The $7 Must-Have That’ll Help Keep Your Kitchen Crumb-Free
If you know me as a regular contributor to Kitchn, then you know that I am fairly, um, let’s say “rigid,” in my cleaning regimen. I believe in the judicious use of bleach, I vacuum my rugs right side up AND upside down on a weekly basis, and I believe your kitchen isn’t really clean until you’ve moved your major appliances and vacuumed behind them.
If you are less “rigid” than I am and you haven’t cleaned behind your major appliances in a bit, you might be surprised by all the crumbs and pet hair and random bits and bobs (paper clips! Fruit stickers! Mail!) that find their way to the dark reaches around your stove. Even if you clean as deeply as I do, it still might surprise you how much can accumulate down there between sweeps!
How exactly that stuff gets there is a bit of a mystery. (Surely, you didn’t drop all those crumbs!) But I definitely know that crevice between your stove and kitchen countertop doesn’t help! In some cases, we’re talking crevices (two!), if your stove is flanked by cabinets on either side. Now that I’m really paying attention, one of mine is more like a chasm and it is just calling out for crumbs to be lured down into it, like the ring to Frodo.
Am I exaggerating? Maybe a little bit. But seriously, that counter crevice is just asking for stuff to fall into it, get stuck in it, and start attracting critters you really don’t want in your kitchen.
Luckily there is a smart — and cheap! — solution. It’s basically a doodad that closes up the crevice.
It’s a silicone strip that’s 2 1/2 inches wide and a little under two feet (20 1/2 inches) long. To install, just measure your range and cut it down to the right size. Then, just slip it into the crack between your oven and your counter. It comes in white, grey, or black, making it a pretty seamless addition to most kitchens, and it’s also heat resistant up to 500 degrees.
For $7, it’s a worthy investment that will keep your kitchen crumb-free — no major-appliance moving required.