How To Remove Berry Stains from White Countertops

Throughout the chaos of baking, salad preparation, or any kind of preparation with produce, it will not be surprising to realize kitchen counters can become quite messy. This unfortunate realization hits even harder when one such as myself has white laminated countertops in the kitchen. In my case, that is a dangerous combination whenever I prepare berries, gelatins, or even make the kids a pitcher of kool –aid as was the case last weekend assembling a fruit salad for my youngest son’s birthday party. Simply attacking the countertops with hot dish detergent water on a washcloth will not be enough to successfully remove the stains. There are several alternatives to restoring a white counter that has become stained from berries or any other strong dyed food.
1.       Mr. Clean Magic Eraser – This has to be one of the best things to hit households since sliced bread. After they dye has contaminated the surface, do you best to dab the moist stain with folded over paper towel, being careful not to spread the spill of the stained area. Now that the area is dry, get out the magic eraser and give the area a good working over. The stain should lift off easily.
2.       Bleach (and bleach based products) – Some greenies and other parties seem to demonize using bleach at all in the household. I worked several years in food service kitchens and always standby the cleaning and disinfecting powers of chlorine bleach. Once the wet kool aid or berry stain has been lifted with paper towel, take a cap full of direct bleach, and let it sit on stained area for about five to ten minutes. Once time is up, take a very damp sponge and rub out the stain. I also recommend the use of such chlorine based products such as comet with bleach or soft scrub. These compounds should also be given a healthy amount of time to set on stain before lifting off. Whether using bleach or bleach based products, be sure to adequately rinse area clean before drying off.
3.       Tooth Paste – Take a old fashioned white or cream colored toothpaste and apply a generous amount to the stained area. Rub in the toothpaste slightly with an old toothbrush and allow to set for about ten minutes. Come back and work the area again with toothbrush, then rinse and dry the area.
4.       Baking Soda – Baking soda like vinegar is a definite household staple when it comes to being a natural cleanser. Take a few tablespoons of water and mix with a little water to form a paste. For a stronger solution, one can add a little peroxide to the baking soda. Now take an old toothpaste and apply to stained area. Allow paste to set on stain for about ten minutes prior to rinsing off.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Svickova (Marinated Beef)

Cooler weather ushers in more czech cooking. Well, the weather has finally cooled down here in Chicago which means I can immerse myself into cooking more Bohemian food. Today, I made Svickova which is marinated beef. This recipe much resembles the Chateau recipe with a few alerations here and there. I usually enjoy this dish served over dumplings with green beans on the side. I try to slice the roast as thin as possible so I can place the meat directly on top the dumplings when serving. A cold pilsner to accompany the meal is always good. Here is the recipe. Marinated Beef (Svickova) 3 lbs Sirloin Roast 2 Cups Water 1 Cup Vinegar 2 Carrots, Chopped 2 Ribs of Celery, Chopped 2 Parsnips, Chopped 1 onion, Chopped 5 pieces of Allspice 6 Peppercorns 2 Bay Leaves 4 Tbls All Purpose Flour 1 16oz container Sour Cream 1 Cup Beef Broth 1/2 Tsp Thyme Directions: 1. Combine water, vinegar, vegetables, all spice, peppercorns, and bay leaves into a saucepan and bring to a boil
Read more

Easy to Make Bohemian Rye Bread

Image
A few weeks back, I had a desire to make a sour dough starter to initiate my own homemade bohemian rye bread.   As mentioned in previous posts, this experiment has failed for a few reasons, so I went to option number two – using dry yeast. I scoured the internet in pursuit of Bohemian rye bread recipes and found one here at cooks.com. I was disheartened that there weren’t any pictures nor testimonials next to this recipe, but the recipe appeared to be easy to follow and used a combination of rye flour and all purpose flour.   Since I was a young child, I enjoyed a good Czech or German rye bread at restaurants and have been in pursuit of trying to imitate some of those good table breads. I like Bohemian rye bread because it is lighter in appearance and density (not too heavy on the rye grains) and it works well as pre-meal offering and partners well with soups or with assorted meats and cheeses.   This rye bread recipe I found adds in the European accent of caraway and fennel seeds.
Read more

Czech Donuts

I am a big fan of sweet doughs that often resemble donuts and seem very airy. You know, the kind of baked or fried dough that springs back when you press down on it. These doughs are typical of the dunkin donuts long john or boston cream donut or jelly bismarck. I also associate this dough with the infamous polish paczki. My mom used to make what she called Shishky (Slovak) or what is considered Vdolky. The dough started out as flat rounds then raised quite a bit when exposed to heat, often producing almost a partially flattened tennis ball or baseball shape. She would finish them off with putting a little prune or raspberry filling on top with a dollop of whipped cream or dusting of confectioners sugar. Some people like to take the finish batch of Vdolky and shake them up in a paper back with cinnamon sugar. They are really tasty especially if you eat one while it is still relatively warm. Go ahead and make mom some Czech donuts for Mother’s Day. Czech Donuts - Shishky (Vdolky)
Read more