Your Kitchen Spring Cleaning Guide
12Apr '19
It’s that time of year! You either can’t wait for it or you dread its arrival. It’s time for a spring clean! Don’t get held down by the amount of work that goes into the task at hand. Follow our guide on how to tackle the big spring clean in your kitchen.
Break Down Your List of Tasks
Thinking of the massive task ahead of is, of course, quite daunting. Yet a spring clean is like any other obstacle or piece of work. Make things easier and much more manageable by breaking everything down into lists.
Don’t make one massive list of everything you need to do. Every time you look at a list like that, you’ll be put off your work by the thought of how much there is to do. Instead, why not make one list per room and then divide that list into tasks.
The kitchen is one of the most important rooms when it comes to your spring clean. This room isn’t just about being neat and tidy, it’s all about hygiene.
If your kitchen is dirty and you allow bacteria to fester, you run a high risk of making your family and yourself ill. Tackle each section of your kitchen with thorough attention to detail and leave no surface unwiped!
Sink and Dishwasher
Have you got a strange smell coming from your kitchen sink? An odd aroma lingering on your dishes when they have just come out of your dishwasher? These are the places where food waste is most likely to accumulate and release harmful bacteria.
When it comes to your sink, plug and drain, bleach is often the go-to product for a deep clean like this. However, you can also use more natural products if you would prefer. A combination of vinegar, bicarbonate of soda and lemon is reputed to do the trick.
To give your dishwasher a good clean, remove the filter and give it a rinse with some washing up liquid, making sure that any bits of food waste are gone for good. Once you have cleaned the filter, run your dishwasher on an empty, hot cycle with some baking powder scattered.
Cooker/Hob
Remove the grates from your hob and set them aside in the sink. Wash these with some soapy water or, if there is a lot of dirt built up, cover them in a ‘miracle paste’ (one part vinegar, two parts baking soda and a couple of drops of dish soap).
For the stovetop, wipe away any debris with a damp cloth then clean it in a similar way to the stove grates. Again, if there is more dirt built up, use the ‘miracle paste’.
Microwave
Fed up of sauces spattering in your microwave? Don’t worry, it’s easy to clean! Simply fill a microwaveable bowl with water and either a few slices of lemon or a bit of vinegar. Microwave it for five minutes on high - or until the solution is boiling - then let it sit so the microwave is filled with steam.
After a few minutes, open it up and wipe each wall and ceiling of the microwave. The heat and steam should make it easy to lift away the dirt while the lemons/vinegar deodorise any bad smells!
Fridge
Spring is the perfect time to clear out any expired foods you may have been hoarding for the past few weeks (or even months)! Go through your fridge, cupboards and spice rack to make sure every single item of food is in date and ready to be used.
Why not have a full purge of the fridge. Remove everything and clean and disinfect every surface of the fridge so that everything can go back fresh, organised and ready to be used!
Oven
This is probably one of the most tedious tasks for many people, even one that is intentionally ignored. However, according to Good Housekeeping, “with the right tools, cleaning the oven can be effortless!”.
Products like Oven Pride are popular for a task like this but it’s important to make sure the room is well ventilated and that you have rubber gloves on as this product is incredibly strong. If you have a stainless steel oven or an AGA then it is not suitable for you.
As an alternative, you can scrape away the grease and cooked-on food with a metal spatula and cover the rest in that miracle paste. Let it soak for a while and then wipe away the dirt.
If this isn’t something you want to do, or if you find that everything you have tried isn’t working, save yourself the effort and hire someone to do it. These will be professionals with plenty of experience and they’ll know exactly what it takes to make your oven pristine again!
Make Time for Your Spring Clean
While your spring clean may be tedious to start with, it’s well worth it. Not only does it improve the overall hygiene of your home and for your family and guests, but it can also make you feel much better afterwards too. It will be like walking into a brand new kitchen all over again!
Given your kitchen a thorough spring clean but still not 100% satisfied with its appearance, design or functionality? Maybe it’s time you invested in a new kitchen. Take a look at the Kbsa approved retailers near you!