, but there's less chance you'll need it if you follow this guideline.

Finally, once most of the crumbs have been removed, you can spray the gap with a little cleanser and glide a folded paper towel through the area to remove any remaining bits. At this point, moisture helps errant crumbs stick to the paper towel and lift them away. You can also try folding the paper towel around the blade of the butter knife to help guide it even deeper into the crevice, leaving everything sparkling clean.