Spring has sprung—it’s time to throw open the windows, let in the sunlight, and…get spring cleaning!
Okay, so that’s not the most exciting thing you could do with these beautiful, early spring days, but it certainly is one of the most fulfilling. Spring cleaning can give you and your home a fresh start, a clean slate, and a new perspective for a new season.
You’ve heard before that the kitchen is the heart of your home. So, there’s really no better place to start your spring cleaning. We’ve broken down your kitchen, zone by zone, to help you get your kitchen cleaner, brighter, and spring-readier.
The pantry
Your pantry experiences a lot of comings and goings, along with a lot of taking out, putting back, and reshuffling contents throughout the day. If you don’t have a good system set up, your pantry can quickly become a black hole of potato chip bags and half used bags of flour.
Start by clearing absolutely everything out of the pantry. Wipe down all the shelves to give yourself a clean slate. (If you’re feeling extra ambitious, you could even break out some shelf liner to protect those clean surfaces and give your pantry a little color or pattern.) Throw away anything that’s expired or unwanted, and find a new home for anything that seems out of place in your pantry.
You don’t have to go all out with fancy matching containers to get your pantry truly organized. A couple small baskets or bins will do for holding snack foods, seasoning pouches, or other things that tend to end up without an assigned home.
Organize smartly, making the things you use the most (if you’ve got hungry kiddos, it’s usually the bread and the peanut butter!) in a very accessible spot.
The sink
Your kitchen sink often harbors more bacteria than your toilet1—yuck! Small pieces of food get stuck in the crevices or on the sides of your sink to make it a breeding ground for some really nasty stuff. This spring, get your sink back in tip-top (and sanitary) condition.
Use a small brush (an old toothbrush works) to scrub the crevices in your sink, especially at the base of the faucet and around the drain. To really clean and sanitize your sink, use a food-grade hydrogen peroxide cleaning solution. Or, mix a small amount of bleach with some water, and give the sink a good scrubbing.
Now is also the perfect time to replace your sponges, brushes, and rags. They’re probably dirtier than you think, and replacing them is fairly cheap and easy.
The appliances
Your appliances need love, too. Clean out your fridge and freezer, and wipe down shelves to get them extra clean. Toss any old or expired condiments or other ingredients.
Once again, think about the things you reach for most often and organize in a way that makes those things easily accessible. You should also dust or wipe down the top the fridge, and use a vacuum attachment to vacuum underneath it.
You can use your favorite cleaning solution on your microwave, or, for something more natural, mix a few cups of water with a few tablespoons of vinegar, and heat in the microwave until steamy. This should dissolve any gunk on your microwave walls, making it easy to wipe clean with a cloth or paper towel.
Vinegar can also work wonders in your dishwasher. Fill a small dish with a cup or two of vinegar, place it on the top rack, and then run the machine without any other dishes in it. The vinegar will loosen any stuck-on foods, leaving the walls easy to wipe, as well as sanitized.
Finally, take this opportunity to clean your stove and oven. This might require a little more effort on your part, but the results will be worth it! The products and methods you use will depend largely on what type of appliance you have, so make sure you read your owner’s manual (or do a quick Internet search) before starting those tough jobs!
With these three kitchen zones under control, you’re well on your way to a spring-ready kitchen. Happy cleaning!
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