Even though the cabinets, counter tops and floor weren’t visibly filthy soiled like some other areas of my kitchen (ahem), this was not a quick project.
KITCHEN BEFORE:
The counter top by the toaster: (which gets used daily)
Cleaning tools for the cabinets & counter tops:
How to Clean your Kitchen Cabinets and Counters with Vinegar:
1. Start by removing everything from the counter tops, then wipe off all of the crumbs with a dry cloth.
2. Lightly spray the water and vinegar mixture (3 parts water + 1 part vinegar) onto the cabinet doors and wipe clean with a microfiber cloth.
3. Using the same technique (with a fresh microfiber cloth), wipe down the counter tops.
4. Enjoy the fresh cabinet fronts & counter tops as you eat a nourishing (crumb-free) snack to prepare yourself for the ever-so-fun task of scrubbing the floor.
Cleaning tools for the floors:
How to Clean your Kitchen Floors with Vinegar:
1. Fill a bucket with about a gallon of warm water. Add to that about 1.5 cups of vinegar. I just eye-balled it.
2. Use your favorite method (is that even possible?) of mopping/scrubbing to clean the floor. More for effectiveness than for enjoyment, I got on my hands and knees and used a scrub brush followed by a clean sponge to absorb some of the water.
3. Keep all feet and paws off of the floor as it air dries.
KITCHEN AFTER: oh, so different than the Before
And the dining area:
Length of Time Spent on this Project:
8 Tobes’ Tunes (approx. 25 minutes) on the cabinets & counter tops
18 Tobes’ Tunes (approx. 55 minutes) on the floors
My Thoughts:
Because I painted the cabinets with Impervo paint, they were very easy to clean. (Side note: if anyone is interested in a couplefew several cans of this paint, I can hook you up with a sweet deal. I’ll calculate the discount using the same impressive math skills I used to grossly overestimate the amount of paint I needed for my project. ahem.)
I’m thinking that I will buy a new (clean) toaster with a BUILT-IN crumb tray to reduce my headache. In the meantime, in order to catch & corral those crumbs, I added a tray under the toaster. We’ll see if this helps.
Hands & knees mopping is overrated. I ended up using my Rubbermaid Reveal mop (my go-to tool for mopping) to clean up some streaks left behind as the floor dried.
Not only did it leave the floor streaky in spots, but it took forever. Marshall Dillon’s posture summed up how we both felt when I was finished.
How often do you clean your cabinets? Do you use a mop, sponge or scrub brush on your floors? Or have you determined that paying someone else to clean your kitchen is the best arrangement for you? I may have to look into that…
Today we jump headfirst into my dirty oven. Sort of. While I was definitely all up in my oven, it was only temporary and strictly for the Order Up Organizing kitchen deep cleaning challenge.
Fortunately, I knew this challenge was coming and I didn’t want you, dear reader, to be disappointed, so I made an especially large mess of the appliance. (Only part of that extra long sentence is true.)
OVEN BEFORE:
Wow:
Inside the storage drawer: (don’t overlook the crumbs!)
Cleaning tools: (plus a whole lot of heat)
How to Clean your Oven with Vinegar, Lemon & Baking Soda:
1. I started by reading the manual for the oven. To get the most out of the self-cleaning feature with the least amount of smoke, the manufacturer recommends removing as much gunk ahead of time as possible. (Gunk is my word, not theirs. Obvs.) So, I removed the racks, then vacuumed up the crusty, charred chunks from the floor of the oven.
2. Using a cloth soaked in water and vinegar mixture (3 parts water + 1 part vinegar) clean the parts of the oven that will not get hot enough to char off any filth: the outer frame of the interior of the door:
and the frame of the oven by the gasket. This part may require a paste of lemon juice and baking soda and some elbow grease. (At least mine sure did.)
Be careful not to damage or dislodge the gasket. Rinse off the paste with a wet cloth and dry the surface with clean cloth.
3. Because the oven gets extremely hot during self-cleaning, all items should be removed from the stove-top and the storage drawer—especially those that can melt. Also from the manual, I learned that the storage drawer could be removed. I was slightly concerned about what would lurk underneath, but I was pleasantly surprised at the relatively small amount of hound hair and cobwebs there. (Side note: what’s with all of the spiders in North Carolina?! I know they kill other bugs and blah blah blah, but they’re so creepy & crawly.)
I was also surprised to learn that the plastic liner in the storage drawer could be removed. Who knew?! Vacuum under the oven and in the storage drawer.
4. Open the window(s) to allow for adequate ventilation. Set the self-cleaning timer. The manual for my oven suggested anywhere from 2.5 hours to 4.5 hours. I went with 2.75 hours and crossed my fingers that would do it.
5. Tackle the oven racks during the cleaning cycle. Partly because they don’t really fit in my sink and mainly because I didn’t want to dirty my shiny sink, I used the storage drawer liner as a tub for cleaning the racks. I used steel wool soap pads to scrub the cooked-on food.
Rinse the racks and set them out to dry.
6. Drain the drawer liner and wipe it clean with vinegar & water solution. Rinse and dry.
7. When the cleaning cycle is over, wait for the oven to cool.
Then, using a clean cloth soaked in vinegar-water, wipe the ash from the floor and walls of the oven and interior of the door. I was surprised how easily this came off.
8. Wipe down the front of the door and drawer with the vinegar-water solution. Use the lemon-baking soda paste on the handle, if necessary.
9. Enjoy your clean oven. Keep it that way by switching to a raw diet.
OVEN AFTER:
Still a few spots, but all-in-all, MUCH better:
Length of Time Spent on this Project (excluding the self-cleaning cycle):
I anticipated more smoke and stench than actually occurred. In fact, because past dinnertime smoke disasters have stressed him out, I relocated the hound to the bf’s for this project. I’m pretty sure he would’ve been fine.
Like the microwave project, it was a little unnerving to be INSIDE the appliance cleaning it.
Avoiding the gasket as I scrubbed the frame wasn’t all that easy. And it got a little dirty in the process.
The racks are not 100% spot-free, but I grew bored with that part of the project after about 10 Tobes’ Tunes. They definitely look better, but not brand new. I think soaking them first would have made a difference. I also found this suggestion to soak them in the bathtub overnight. Heh. Maybe next time.
It’s also worth noting that the label on the soap pads indicates they are made of biodegradable ingredients.
How does your oven look? Do you use the self-cleaning feature? Have you ever removed your storage drawer? And what do you store in there?
How to Clean your Dishwasher with Lemon & Baking Soda:
1. Check the drain in the floor of the dishwasher. Remove any food or other debris there. (Gloves or alternative ways to protect your fingers from the slimey goodness is recommended.)
2. Using a paste of lemon juice and baking soda (also used on the glass-top stove), scrub the interior frame of dishwasher and its door. Pay close attention to the rubber gaskets where some build-up may have collected. Rinse with a wet cloth or sponge.
2.a) Keep a certain hound dog with an interest in the lemon-scented cleaner away from the bowl.
3. Once the interior frames are clean, tackle the controls and handle on the outside. I hadn’t realized how grimy the top of the door had become. But I was pleasantly surprised at how easily it came off with a little scrubbing. Rinse with a wet cloth or sponge.
4. Wipe down the face of the appliance. Have you ever peeked at the space between the base plate and the bottom of the door? Do that. Then, quickly wipe it clean before you get too grossed out—especially if you live with a one-foot, two-inch tall hound dog.
5. Although my dishwasher didn’t have a stench, I decided to give it a vinegar bath. Start with a dishwasher-safe glass of distilled white vinegar on the top rack.
6. Run the otherwise empty dishwasher through a regular cycle—without detergent.
7. Admire your work!
DISHWASHER AFTER:
Interior frames:
Door controls:
Door top so clean it deserves two photos:
The part of the appliance you can’t see while standing up (but now it’s clean!):
Length of Time Spent on this Project (excluding the vinegar bath cycle):
It seems a little silly to wash the dishwasher, but let’s be clear: mine needed it. (even though I didn’t necessarily notice)
I am LOVING how clean and white the top of the door is now. I’m considering requiring anyone who loads/unloads the appliance to wear gloves. Too much?
It’s not easy keeping the pooch with a sense of smell second only to a bloodhound away from lemon-scented cleaners at his nose-level. Wonder if there’s a way to make this work in my favor??
How about your dishwasher? Is it white? Or intended to be? Do you ever clean its basin? What about the top of the base plate?
Up next the Order Up Organizing kitchen deep cleaning challenge was the kitchen sink. Mine happens to be stainless steel and in its before state was not-so-shiny.
STAINLESS STEEL KITCHEN SINK BEFORE:
Cleaning tools:
How to Clean your Stainless Steel Sink with Dish Soap, Lemon & Baking Soda:
1. Using dish soap, fill each basin with warm soapy water.
2. Let the water soak for a Tobes tune or two. I timed this well and scrubbed my stove-top while I waited.
3. Drain the basins. Sprinkle them with baking soda.
4. Use a scrub brush to remove any build-up in the sink basins. I paid close attention to the rims of the drains and was surprised at how gunky they were. (yes, gunky)
5. Wipe down the faucet, sprayer and rims of the sink with a cloth (and break the scrub brush back out if needed).
6. Rinse entire sink with warm water.
7. To further disinfect, wipe down the sink with lemon juice.
As was the case with the stove-top, I didn’t have a lot of baking soda. I would use more next time, so I wouldn’t need to scrub so much. In theory, at least.
I’m becoming slightly obsessed with using a lemon half as sponge/scrub brush.
I love the less cluttered appearance of the AFTER picture without the drain stoppers (is that what they’re called?) and dish brush. So until I get a set of these installed, I’ve relocated those items to a basket underneath the sink. (Bonus tip: the dishwasher does a fantastic job cleaning those drain plugs (is that what they’re called?). The stainless steel one, like the sink, has never been shinier.)
As I was cleaning the sink, I found myself a bit unimpressed with the difference. But I will say that the final results were quite noticeable. In addition to relocating the clutter, I’ve especially enjoyed the streak-free faucet. This may be one project I maintain.
How does your sink look? Is it stainless steel? Are you familiar with The Fly Lady’s advice to always make sure your sink is clean? (Side note: my friend Julie interviewed The Fly Lady recently on her Reawaken your Brilliance show. Have you watched?)
For the next project in the Order Up Organizing kitchen deep cleaning challenge, it was time to take on the burnt on mess on my glass stove top. (It’s worth noting that a glass top electric range would not be my first choice, but it works well for my needs (& budget) right now.)
If you have a glass-top range, you may be familiar with the cleaners/polishers/scrapers that are available specifically for taking care of these messes. I don’t have a scraper and decided to try all-natural alternatives to the other cleaners.
GLASS-TOP RANGE BEFORE:
Note the crumbs from lunch prep earlier in the day.
Cleaning tools:
How to Clean your Glass-Top Range with Lemon & Baking Soda:
1. Wipe, brush or vacuum away crumbs from the stove top. I used the brush attachment on my vacuum.
2. Mix the juice of half of a lemon (or juice from concentrate) with baking soda to form a paste. Enjoy the resulting grade school-esque science experiment foaming action.
3. Apply paste to the stains on the range and let sit. I let mine soak through two Tobes tunes as I tackled the controls and dials on the back of the stove.
4. Use a cloth dipped in a mixture of lemon juice and water, wipe down the controls. Remove the dials to clean thoroughly behind them.
5. Scrub the paste into the stains with a scrub brush or sponge. Alternatively, you could use the lemon half.
6. Rinse with warm water and dry with clean cloth.
I was running low on baking soda (& planned to use some on the next project too), so I used it sparingly. Next time, I’ll use more—I need more abrasive to get all of the stains.
There are still a couple of spots that could use a little more elbow grease (and probably baking soda), but overall, I’m very pleased with how it turned out. “Not a total Betty, but a vast improvement.” <—Name that movie.
Tell me about your range. Electric? Gas? Clean? Stained? Do you clean it regularly? I’d love to hear.
It turned out to be the perfect time to deep clean since they were both pretty bare because:
I had just returned from the Thanksgiving trip and had used or tossed anything perishable before I left.
They’re rarely packed anyway thanks to weekly meal planning and dinnertime responsibilities being split between my house and the BF’s.
REFRIGERATOR BEFORE:
FREEZER BEFORE:
How to Clean Refrigerator & Freezer with Dish Soap:
1. Evaluate the contents of your fridge & freezer and toss anything that is past its prime or unidentifiable. Pay close attention to those condiments whose expiration dates seem to change over time—because seriously, why else would there be anything in there that expired in 2009?!?
2. Decide whether you’ll leave the shelves in the appliance or take them out to clean them. I opted to take the shelves out—and boy am I glad I did. Otherwise I would have missed out on the dog hair collecting in the sticky mess below the bottom ones. (So sorry to have forgotten to document that with a picture.)
3. Remove the contents of the shelves/drawers and work quickly. You’re in the Temperature Danger Zone now. (This project could easily be tackled one shelf at a time over a week or so.)
4. Wipe, brush or vacuum out all of the crumbs. I used a vacuum.
5. Use warm soapy water and a cloth to wipe down the shelves, drawers and insides of the appliance.
6. Rinse, dry and replace the shelves and drawers.
7. Don’t forget to wipe down the gaskets, handles, doors and the top of the appliance. The top of mine had seen better days, so it took a Tobes Tune or two to tackle.
8. As you return the contents to the fridge and freezer, establish zones so nothing gets lost in the mix. Some to consider: snacks, lunches, beverages, leftovers.
9. Enjoy the clean environment and begin scheduling regular Quick Scan & Toss sessions.
I’m glad I didn’t have a lot of food in my fridge when I did this. Exposing the perishables to room temperature might have made my head explode a bit. Now that it’s been deep cleaned, this may be a project I tackle one shelf at a time in the future. maybe.
Using the brush attachment on the crumbs in the stickiness (??) in the bottom of the fridge created another project I hadn’t anticipated: washing the brush attachment. See? Cleaning is a vicious cycle. Maybe that’s why I put it off?
How frequently do you scrub down your fridge? Do you consider the safety of the food as you do?
For the first project in the Order Up Organizing kitchen deep cleaning challenge, I tackled the microwave. It seems as though the owner of this particular appliance either has not used it in a long while or has chosen to overlook the gunk inside as she uses it to heat her cup of tea every morning.
ahem.
MICROWAVE BEFORE: (The identity of the appliance in question has been hidden to protect the innocent.)
Inside:
The door:
Here’s the crazy (lazy?) part: cleaning the microwave is not difficult. And I imagine that if it is done on a regular basis, it’s not all that time consuming.
Cleaning tools:
How to Clean your Microwave with a Lemon:
1. Slice a lemon in half lengthwise. Place the halves cut-side-down in a microwave-safe bowl of about one-cup of water.
2. Place bowl in said microwave and heat on high for three minutes. The steam from the lemon water will loosen any stuck-on food or other gunkiness.
3. With a gloved hand (particularly important if you have a paper cut on your finger—trust me on this one), use a cloth or sponge soaked in the warm lemon water to rub and/or wipe away the mess. Alternatively, you can use the lemon half as a scrub brush.
4. If there is a turntable, remove it to clean thoroughly underneath. It can be wiped down with the lemon water, hand washed with dish soap in the sink, or even washed in the dishwasher.
5. Wipe the inside of the microwave dry with a clean cloth. Replace the turntable.
6. Use the lemon water and cloth or sponge to clean the outside of the microwave. Mine … er, I mean this microwave had some build-up on the front and underside, so it required a bit more elbow grease. I’m sure this is common with microwaves mounted above stoves. right??
7. Enjoy the shiny view! And vow to clean it more regularly.
The steam + lemon worked wonders. It didn’t require a whole lot of scrubbing.
I will admit that it seemed a bit risky to be inside an electronic appliance like that with water. (Maybe that’s what has kept me from doing it more frequently?)
The project took longer than I thought it would. The underside and upper vents took a bit more effort than the inside. I even had to break out a trusty ol’ toothbrush.
The lemon was no match for the fingerprints on the number pads. I ended up using a Clorox wipe on those.
All in all, it wasn’t too painful. It’s still certainly not my idea of a fun way to spend an evening, but I have hope that doing it on a regular basis will take less time and effort.
How about you? Is the microwave on your regular cleaning schedule? Do you have any tips for me?
I have a confession. And it may come as surprise to you. I do not like to deep clean. In fact, I avoid it as much and for as long as I can.
Whew. It feels good to get that out there.
As I’m sure you’ve figured out (you’re smart), I like to organize: to sort like with like, purge clutter and create efficient systems—those fun projects that end up making life easier. To me, deep cleaning does not fall under that umbrella.
You may be thinking, “Wait. What about your obsession with focus on food safety?” That’s a good question. (I knew you were smart.) My fascination with food safety keeps dishes, utensils, and hands that touch the foods squeaky clean and sanitized, but the attention to detail stops there. Weird, I know.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t live in filth. To prove it, here is a photo of my kitchen right now.
I clean up after meal prep, wipe spills and consistently put dirty dishes in the dishwasher. It’s the little things that add up over time like crumbs from the toaster, gunk in the microwave and that pesky dog hair that seems to multiply and distribute itself into every nook and cranny. I tend to overlook those things until one of two things happen: either I get overcome with an urge to open the windows and scrub my home (usually the first warm day after winter) or (more likely) I invite company over. And then I tackle the most obvious problem and tend to putter out before the rest of the room is spotless.
I, like you, am not dumb, so I recognize that just as it is with organizing projects, regular maintenance is the key to success with cleaning ones—even if they’re not nearly as fun. So, I’m on the lookout for simple, quick and efficient methods for deep cleaning each area of the kitchen. Over the next several weeks, I’m going to be deep cleaning every inch of my kitchen—one project at a time—and documenting it here.
Here’s the plan:
I’ll be researching methods for completing each task. My focus will be on:
Natural/non-chemical-y cleaning products (think vinegar or lemon juice)
Inexpensive cleaning tools
Doable time-frames (which may require breaking tasks into manageable chunks)
The posts will include how I cleaned the area, how effective the method is, how long it took (in Tobes’ Tunes*), and my thoughts on the process.
I’d love to hear from you during this challenge. Please feel free to share your tips and thoughts. Hopefully we can all learn something new along the way.
How do you feel about cleaning? Do you love the smell of cleaners and the sight of shiny appliances? Or can you overlook crumbs and stains?
* I’ve found that music can help to make the most mundane tasks more tolerable. So perhaps my favorite music could make cleaning, dare I say, fun!? I’m willing to give it a try, so my cleaning soundtrack will be provided by Toby Keith. Sure, the dancing and singing may add a minute or two to the project time, but that’s a risk I’m willing to take. Wish me luck!
