Spring-Cleaning: Don’t Forget the Kitchen!

Spring-Cleaning: Don’t Forget the Kitchen!
​BY JULIE HARTIGAN

Most spring-cleaning projects focus on curtains and carpets, but your kitchen could use a thorough scrubbing too! After all, it’s one of the most-used (and, shall we say, stickiest) rooms in the house.
Follow our kitchen-cleaning checklist to get your cooking space in top shape this spring:

Countertops
Clear all clutter from your countertops. Keep only the items you need in reach to maximize workspace and make your kitchen easy to clean now and keep clean for later.
Refrigerator Front
Remove refrigerator art and place any items you want to keep on display in magnetic frames for a neat look.
Oven
Use an oven cleaner to thoroughly scrub inside your oven and remove any spills around the burners.
Microwave
Clean the inside of your microwave, including the inner door and revolving plate if your model has one.
Surfaces
Grab a spray-bottle of surface cleaner and a roll of paper towels. Go! Working section-by-section, wipe off all surfaces from the top to the bottom so dust falls. Be sure to wipe down often-forgotten spots such as cabinet doors, the top of the refrigerator, appliance fronts, and greasy areas around the stove.
Freezer
Check inside your freezer for anything that’s been hanging out there longer than three to six months or is obviously freezer burned. Wipe up any sticky spots on shelves with a sponge soaked in hot water.
Refrigerator Shelves
Working shelf-by-shelf in your refrigerator, toss anything spoiled, leaking, or nearly empty (condiments being the most-common offender). As you inspect each shelf, give it a thorough wipe down with antibacterial wipes. Add organizers to keep things tidy moving forward.
Refrigerator Drawers
Working drawer-by-drawer in your refrigerator, throw away any fruits or veggies that are past their prime. Place the rest in a shopping bag so you can wash the drawer in your sink and easily replace your produce.
Pantry
Go through your pantry and say goodbye to any stale snacks or boxes with “one last cracker.” Tuck leaky baking ingredients in plastic zippered bags or canisters to keep them fresh and reduce spills. Run your vacuum attachment over the shelves to pick up any loose crumbs.
Storage Areas
Scan your storage areas and get rid of loose storage bags, piles of plastic shopping bags, and any mismatched lids or containers.
Trash/Recycling Bins
Pull out all the garbage and give your trash and recycling bins a thorough wipe down with antibacterial wipes, inside and out. The insides of bins are often the victim of leaky garbage spills.
Floor
​Almost done! Time to hit the floor. Vacuum or sweep the floor and give it a thorough scrub down with a mop or wet cleaner.
Final TouchesYou did it! Give the entire kitchen a cheery new look as a reward for all your hard work. Replace stained dishtowels, burned hot mitts, ragged kitchen rugs, and dish sponges with fresh new upgrades. Add a pretty, scented candle and hand-lotion dispenser as a pampering plus.

Loving your newly clean cooking space? Take it a step further and brighten it up even more with our “Easy Ways to Add Color to a Kitchen.”