It’s time again for the regular spring cleaning. Here are six easy steps to give your kitchen a fresh look. For the best cleaning techniques for your dishwasher and oven, please refer to their manuals. Be sure to look up the best cleaning solutions for the different materials in your kitchen such as granite, glass, metal, etc.
1. Vertical Surfaces
Going from top to bottom, clean all the vertical surfaces in your kitchen. This includes the walls, curtains, cabinet fronts & sides, backsplash, and large appliance fronts such as the oven. Use a clean, damp cloth for cabinets and drawers. For any soiled or greasy spots, use suds from a dishwashing liquid to clean and then wipe down with a damp cloth. Regular spray cleaners are fine to use on most appliances. You can also tackle the knobs and pulls, light switches, trim, molding, baseboards, and toe kicks at this stage.
2. Inside Cabinets & Drawers
Remove all your dishes, silverware, and dry goods before wiping inside the cabinets and drawers with a clean, damp cloth. Use suds from a dishwashing liquid to clean any soiled or greasy spots, and then wipe down with a damp cloth. This is a good opportunity to reorganize your pantry if you want to and remove any expired goods. Once all the cabinets and drawers are dry, return items to their appropriate storage spots.
3. Horizontal Surfaces
Remove all small appliances from the countertop, and then clean the entire countertop, cupboard tops, sink, and tops of your stove and fridge. You can expect to see a buildup of grime under appliances and sections near the sink and stove. Be sure to use the best cleaning solution for the material of your countertop so you don’t damage the surface. Clean the tops of your stove and fridge with any regular cleaner.
4. Appliances
Wipe down the smaller appliances like your toaster. Next, clean inside the microwave, dishwasher, fridge, freezer, and oven. The easiest way to clean the microwave is to put a bowl of water inside, turn on the microwave to evaporate some of the water, and then wipe down the now damp grime inside the microwave. A regular cleaner works for the fridge and freezer, and you should throw out any expired or spoiled goods.
5. Furniture
Completely wipe down any tables, chairs, and stools in your kitchen with a clean, damp cloth. This includes the sides and underneath. You’ll be surprised how dusty those spots can be. If there are any grimy spots, use a cleaner that’s best for the material of your furniture. Also clean out the trash bin with a regular cleaner.
6. Floors
Sweep or vacuum the entire floor space to get rid of most of the dust and dirty pieces that fell while cleaning the rest of the kitchen. Then mop for the final deep clean. If you’re able, pull out the fridge and clean the floor behind there too.
It can take a few hours to do this level of deep cleaning. If you don’t have that kind of time, spread out the tasks over several days or a couple of weeks. This will make the job less stressful. Before you know it, your kitchen will look sparkling new again.