Spring Cleaning – The Heart of the Home

Spring cleaning in the kitchen is probably the hardest task of all. As many call it the heart of the home, it certainly deserves some extra love and care when cleaning time rolls around. Here are some great tips that can help you get your kitchen clean and organized.

Start from the top and work down, to keep from having to clean the same areas over again. If you wipe out the cabinets after scrubbing the countertops, you will probably have to clean the counters again.

If you have areas around the stove that have grease build up, spray them down and let it sit while working on other projects. Next, wipe of the tops of the cabinets and higher shelves next. While you are reaching for “high spaces,” it’s a good time to clean off the top of the refrigerator.

Also, while the stepstool or ladder is out, take down the curtains or blinds and clean them or replace them, if necessary. If you have a ceiling fan in your kitchen, now would be a prime time to clean the dust and polish the metal fixtures.

While your window treatments are out of the way, clean your windows and screens. Make sure to do both the inside and outside, to keep the room feeling bright and cheerful. Leave the windows open once the screens have been replaced, to let some fresh air in and the fumes of the cleaning products out.

Start cleaning the fridge by taking everything out of both the refrigerator and freezer. Throw away expired food, almost empty items, and anything that looks as if it has taken on a life of its own. In the freezer, trash anything that might be past its expiration date or has developed freezer burn. Don’t forget the pantry too -  clean it out.

Tomorrow, I’ll share some short-cuts in the kitchen that will help keep it clean in organized!