The kitchen is, for many people, the most used room in the house. From washing the dishes to sweeping the floors, there is a lot of cleaning in this room on a daily basis. However, even with all this cleaning, a few times a year it is good to do a deep cleanse in the kitchen. So how does a person go about it?
There are a few things that should be cleaned before the others. Most people like to start with the refrigerator/freezer and pantry. When deciding which to clean first, you might want to figure out which is going to be worse for you. If you hate cleaning the refrigerator, clean it first. It is always best to get the hard jobs over at the beginning.
Regardless of where you start, everything in the pantry and the refrigerator/freezer must come out. It is important to check dates of cans, boxes and bottles, and throw away anything that is out of date. Obviously, if there are any “science experiments” lurking in your refrigerator or freezer, this is the time to get rid of them also.
When the pantry is completely empty, you will want to wash all the shelves with a warm, moist cleaning cloth. It is important to go back over each of them with a dry cloth to make sure you don’t leave any damp places that may cause you problems later. A vacuum cleaner can be used to clean the crumbs and dust from corners and to sweep the floor. Once it is good and clean, you can begin replacing items onto the shelves, but remember to check food containers for dust. You don’t want to put dirty things into your super clean pantry. This also is a great time to do a little organization.
The refrigerator/freezer also needs to be washed once it has been emptied. A quart of warm water with two tablespoons of baking soda will clean and disinfect the area. Baking soda is also a great way to get rid of any odd smells that might be hanging out in there. Again, make sure to dry the shelves well so that you don’t find mould later.
Once you have cleaned out the pantry, and refrigerator/freezer, you are well on your way to a squeaky clean kitchen, but before you put that trash can away, don’t forget to go through all those other cabinets and drawers, especially that ever present junk drawer.
If you are like many people, after cleaning the refrigerator, you might have to wash some dishes. If you have a dishwasher, you can definitely use it, but don’t forget to unload it when the dishes are finished. Having the dishwasher empty means that the family can put their dirty dishes right inside, instead of in the sink that you are about the make shine.
There is good news when you get to the sink. You can fill the empty sink with very hot water and bleach and leave it while you go about cleaning other things in the kitchen. This will disinfect the sink, and help get those stains out without a lot of scrubbing, so when you come back, a lot of the work will already be done. Of course, when working with bleach, don’t forget to use your gloves, and wear something that you don’t want to wear to the mall later. For those who don’t like bleach, there are some natural alternatives such as vinegar and hydrogen peroxide.
When you come back to the sink, you will want to scrub the inside with baking soda, comet, or even an SOS pad then rinse and dry it. Depending on how dirty your sink is, you might want to go around the rim with a toothbrush in order to get any dirt that is hiding. After you clean around your faucets, your sink should look better than ever. Using a window cleaner on it can make it truly sparkle.
Of course, all the surfaces must be cleaned. Using warm soapy water is usually sufficient to clean the outside of your appliances. On counters and the stove top, you may want to add a baking soda mixture, as baking soda is a great disinfecting and scrubbing agent. Don’t forget to get the inside of the microwave, and clean out the crumb drawer of the toaster.
Finally, the floor is the last challenge that you have to face. Once you have swept and mopped, you can look around with confidence, knowing that your kitchen has truly been deep cleaned….at least until supper.