Your Spring Cleaning Tips and Hacks

You made it past the hardest part– Week 1(internal link to previous week blog)! Getting started is always the hardest part of any task, more or less spring cleaning. Week 2 is the time to start deep diving into the areas of your home that are often neglected throughout the year. Life can be busy and we don’t have time to take care of every little spot around the house all year long. 

Building off the foundation you laid during the first week, Week 2 of our spring cleaning guide consists of tackling the kitchen and getting one of the messiest areas of the home looking spik and span. 

Dusting & Vacuuming

The best place to start is with dusting and vacuuming the kitchen. This includes dusting all the areas of the kitchen that are out of sight like on top of the refrigerator and other appliances. 

Additionally, sweeping and vacuuming the kitchen floor is essential to pick up all the crumbs and dirt that are kicked under cabinets and appliances throughout the year. 

Spring Cleaning Hack: Go the extra mile and pull the refrigerator out and vacuum all the dust built up on the coils. This will help the refrigerator continue to run more smoothly without having to work harder to produce the energy it needs.

Deep Cleaning the Refrigerator

When was the last time you cleaned out the refrigerator? 

It’s all too common to leave random bottles of sauces sitting in the back of the fridge, never to be used again. As the year rolls along, life can get busy and clearing out the fridge never seems to be a consideration, except for now during your spring cleaning spree. 

The best approach is to take every item out of the fridge, leaving the fridge completely empty. As you pull each item out, take note if you want to keep it or toss it, especially if you’ll never use it again or it’s past the printed expiration date. 

After emptying the fridge, take a clean rag, wipe down all the shelves and walls. If the fridge has drawers then take them out and give them a deep cleaning too.

Once the fridge is wiped and clean, return all the items, and then repeat this process for the freezer. After both the fridge and freezer are clean, take some time to wipe down the outside of the refrigerator. 

Spring Cleaning Hack: Place a deodorizer in the fridge to get rid of odors and harbor mold. 

Cleaning Out Cabinets

This next step might take a while, but will pay dividends when you’re done. 

How often do you place items in a cabinet only for them to never see the sun ever again? We tend to pick up new items throughout the year, but never make space for this growing collection. Take some time to clear out all the items from your kitchen cabinets and decide if you’ll keep them, put them in storage, or get rid of them.

Sometimes we inherit items like a family dish set that have deep meaning to us, but they never get used and instead they collect dust. A storage unit allows us to keep these precious items in our lives without taking up room for dish sets that you will use more often.

Be sure to wipe down the inside of the cabinet as you pull out and go through all the dishware. You’ll be amazed at how much dust and grime accumulate on the shelves throughout the year.

Pantry Reset

Much like the refrigerator, the pantry is another frequently neglected area of the kitchen.

We tend to buy more food items than we need and sometimes boxes end up sitting in our pantries for years on end. Additionally, sometimes food falls out of the packing depending how they’re handled as they’re returned. 

This spring, take some time to go through the pantry and get rid of the food items you don’t need and wipe down the shelves. Cleaning up any scattered food scraps will also help keep ants and other pantry pests away, so they don’t infest the entire pantry and contaminate all of your food supply. 

Spring Cleaning Hack: While you’re cleaning out the pantry, inspect, and seal up all cracks and crevices around the inside of the pantry that pests might access. 

Cleaning the Appliances 

We love our appliances, but our appliances don’t love us back when we don’t take care of them. Cleaning your appliances is an integral part of your spring cleaning to ensure they remain healthy and ready to serve us throughout the year. 

Dishwasher

The dishwasher is the single best appliance to save time throughout a busy week. 

However, when it stops working, it can easily turn a fifteen minute task into a headache that takes over an hour to finish. Giving your dishwasher a deep clean during your spring cleaning can help keep it running throughout the year and keeps your dishes clean with every cycle. 

To start, take out all the dish racks and scrub them down with warm water and soap. This will remove all the build up throughout the year which can get on your dishes during clean cycles. 

While the racks are out of the dishwasher, you can remove the components like the spray arms and other removable caps and screens to scrub them down too. 

After you get all of the components wiped down, reassemble the dishwasher and place a cup of white vinegar on the top rack. Run a hot cycle with the cup of vinegar and nothing else inside the dishwasher to finish cleaning! 

Spring Cleaning Hack: Use gloves while cleaning the dishwasher since you’re likely to encounter bacteria build up and old food residue.

Stove Top & Oven

Some of the best chefs in the world tend to make a mess in, and around, the stove top and oven. This isn’t a bad thing, because it means you’re whipping up something great, however, it doesn’t mean you should keep these areas dirty if you can avoid it. 

Starting with the stove top, first ensure all burners are turned off and the surface areas are not hot. Depending on the type of stove top, you might have to lift the face to be able to clean around the coils and surrounding surface. 

Otherwise, wipe down all the cracks and crevices around the stove top and be sure to wipe down the sides and front of the stove. Don’t forget to wipe down the face of the oven and sides of the entire unit, which might require you to pull it out if possible. While the entire oven/stove unit is pulled out, vacuum the ground behind where you might find some old food droppings and dust bunnies.

Many oven cleaner features can self-clean and during the year this option is sufficient enough. However, for spring cleaning we will go the extra mile! 

First, be sure the oven is off and completely cool before beginning. Then remove the racks and clean them, removing any food or grease coated over them. 

Next, combine a mixture of baking soda and water to create a paste that you’ll spread around the inside of the oven. After you let the baking soda paste sit for roughly 15-20 minutes, take a cloth or sponge to scrub the paste and then take a clean, wet cloth and remove the paste cleaner. 

After the inside of the oven is clean, dry the racks completely and then place them back inside the oven. 

Smaller Appliances 

• Air Fryer – Everyone loves their air fryer, but everyone also neglects their air fryer. It’s not only important to clean the cooking rack that the food sits on inside the air fryer, but it’s also important to wipe down the inside area where the entire basket sits during cooking.
• Toaster Oven – Much like convection ovens, toaster ovens tend to accumulate grease and crumbs throughout the inside. A quick wipe down is all that’s needed to ensure your toaster oven stays ready for whatever you throw its way. 
• Microwave – Your microwave is another major time saver that probably gets used weekly, perhaps even daily. Remove the rotating tray and the tracks it uses to spin and wash them separately in the sink. With the tray removed, wipe down all four sides of the microwave and then place the track and tray back in. After the inside is clean, give the outside a quick wipe down and then you’re good to go.

Spring Cleaning Tip: Refer to your user manual for each of your appliances for other manufacturer maintenance tips.

Seal All Plumbing Lines

There are several plumbing lines that’s used in kitchens for the sink and dishwasher mainly. Some kitchens have other plumbing lines for features like a pasta arm that sits above the stove. 

Between fluctuating seasonal temperatures and heavy use throughout the year, the sealant keeping these lines secure can wear down drastically. If they’re not properly sealed then you run the risk of moisture build up under the counter and face plates around these plumbing lines. Hidden moisture and mold is every home’s bane of existence and it’s in you and your home’s best interest to keep these areas sealed and dried to avoid a massive headache. 

Spring Cleaning Tip: If you’re ever unsure how to properly maintain these areas it’s always best to hire a professional plumbing service  

Just like that Week 2 is done! Now your kitchen is ready to tackle another year of great cooking and sharing more memorable moments to come. Next we’ll be working on the bathrooms.