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Today I’d like to continue on with some spring cleaning tips to help the slow moving, lackadaisical or ill homemaker and make spring cleaning easier and your home more comfortable. Let’s continue the kitchen cleanup that we’ve started.
Moving On with Spring Cleaning Tips
I’m taking it slow, because I have chronic health issues and I’m more of a tortoise than a hare. If you have more energy, feel free to move through this write-up more quickly than your author!
Let’s Finish Cleaning the Large Appliances
Today, I want to finish up the large appliances, which will leave us with the cabinets, walls, windows and floor to finish up. We’ll start by saying that if you have an electric oven, you need to start the night before by starting the oven-cleaning feature, if you have one. Let it cool overnight, then wipe it clean of ashes in the morning.
Cleaning the Disposal Safely
We’ll move on to the easiest of the three we want to cover, and that’s the disposal. We found one installed in our kitchen sink when we moved into our current home, but I encourage my crew NOT to use it. My experience is that plumbing doesn’t handle disposal of garbage very well, and I hate handling plumbing problems.
Sometimes, however, things make their way into the portal to the motorized and crazy-sharp blades, so it often needs cleaning. First, I add a large handful of ice cubes to the disposal opening. This causes any grease that’s present to turn semisolid so it can be removed more easily from the blades.
If I have any, I like to add citrus rinds for additional deodorizing and cleaning. If I have no citrus peels, I might add 2 Tablespoons of baking soda. Turn on the cool water full force and start the disposal. I let it run for a minute or two, to clear the pipes. I turn off the disposal motor and then turn off the water, so that the water can keep the motor cool. This prevents motor burn-out.
Cleaning the Range and Oven
So, back to the range and oven. If your oven has been cleaned, it’s a matter of cleaning your burners, burner bowls, and the exterior of the stove. Nothing beats hot dishwater and a scrubbing pad to remove the caked-on gunk.
If that doesn’t get it all, I sometimes put the bowls in a clean plastic bucket. Then I cover each bowl with 2 or 3 paper towels onto which I spray an ammonia and water mix (about 50/50). It’s a good idea cover the bucket with a large plastic tray and put it up where no living creature can reach it, so it can soak for a while.
We can then proceed to clean the rest of the stove exterior. I also make sure I clean the seal around the oven door, since it can leak heat and cause baking problems if not kept clean. After this, I tackle the bowls again, which are usually much easier to finish up.
Cleaning the Small Appliances and Cabinet Exteriors
Next, I use hot dishwater and a dishcloth to wash the exterior of any grimy small appliances on the counter. I then use a bowl of warm water to wet a microfiber cloth, wring the cloth until just damp, and wash the exterior of my kitchen cabinets. Next I wipe down the cabinet exteriors with a dry microfiber cloth. For my cabinets, this is usually adequate to leave them clean and pretty.
Cleaning the Dishwasher
For the last of our large appliances, I tackle my dishwasher. It’s good if you can consult your dishwasher manual since the models vary a bit. I found mine online by searching in my browser for the manufacturer name and the model number plus the words “dishwasher manual”.
To start, I usually remove the spray arm assembly in the floor of the machine. I clean the holes in the spray arm and wash down the whole unit. Next I disassemble the cylinder that is connected beneath the spray arm, until I reach the filter. The filter is scrubbed clean to remove matter and odors, then the whole thing is reassembled and reinstalled.
Cleaning the walls and the floor with hot water and, if needed, a bit of baking soda finishes the interior. To complete the cleaning, I clean the exterior with a wet, but not dripping, microfiber cloth.
Yay for a Clean Kitchen
This is pretty much all I do in the kitchen for Spring Cleaning, since I try to do quite a lot of cleaning and sorting, including the pantry and cabinet interiors, regularly. I hope these spring cleaning tips help you out.
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