Spring Cleaning Challenge: The Kitchen #SpringCleaning12
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Follow these 10 steps to get your kitchen clean enough for a food inspector’s seal of approval, just in time for spring cleaning!
photo credit: BHG
Today is the first day of Spring, everything outdoors is starting to look fresh and new again, which gets me in the mood to do the same indoors.
Last week I mentioned today would start the Spring Cleaning Challenge and I’m tackling the kitchen.
Spring cleaning is especially important in the kitchen. I stay on top of my kitchen on a daily basis, but a least once a year I follow these extra steps to get my kitchen clean enough for a food inspector’s seal of approval.
Table of Contents
10 Steps for Spring Cleaning in the Kitchen
Start by removing all clutter and disinfecting counter-tops and dishtowels and then crank up some music and follow these extra steps:
1. Dust and wipe down walls
use this time to clean the grease, grime, and spilled food from your walls. Check corners for cobwebs and dust down corners and trim.
2. Dust and clean items hanging on walls and on top of cabinets.
Wipe down frames and glass and anything hanging on the walls. Don’t forget air vents, doorknobs, doors, switch plates. If you have items on top of your kitchen cabinets, they may need a good scrubbing, as those items tend to get a grease and dust stuck to them. Fill a sink with hot water and dish washing soap to help cut thru grease.
3. Dust and clean light fixtures.
Take down any light fixtures and gently wash and dry them before replacing. If you have a light with exposed light bulb, turn the light off and when it’s cool, dust light bulbs too.
4. Clean windows and window treatments.
Vacuum and clean windowsills. Wash windows, inside and out. Be sure to take down and rinse off screens, before replacing. Remove window treatments and blinds/shades and clean according to manufacture’s instructions. How to clean blinds. My easy window cleaning tip.
5. Clean inside of cabinets and drawers.
Remove everything from inside cabinets , wipe down shelves, and replace and reorganize items. Do the same for drawers. This is a good time to go thru and clean out unused and expired items.
6. Clean appliances.
If you don’t have a self cleaning oven, spray oven cleaner and let it work while you clean other appliances. Don’t forget to open windows in the kitchen to avoid the overpowering smell.
- Refrigerator – Throw out expired food, and remove everything, placing the items to keep on the counter or table. Remove refrigerator shelves and drawers. Wash them down, being careful with glass shelves. Wipe down the entire interior of the refrigerator and freezer with the baking-soda solution, and wipe it dry before replacing shelves and food. Pull refrigerator out, if you can, and unplug and clean behind and underneath. See my favorite tool for this, my refrigerator coil brush.
- Microwave – Start with a damp rag and wipe out any lose crumbs from interior. Then, fill a microwave safe bowl or cup with 4-5 tablespoons baking soda or one-half cup lemon juice and water and heat mixture on high for two to three minutes. When time is up, let it sit for five minutes, then carefully remove cup or bowl and wipe down interior effortlessly with a damp cloth. If you still have stains, try damping your rag with vinegar or a little baking soda to gently scrub away stains. Don’t forget to remove and wash glass turntable. Once everything is sparkling again, leave the door open to air out for bit. Clean exterior and door with only warm, soapy water and soft cloth. Wipe control panels with a barely damp (not wet) cloth; moisture behind the panel could ruin the oven.
- Dishwasher – run empty dishwasher with vinegar. Read my full post on how to clean a dishwasher.
- Oven/Stove – Wipe down and clean out the oven according to the directions on the oven cleaner. Remove, knobs, burners, burner covers, and spill catchers off of the stove and wipe off food spills and splatters, for glass cook tops use a dab of commercial cooktop cleaner on a dry paper towel, and then wipe off the cleaner with another dry towel.
7. Wipe down and clean small appliances.
Unplug all appliances first.
- Mixer – Wash beaters by hand, wipe down base with a damp cloth. If the vent is clogged, loosen the dirt with a toothpick or toothbrush, then vacuum it out.
- Toaster/Toaster oven – clean out crumbs and wipe down the interior and exterior. Be sure to remove racks; wash them in warm, soapy water.
- Coffee Maker – Pour equal parts white vinegar and water into the tank, and run the machine. Empty out carafe and run two or three cycles with fresh water before brewing coffee. Wash carafe and any other removable parts in hot soapy water and wipe down exterior of machine. For any hard water build up on outside of machine, use a cloth soaked in vinegar to removed hard water crust.
8. Clean and shine sink and drain.
Clean your drain with baking soda and vinegar, If you have a garbage disposal, put ice cubes through the disposal to sharpen the blades. Read my post on how to clean/freshen or unclog a drain with vinegar and baking soda. Make you sink shine, by filling your sink to the rim with HOT water and 1 cup of bleach, let it sit for one hour, then remove plug (using tongs or wear gloves), rinse then scrub your sink and faucet with a mild abrasive, I LOVE Barkeepers Friend, rinse thoroughly and finish with a little window cleaner and a paper towel. How to make your sink shine with the Fly Lady.
9. Clean garbage cans.
Wash inside and out with a strong bleach solution (about 3/4 cup per gallon of water).
10. Sweep and mop the floors.
Although this is a step you already do on a regular basis, use spring cleaning to do an extra good job, move furniture to get underneath, get corners, baseboards and even get down on your hands and knees if you can for even a closer clean.
Distilled White Vinegar | Bar Keepers Friend | Bleach | Baking Soda
Count Down to Clean Series (with free Daily, Weekly, Monthly and Annual cleaning checklist to print)
Need other Spring Cleaning Tips
Spring Clean : The Why :: Home-EC 101
Spring Clean: Bathrooms :: i Dream of Clean
Spring Clean: Floors and Windows :: Amy’s Finer Things
Spring Clean: The Kitchen :: Tidy Mom
Spring Clean: Home Office :: Untrained Housewife
Spring Clean: Declutter Around the House :: Live Renewed
Spring Clean : Main Living Area :: Biblical Homemaking
Spring Clean: Conquering the Kids’ Room :: Living Well Spending Less
Spring Clean: Outdoor Living Spaces :: The Greenbacks Gal
Spring Clean: Garage and Cars :: Organize365
Now it’s YOUR turn! Let’s see what Spring Cleaning you’ve been up to!
EDITED: GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED
Disclaimer: Giveaway prizes are provided by GE Appliances, The Stow Company and Shark Clean. I was asked to join the Spring Cleaning Challenge by Christine of I Dream of Clean, and was not compensated for this post.
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My least favorite place to clean is the shower.
I love to vacuum the living room. It is so easy and I don’t have to touch anything unpleasant! I hate dusting anything because of my allergies.
The dishes!!!
My least favorite place to clean is the kids bathroom! I just never know what’s going on in there and am kinda scared to see. Toddlers flush just about anything whether its flushable or not.
I hate mopping.
I like for all areas of my house to be clean and fresh, I just hate to clean the toilets.
My favorite place to clean is the kitchen and that’s only because I LOVE cooking!! I HATE clean generally and avoid it as much as possible!!
My least favorite thing to clean would definitely be the bathrooms!
I don’t mind cleaning anything once I can get started! But the one thing I hate to clean is my shower!
My LEAST favorite area to clean is the kitchen! Especially if I am doing a deep clean. There are too many nooks and crannies and cabinets and others places for critters and dried up food to hide.
Wow- looks like a lot of people could use a new washer and dryer! 🙂
I’ve been crazy busy around here cleaning and decluttering. We are putting our house up for sale and so I have already started my Spring Cleaning. It’s funny that you started with the kitchen first because I just finished completely revamping the kitchen 2 weeks ago. I repainted the walls so they are fresh and clean, I bought new kitchen accessories and took the old dusty ones down, I switched out the window treatment after washing them, and I’ve cleaned and decluttered the countertop to prepare for a new one to be put in next week. Tuesdays are my usual kitchen cleaning day anyway, that’s when I clean the big and small appliances, sweep and mop, and clean/organize the pantry and cupboards. Since I painted I even had my husband move out the fridge and stove so I could sweep and mop underneath- yuck!
Cleaning isn’t always fun but the end result is soooooo worth it. 🙂
oh, and with 2 little boys in the house, can you guess what my least favorite job is??
yep, you guessed it- the bathroom!
My favorite place to clean is the bedroom! I always find new clothing items I forgot I had!!!
But my least favorite is the bathroom! YUK!
My least favorite place of all, is the bathroom. I do it, love it when it’s done, but it seems like it gets horrible much sooner than even my busy kitchen !
I hate cleaning the bathrooms with 4 boys in the house! yuck!
My least favorite place in my house to clean is the showers. And I absolutely LOATHE unloading the dishwasher. I don’t mind loading it, but for some reason the unloading just seems pointless because they are going to go right back in!
The bathroom is the worst!
I’m one of those annoying people that love how to clean. Nothing is too much for me: not the bathroom nor the laundry, I love it all 🙂
I love cleaning the fridge. It is so rewarding when someone opens it after and says woah!!!!!
My fav place to clean is the Kitchen and Home office! and my least fav is the bathrooms…however…I love the clean scents once I have done it 😉
My least favorite room to clean is the bathroom my guys use! Blah! My favorite room to clean is my kitchen. It is the hub of my home, so everyone sees it. ;0)
Something I just did yesterday is my least favorite to clean- the refrigerator!
Actually the whole house, but to narrow it down it would be the bathroom!!! so much
to wipe down & shine.
Definitely the bathrooms!!
What an awesome giveaway! I love your Spring cleaning tips! Thank you so much for sharing. Your tips really make my life much easier for the Spring cleaning. My least favorite place to clean is the bathroom. There are too many little corners and the water stain is hardest to clean.
amy [at] utry [dot] it
My least favorite thing to clean is the fridge. Yuck.
The worst is Windows…in any room!!
My least favorite place to clean is the bathroom. Hate cleaning my fiberglass shower!!! Hate scrubbing the toilet….my fiance has his own bathroom and he cleans that one, Thank Goodness!!
Great giveaway! My least favorite thing to clean is the toilet!
My least favorite room to clean is the master bath. I don’t understand how dirty it gets!
My least favorite place to clean is probably my bedroom. Because it’s clutter and stuff that doesn’t already have a home, it’s hard to ever finish! Now, the kitchen? That room is always spic and span!
I hate laundry and mopping. I don’t do the washing of laundry but my husband won’t put away my or our girls’ clothes. I am terrible at it. It is always a mess! And we have so much tile that mopping makes me crazy!
Definitely the bathroom… So many places where dust, dirt, etc. can hide. Yuck!
My least favorite things to clean bathrooms and baseboards, especially the ones hiding behind furniture. My Favorite place to clean is the Kitchen, cleaning out and reorganizing the pantry and the fridge and making sure everything is sparkling makes my day.
I have always loved to dust. Cleaning windows is one of my new favorite Spring cleaning chores.
I dislike cleaning my 4 year old’s bedroom. I never know what I will find underneath his bed!
I don’t like cleaning the bathrooms but it’s the thing that I have to do 3 times a week!! ;(
Thanks for the chance of winning! NEED new Washer and dryer….Gina Florencia
I tweeted about the giveaway.
My window blinds! I hate hate hate to clean blinds!!!
I HATE cleaning blinds! I would rather just throw them away and buy new ones. I also hate cleaning closets/cabinets. It’s hard for me to throw things away and I just don’t know what to do with all the stuff in them.
The whole house, but to pick one place in the house it would be the bathroom.
LOATHE cleaning the bathroom!!YUCK,YUCK YUCK!
My least favorite area to clean is the master bedroom … dusting the nooks and crannies on all the furniture takes forever and it seems as soon as I am finished dusting I can see “new” dust beginning to settle.
My least favorite cleaning chore is the floors – whether vacuuming or mopping…ugh!
I dislike cleaning my master bedroom because it is usually a mess but LOVE when it is clean.
My favorite room to clean is the sunroom. I love to move everything out, clean, vacuum, rearrange the furniture, then sit back and enjoy!
I hate cleaning the bathroom!!!!
I despise cleaning my bathroom. I can’t stand to clean the toilet.
My least favorite place to clean is the bathroom! HATE it 🙁 But it’s a necessary evil. lol
Least favorite place to clean is the window treatments. Take soooooooooooo long to do it correctly!