It’s that time of year — spring cleaning! Doing a deep clean of your kitchen is important for so many reasons. It’ll stop you from eating expired food and make room for more groceries. And you’ll be more inclined to cook at home when your kitchen is sparkling. So follow these six steps to spring clean the most important room of the house.
1. Wipe down the cupboards & counters
We’re starting off simple. Give your cupboards and counters a thorough wipedown (yes, that means taking the stuff out of the cupboards before starting). Soapy water or disinfectant wipes work well for this task.
2. Empty & restock the pantry
Take a bet right now: how many products in your pantry are expired right now? Toss them out! This is also the perfect chance to stock up on anything you’re low on. Pantry staples like flour, sugar, rice, canned beans, dried pasta, jarred pasta sauce, and rolled oats are important to have on hand. They will help you create meals and prevent you from eating takeout all the time.
3. Clean out the fridge & freezer
Similar to your pantry, there’s probably some old stuff taking up room in your refrigerator and freezer. Throw away anything that’s been hanging out in your freezer for over a year, and check everything in your fridge for expiration dates, mold, and funky smells. Next, give both the fridge and freezer thorough cleaning with disinfectant wipes or a mixture of vinegar and water.
4. Scrub the garbage cans & recycling bins
Did you know that garbage cans are THE dirtiest place, not just in your kitchen but in your entire house? Yikes! Give those cans and bins a deep cleaning by spritzing them with an all-purpose cleaner, letting them sit for a bit, and then rinsing them out with a hose in the yard or in the shower.
5. Wash the appliances
When was the last time you wiped down the outside of your coffeemaker? How about the inside of your oven? Now’s the time! For smaller appliances, like the toaster, coffeemaker, and blender, take a cloth that’s slightly damp with water and an all-purpose cleaner and wipe down the outside. For the microwave, try heating a mixture of water and white vinegar for five minutes to soften the baked-on food bits, and then scrub with a rag or sponge. The oven is a bigger chore; buy a heavy-duty oven cleaning spray and sturdy sponge, or try leaving a paste made of baking soda all over the interior of the oven overnight. Either way, use gloves to protect your skin.
6. Polish the floors
Last, but not least: the floors! Start with sweeping, then move on to mopping. Make sure to really get in between the tiles and along the baseboards. Finally, finish up your cleaning project with floor polish. Make sure to get the right type of polish for your floor material (hardwood will require a different polish than vinyl floors, and so on).
There you have it! Six steps to a sparkling kitchen. You can find cleaning supplies (as well as great deals on pantry essentials and other food) at our stores. Stop on by!
