Spring cleaning your kitchen

Spring is the time of year when most people start thinking about cleaning. The kitchen is one of the big spring cleaning jobs that needs to be tackled. This is the only room in the house where grease is an issue and grease is one of the hardest things to clean.

The best way to start spring cleaning the kitchen is to do an assessment of what needs to be done. Take a walk around and use your eyes and your hands. If the cabinets feel tacky then they will need to be washed. Open the cabinets and take something out from a top shelf, is it dusty or dingy? This will likely be another job to add to the list.

Open your freezer and fridge, if there are unidentified items in either or both, they need to be cleaned. Depending on the type of stove you have and the oven, there are things that need to be taken apart and cleaned. Clear the counter top of clutter and then cleaned with whatever method is appropriate for the material of the counter tops. 

The last stop is the pantry, check a few dates, check the shelves for any spills and yes look for any little bugs. If there are windows in your kitchen and most kitchens have several of them, these will need to have the window treatments washed and the windows cleaned.

Now that you have evaluated your kitchen it is time to assemble the tools you will need to tackle this task. Lining the shelves requires some lining paper and you may need to get a special cleaner for your wooden cabinets. You will need a ladder, a rag or a sponge and when it comes to emptying the top cabinets a helper is always a good idea.

Start by taking apart your stove and soaking any removable parts. Turn the oven on to self-clean if you have a self-cleaning oven or spray the oven with cleaner and close the door to let it do its work

Start from the top, if you don’t have a soffit this is the time to wipe down the top of your upper cabinets. Remove everything from one cabinet at a time and place anything in the cabinet that is dishwasher safe in the dishwasher. If you have delicate glassware you can lay a towel in the sink and wash them by hand. While the items are out of the cabinets, wash down the shelves and re-line them. Wipe down the cabinet doors inside and out. This whole process may take more than one day if you have a huge kitchen with lots of cabinets.

Once the oven has self-cleaned, it is time to wipe down the interior. If you don’t have a self-cleaning oven the cleaner will have done its job and again you just need to wipe down the oven. Put the burners back together. If your microwave hasn’t been cleaned in a while give it a once over. Scrub the counter tops and dispose of any clutter that has accumulated. 

The pantry is another big job. All the items have to be date checked and items that are past expiration need to be thrown out. This is also a good time to donate any items that you are not going to use but still have shelf-life, to the local food pantry.

Wash the windows inside and out and change the window treatments. Using a long Swiffer or lambswool duster, wipe down your walls and door jams. If there are spots use a Mr. Clean sponge to get the dirt off easily.

The freezer and the fridge are the last things before you give your floor a good once over. Move the stove and the fridge so that you can clean underneath and behind. Remove all the items from the fridge and freezer and wash the shelves, drawers, and baskets. Only replace items that are necessary. Wipe off any jars or containers that are going back into the fridge. Throw out any old ice cubes and make fresh ones.

Clean your kitchen floor. It may not really need it if it is part of your regular cleaning but it is a good idea to do it anyway. Change the batteries in your smoke detector. Clean your toaster, coffeepot and any other small appliances that your may have on your counter. Remove your light fixture and wash the globe or whatever cover it has. Look around you. Anything else before you can finally feel confident that you have completed the spring cleaning of your kitchen?

Take a deep breath, you should get a big whiff of clean and the satisfaction of having a job well done. Add a reed diffuser or a glade scented oil burner in a food scent and your kitchen will smell even better than it looks. Use these spring cleaning tips for the kitchen to get you started on your cleaning journey.