Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Spring Cleaning: A Rumble with the Household Jumble

Along with doing the basic wipe-downs, dustings, and scrubbings for your spring cleaning, try out some of these tips for getting into those dirty hidden places of your kitchen.




Some items you may need for your cleaning venture:

Dust mop
Step ladder
Cleaning cloths
Bucket
Sponge/rags
Vacuum
All purpose cleaner and dish soap
Oven cleaner
Broom and mop

Let's start out with the fun stuff up top! Dust off the top of those high cabinets and wipe down the top of your refrigerator. Brace yourself; it’s ain’t gonna be pretty. With a mild cleaner, wash down your walls, backsplash, and baseboards working your way from top of the room to the bottom.




Just because your dishwasher is designed to “wash” doesn’t mean it’s always fit to do so. Yes, washing devices need their share of cleaning as well. To make sure your dishes come out sparkling, try running an empty load with a cup of white vinegar. This will help clean out all the guts of your dishwasher.

One of my grandma’s cleanings tricks for cleaning a stainless steel sink was to pour baking soda in the sink and let the excess water in the bottom form it into a paste. Take a rag and work the baking soda paste into the micro-grooves of the stainless steel. When you rinse it away, your sink is left shiny! For a fresh scent, drop a lemon or orange peel into the garbage disposal and turn it on. Don't be alarmed by the montrous sound coming from the disposal. Let it run until it sounds smooth. Not only does this clean out the disposal, but it sends a wave of citrus scent throughout your kitchen.




Crumbs always seem to find their way into my kitchen drawers. This is a good time to empty out the drawers and wipe them down with a mild cleanser. Reorganize as you replace your items and set aside the ones you know you won’t use to give away. And don't think twice about the things in this pile; if you don't use it, lose it.

Completely empty out your refrigerator and freezer (one at a time) and sort out the food you'll keep from what you'll discard. Remove the shelves and drawers and wipe them down. This is the perfect time to go ahead and wipe out the walls since it's nice and bare inside. If you have a nasty odor, you've probably heard of leaving an open container of baking soda to eliminate this, but if the stench is still overpowering, try pouring the baking soda onto a cookie sheet. This will allow it to circulate better and wipe out the odor.


Next Spring Cleaning Post... Tackling Your Living Space

1 comment:

Sarah said...

I'll have to keep following these cleaning tips until you get to grout. I've tried everything short of human sacrifice to get tile grout clean.