How to Deep Clean Your Kitchen For Christmas


0
How to Deep Clean Your Kitchen For Christmas

The holidays are a time for family, friends, and food. But all of that fun can quickly turn into a mess if your kitchen isn’t clean. Follow these tips to deep clean your kitchen before Christmas and avoid scrubbing toasters at the last minute.

Clean the walls

The first thing I do is to dust and wipe down the walls in my kitchen. Try to clean all grease, grime and spilt food from the walls in your kitchen. It’s the perfect time to remove all cobwebs and dust down corners and trims.

Once I clean the walls, I proceed to clean all items hanging on them.

This includes:

  • Air vents
  • Window frames
  • Window sills
  • Doors
  • Doorknobs
  • Switchplates
  • Light fixtures
  • Decorations
  • Paintings and posters

If you store any items on the top of your kitchen cabinets as I, unfortunately, love to do, take everything down and scrub them well, as those items tend to accumulate a lot of dust and grease which sometimes stuck tightly to them. Fill the sink with hot water and place all items in it. The hot water and dishwashing soap will loosen the dirt in no time.

Before taking down any light fixture, make sure that you switch off the light. Gently wash the fixture and dry it with a towel. It’s very important to ensure that the fixture is completely dry before replacing it.

Clean Inside of Drawers and Cabinets

Take all items out of the cabinets and drawers. My advice is to throw all items you haven’t used for more than 1 year and a half. Don’t hesitate to clean out expired items. Wipe down the shelves and reorganize all items.

It’s also a good idea to use that opportunity and switch to sustainable storing containers from materials such as glass, metal, bamboo and sugarcane. Opt for square-shaped containers since they fit better into your drawers and cabinets. They are also easier to stack and label.

Clean Kitchen Appliances

Microwave

  1. Wipeout any loose crumbs from the interior;
  2. Fill a cup with 4-5 tablespoons baking soda or one-half lemon juice and water;
  3. Place the cup inside the microwave;
  4. Turn it on its highest temperature for 2-3 minutes;
  5. When time is up, wait for a few minutes until the cup is cool enough and take it out;
  6. Wipe the microwave interior with a damp cloth;

If there is any stubborn stain left, damp your rag with white vinegar or sprinkle some baking soda and gently scrub away the stain. To clean the exterior of the microwave use only warm, soapy water and a soft cloth.

Refrigerator

Even if cleaning the refrigerator is not on the list of your top favourite chores, try to do it once every 2-3 weeks.

  1. To start turn off the refrigerator and take everything out of it;
  2. Throw out all expired food and remove the refrigerator shelves and drawers.
  3. Wash them and let them completely dry before placing them back.
  4. Wipe down the interior of the refrigerator with soapy water and a sponge.
  5. If you’re strong enough, pull your refrigerator out and wipe it behind and under.
  6. Once you’ve cleaned the refrigerator, place the shelves and drawers, and food back.

One of my favourite tricks – put an open box of baking soda inside. Baking soda is one of the most efficient natural deodorisers, so it will absorb any odour.

Dishwasher

If you’re lucky enough to own one of these lovely machines, then all you need to do is to run an empty washing circle with vinegar. If you want to deeply clean your dishwasher then read How to Clean Your Dishwasher Properly.

Clean Small Appliances

Make sure that all appliances are unplugged before cleaning them.

Toaster

To clean your toaster, begin with cleaning out crumbs and wiping down its interior and exterior. Ensure that you remove racks, gently wash them with warm, soapy water.

Coffee Maker

When it comes to cleaning the coffee machine, I always prefer to use vinegar. Pour equal parts of water and white vinegar into the tank, then run the machine. Before making a hot cup of coffee, make sure that you run two or three cycles with fresh water. Thus, you can be sure that there will be no vinegar left.

Kettle

The best way to clean a kettle is with white vinegar because of its acidic nature and descaling properties. It’s quite easy, as well. You only have to mix equal parts of water and vinegar, boil the solution in the kettle and leave it for around 15 minutes after it’s done. After that, get an old toothbrush and scrub the interior, removing all the limescale, especially the one accumulated in the edges. Make sure to rinse it with clean water at least twice before leaving it to dry.

You can apply this method with different cleaning combinations such as:

  • Baking soda and water – 1tsp with 500ml. Another technique with baking soda includes making a thick paste and using it to scrub the dirt and limescale off.
  • Lemon juice and water – 1 lemon and 500ml water.

Clean the Sink

To serve you well, the kitchen sink drain should be free of clogs and odours coming up from the sewer. The best way to eliminate odours from the kitchen sink drain is to keep your plumbing in proper working condition and reduce the amount of food waste entering the drain. Here’s how to achieve it:

  • Food leftovers are the number one reason for the bad kitchen odours, so scrape them into your bin before giving the plates a thorough rinse. Once passed through the plughole, food leftovers may sit in the U-bend, where the bacteria will cause decays and stinky smells.
  • Proper care of a kitchen drain means no grease, oils, and fats in the sink. To keep your sink drain running freely, don’t be tempted to run water over grease or oily utensils, no matter if it is hot or cold. Ideally, wipe them out with a paper towel to prevent residual build-up on the pipes. Then, throw it in the trash.
  • Being careful about what goes down the drain is a virtue. But sometimes falling rises, grains, and food leftovers are inevitable. To avoid massive balls of flowing trash and some sort of drainage failure, a little DIY know-how can do the trick. The simplest thing that can soften and dissolve the residual is to pour a cup of “boiling water + baking soda + vinegar” mixture at least once a week. If the precautionary household mixture doesn’t work, repairs often require a specialized plumber’s help.
  • If unpleasant odours are coming out of a sink, which is not slowly draining, the reason could be either the age of the pipes or a minor organic build-up. Your best bet is to place the stopper plug and fill the sink with hot water (below the boiling temperature). Scrub the surface with dish soap by using a brush or sponge until you find that there are no grimy deposits. Next, remove the plug, let the water go through the drain, and pour more water. You see, domestic maintenance tricks can be really straightforward. For the health of your PVC pipes, do not pour boiling water down the drain. 

Sweep and Mop the Floor

Last, but not least, I clean the kitchen floor. Sweep it to remove any large residue, then mop clean.

Although I prefer to deeply clean my kitchen by myself, if you don’t have enough time to do it before Christmas, then you’d better call professionals.

Once you’ve finished deeply cleaning your kitchen, it’s time to have a glass with nice white or red wine and have a break.

Conclusion

Deeply cleaning your kitchen is a commitment that many people find difficult to do before the holidays. This year, take some time before Christmas Eve morning and deep clean everything from top to bottom. It’s even better if you turn it into a family activity. Think of some cleaning Christmas games, put on some festive music and bring your children and partner into the mix. And if you’re alone, invite some friends over!