How to Clean Your Kitchen

Would you like to learn how to clean your kitchen effectively? If there's any room in your house that needs to be kept clean for health as well as aesthetic reasons, it's your kitchen. You don't want to invite bacteria or any unwanted visitors into the place where you store and prepare your food. Kitchens can be tough to clean because there are dozens of cracks and crevices for grime to hide in and heavy appliances to move, but keeping your kitchen spotless is essential.http://ohmyapt.apartmentratings.com/apartment-cleaning.html

If you've waited too long between cleanings, the task of getting your kitchen spic-and-span may seem like a daunting one, but remember that it's only going to get worse. Before you start cleaning, make sure that you have all the supplies you will need, set aside a sufficient amount of time, and get to work - it likely won't take as long or be as grueling as you may have expected. Once you're finished, you'll likely feel much better about it and be less hesitant to invite your family and friends over.

You'll need a complete arsenal of cleaning products to get the job done, and don't think one bottle of 409 will cover it. Different surfaces require different cleaning products. The following is a checklist of the essentials:

Cleaners:

1. A bottle of all-purpose cleaner, like 409
   • You can make things even easier on yourself by purchasing pre-soaked disposable cleaning wipes or Mr. Clean's Magic Erasers. They're convenient, but more wasteful than using a bottled cleaner and washable rag.
2. Oven cleaner
3. Dish soap
4. Dishwasher detergent (if you have a dishwasher)

Cleaning tools:

1. A feather duster or dusting cloths
2. A broom and dustpan
3. A mop and bucket
4. Plenty of sponges, rags and/or paper towels, depending on your preference and what you have available
5. Rubber gloves
6. Garbage bagshttp://housekeeping.about.com/od/cleaning101/a/basicsupplies.htm

• Bust out the rubber gloves, and put on some kitchen-cleaning music. It's time to scrub that floor 'til you can eat off it. Well, you don't actually have to eat off it, but staying motivated with some upbeat tunes isn't a bad idea.

(Creative Commons photo by Anna and Andy)

1. Remove any large pieces of trash from the counter tops and the floor. Gather anything that doesn't belong in the kitchen and put it back where it belongs.
2. Scrape any food off of dirty dishes into the disposal or trash. Let dishes with caked-on food soak in hot soapy water.http://housekeeping.about.com/cs/15minutecleanups/ht/15minkitchen.htm
3. While the dishes are soaking, go through the cupboards and throw away anything that is expired or has gone unused for a year or more.
4. Return to the dishes. Finish hand-washing them or load them in the dishwasher.
5. Wash the walls and ceiling. Wipe down any vents, switch plates and the wall behind your stove.http://ohmyapt.apartmentratings.com/apartment-cleaning.html
6. Clean any artwork on the walls. Don't use water or liquid cleaners. Wipe with a dry, clean cloth.
7. Clean any draperies or ceiling fans. Take a sponge and soapy water to any windowsills or frames.
8. Apply oven cleaner to the oven. You may have a self-cleaning oven. You may need to use an oven cleaner. Either way, follow the directions carefully and observe any recommended safety precautions.
9. While the oven cleaner is working, clean our your fridge. Start by dumping any food that is old, will go uneaten or has been sitting on the shelf for more than 3 months. After you've dumped the excess, wipe down the fridge's surfaces. Take out the crisper drawers and rinse them in the sink.http://ohmyapt.apartmentratings.com/apartment-cleaning.html
10. Finish cleaning your oven. Wipe the inside, stove top and knobs. Depending on the type of stove you have, you may be able to remove the spill catchers underneath the burners for cleaning.
11. Wipe down your smaller appliances—the blender, toaster, microwave, and the like.
12. Clean out the kitchen cabinets. Take everything out. Toss whatever you don't use on a regular basis. Reline the cabinets with contact paper if you need to. Otherwise, wipe them down. Put what's staying back in the cabinets.
13. Repeat this process for your drawers. Remove their contents. Dump anything you don't use. Wipe them down. Put what's staying back in the drawers.
14. Wash down the sink and counter tops.
15. Sweep and mop the floors. If possible, pull the fridge and stove away from the wall slightly to get dust and debris trapped underneath and behind the appliances.http://housekeeping.about.com/cs/15minutecleanups/ht/15minkitchen.htm

• Now that you've got your kitchen in tip-top shape, you'll want to keep it that way. Take a couple of minutes everyday to do the following quick clean-ups, and you'll never have to confront a sink full of dirty dishes again:

1. Take a minute to wipe down the stove top, counters and sink.
2. Give the floor a quick sweep.
3. Wash your dishes as soon as you finish your meal.http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/how-to-speed-clean-your-kitchen-10000001086310/index.html?cnnspclean