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| Savvy Nana’s Corner |
It’s Spring cleaning time! Summer’s almost here, that means barbecues, pool parties, and kids home from school for weeks; this means you’ll and the kids will be spending more time in the kitchen. So get your kitchen cleaned and organized now before school lets out for the summer. Be ready for those barbecues, parties, and snack times.
There are so many things to clean and organize in a kitchen it can be overwhelming. It’s hard to know where to begin! I always break tasks down and just plug away at it until it’s done.
I like to start with appliances; fridge, stove, microwave, and dishwasher.
Here are some tips to help you deep clean and organize your major kitchen appliances; and how to keep it that way, at least through the summer.
First before you can deep clean you need to get the kitchen ready for cleaning. Wash, dry, and store dishes, pots, and pans. Clear the counters by getting rid of any clutter. Gather your materials: cleaners, sponges, rags, broom, mop, bucket, garbage bags, etc.
Now your ready to begin!
*Clicking on a product name/or picture i.e. Dawn Dish Washing Liquid, will take you to an Amazon Affiliate link making it easier for you to purchase that product if you wish.
Refrigerator and Freezer
1. Empty it out, toss everything that is old, expired, moldy, freezer burned, and “mystery meat”.
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| Courtesy of One Good Thing by Jillee |
2. Remove all removable parts and soak them; shelves, drawers, door bins, etc. I used to soak them in the kitchen sink until I came across this idea from One Good Thing by Jillie. She soaks them in the tub with hot water, Dawn Dish Washing Liquid, and Ammonia.
While items are soaking clean the inside of your fridge/freezer.
3. Spray the inside of the fridge/freezer with your choice of cleaner and wipe clean. Jillie of One Good Thing by Jillie uses a homemade mixture of equal parts Ammonia and Water. I like to use Dawn mixed with an equal part of water.
For stuck on, dried up, sticky spills, apply more cleaner and let soak, if the stuck on dirt is on a level surface I soak a rag or paper towel in my Dawn solution and lay it on top of the sticky stuff. I leave it on for at least 5 minutes and wipe off. I comes right off without scraping or scrubbing; if it doesn’t come off easily replace the soaked rag over it and leave it for a bit longer. This method doesn’t work too well on fridge walls, the rag slips off. To get rid of stubborn dirt on the walls you will need to keep spraying it with the solution until it wipes off easily – this is why I always wipe the fridge floor last so I don’t have to keep wiping off the drips from the walls.
Don’t forget to clean the doors, specially under and around the rubber seal, mold and mildew love to collect on and under the seals. I use the same solution and an old toothbrush to reach corners and get under the rubber.
4. Wash and dry the shelves and drawers you left soaking in the tub. Replace them in the fridge/freezer.
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| Courtesy of One Good Thing by Jillee |
5. Return the food you removed to the fridge. For tips on organizing your fridge from One Good Thing by Jillie click here!
Once you’ve got the inside clean you might consider lining bins and shelves with non-adhesive refrigerator liners for easier clean up.
Liners catch spills and drips and can be removed and washed easily.
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| Courtesy of The Shabby Creek Cottage |
6. If your fridge has ice & water dispensers learn how to clean them using a Steam Machine, which how the gal at The Shabby Creek Cottage does it. If you don’t have a machine try this method from The Huffington Post.
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| Courtesy of This Chick Cooks |
Don’t forget to remove the hard water stains on the dispenser. Use this method by This Chick Cooks to make it look shiny and new.
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| Courtesy of Green Upgrader |
7. Pull your fridge away from the wall, it’s gross right? I always wonder where all the dust came from, but trust me it’s there. Vacuum behind the fridge and vacuum the coils as well. Learn how to clean the coils from Green Upgrader.
Cleaning the coils not only makes for a clean kitchen it save electric and makes your fridge function more efficiently.
8. Clean the outside of the fridge, be sure you wipe the sides and between the doors if you have a double door model. Also wipe down the top – you will find that it’s covered with dirt and dust. If you have a stainless steel fridge like I do the best cleaner I’ve found is Bar Keeper’s Friend Cleaner & Polish. It cleans and shines all stainless steel appliances and surfaces. I love it!
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| Courtesy of Miss Information |
9. Last but not least pop in a deodorizer to keep the fridge smelling fresh. You can opt to place a box of baking soda in the back of the fridge, it absorbs food odors. Or you can DIY these deodorizers from Miss Information.
Stove, Oven & Microwave
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| Courtesy of Craptastical |
1. Clean the oven without harsh smelly chemicals using Craptastical’s mixture of baking soda, vinegar, Dawn, and lemon. You may want to apply this a few hours earlier so it can do it’s “magic”.
For tougher dirt on glass on oven door try DIY Home Sweet Home’s 2 ingredient cleanser.
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| Courtesy of DIY Home Sweet Home |
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| Courtesy of Ask Anna |
To clean BETWEEN the oven glass try this method by Ask Anna using a hanger and a Windex Wipe.
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| Courtesy of A Real Housewife |
For really tough burnt on stains try this overnight method from A Real Housewife. This cleaning method does work, I’ve tried it, but it uses ammonia which is very strong. Use extreme caution when using ammonia; wear a mask or respirator, make sure the windows are open and you have plenty of airflow, wear gloves, take plenty of breaks away from the ammonia fumes, DO NOT mix ammonia with bleach or anything that contains bleach, you will create a dangerous toxic substance.
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| Courtesy of Practically Functional |
This technique from Practically Functional makes cleaning your microwave easy. You can get the job done in 5 minutes without using harsh chemicals. Learn how here!
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| Courtesy of Tidy Mom |
Clean off burnt on dirt on your glass cook-top without harsh and expensive chemicals. Try this tip from Tidy Mom, she uses just soap and baking soda to make the cook-top shine! Learn how here!
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| Courtesy of One Good Thing by Jillee |
If your have a stove with burners, gas or electric, try this trick from One Good Thing by Jillee, it works on electric stove drip pans and the grates on gas stoves.
Wipe the stove top with warm soapy water before replacing the pans and elements, and grates.
Don’t forget to clean the stove knobs. I pull them off, they come off easily, and soak them in hot soapy water while I’m cleaning the rest of the stove. Use a sponge to scrub off sticky stubborn grease, rinse and replace on the stove top.
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| Courtesy of One Good Thing by Jillee |
If your stove/oven/microwave/hood are stainless steel clean as you would a stainless steel fridge, using Bar Keeper’s Friend Cleaners & Polish for a nice shine!
Dishwasher & Garbage Disposal
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| Courtesy of Tidy Mom |
The last major appliances you have to clean is probably your dishwasher and garbage disposal, they sort of go hand in hand because they usually share the same drain pipe. It can get nasty, moldy, and sticky. Here’s a great cleaning tip for cleaning a dishwasher from Tidy Mom. Don’t forget to clean under and around the rubber gasket, food and dirt gets in there and it gets moldy and stinky!
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| Courtesy of Behind The Studio |
Here’s an all natural way to clean your garbage disposal by Behind the Studio.
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| Courtesy of Pop Sugar |
Keep garbage disposals clean and fresh smelling with these homemade refreshers from Pop Sugar. Click here to learn how to make them.
Now that your major appliances are clean it’s time to turn to the pantry and closets. That’s my next post!
For bathroom cleaning tips click here!
