Tuesday, September 15, 2009

FALL CLEANING LIST FOR KITCHEN!

Before we can begin to clean our kitchens we must first rid ourselves of the junk and clutter. Start with emptying out your cupboards onto your kitchen table. Only do the cupboards that hold dishes, glasses, and bowls to start. Don't make the mistake of dumping the entire contents of all the cupboards at once! You'll be overwhelmed and never get through it!! Start with one cupboard at a time! Go through each item. Either store, give away or sell duplicate items. You do not need 4 sets of measuring cups! Throw out old, broken, chipped, never used stuff. Store items that you do not use every day. If you only use your mix master during the holidays than store it down in the basement. Don't take up needed cupboard space if possible! The same thing goes for your counter items. Do they have to go on your counter? Are they taking up space that could be used for prepping and cooking? Remember that the more stuff on the counter, is the more stuff to clean, and cluttered counters never look pretty!

Vacuum and wipe down the insides of the cupboards.

Now is the perfect time to reorganize.

Before you start putting things back into the cabinets, be sure that this is where you want them to go.

Place things in cupboards near to where they will be used. For instance, glasses should be near the sink, dishwasher or table. Spices, near the stove but not right next to it. Cooking utensils should be near the stove. Your dishtowels should go near the sink, etc. You get the idea!!

Now only put back into the cupboard what you absolutely need. If it’s broken, chipped, or never used, throw it out or find a new place for it.
Continue doing this with all your cabinets and then move onto your drawers. Try and only empty one at a time, so not to overwhelm yourself.
Once you’ve cleaned and organized the cabinets and drawers you can begin to clean.

Here’s a checklist of chores that should be done

Chore Check List

Garbage Pail~ Give your pail a good scrubbing with hot soapy water on the inside and out. If the weather permits, do it out on the lawn with the hose.

Microwave~ To get the stains off the inside of a microwave put a quartered lemon in a bowl of water on high for five minutes. Grime then wipes off really easily and the oven smells fresh too.

Refrigerator~ Clean the inside, outside, underneath and top of the refrigerator. Don’t forget to vacuum the coils in the back and to remove the plastic grill in the front and scrub with soapy water.

Stove~ Clean the stove and oven. Pull it out and clean the sides, the back and underneath. Remove all the knobs and throw them in the dishwasher. You can put your drip pans and burner rings in there also. If you have a self cleaning oven set it and let it get to work. If you don’t, clean the inside of your oven. If you don’t want to use a commercial brand cleaner, try a homemade one. Baking soda and water made into a paste and a little elbow grease should do the trick. If your racks are very dirty, try throwing them into a large garbage bag with a cloth that’s been soaked in ammonia. Set it outside overnight and wash well in the morning with soap and water. They should sparkle. Don’t forget to clean your exhaust fan. The screens can be tossed into the dishwasher too.


Dishwasher~ Scrub the outside. The inside can be cleaned by simply wiping the inside down with mineral oil and then letting it run a full cycle with dishwasher soap. You can get the grooves and hard to reach areas with an old toothbrush!

Now is the time to give your small appliances a good cleaning too.
Toaster~ Give it a good scrub. Empty and clean the crumb tray. If your keeping it on your counter, think about placing it on a decorative tray to catch the crumbs. I myself keep mine in a bottom cabinet on a tray. Less junk on your counter means less cleaning!
Blender~ Just add a ½ tsp of white vinegar and fill ½ way with hot water. Turn it on and let blend clean!
Coffee maker~ Fill the reservoir with white vinegar and run it through a full cycle. Repeat the cycle two more times with plain water.


Cabinets and drawers~ Clean the fronts of your cabinets and drawers. Don't forget to wipe down the tops of the doors too. Give the hardware a little shine too.
Light fixtures.~ Clean all the light fixtures in the kitchen and replace any needed bulbs.
Floors and woodwork.~ Clean the floors and the baseboards. Get into the corners really good!
Walls~ Don’t forget to remove any pictures you may have up. Clean the walls using a bucket of warm water soapy water and a sponge mop. Lay an old shower curtain on the floor where your working to pick up any drips.
Washables.~ Wash all your potholders, kitchen rugs, and aprons.
Countertops~. Be sure the counter tops are empty, and scrub and rinse well. Before putting things back onto the counter, scrub them and decide if you want to keep them up there. If you only use it occasionally you will be better off storing it.
Clean your windows and screens
• inspect your fire extinguisher

1 comment:

  1. Ugh the kitchen always takes the longest! It is for sure not the biggest room in the house but I manage to fit the most stuff in there!

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