Here is the link to my homemade cleaners and disinfectants.

Does your kitchen need a Big-Time Decluttering? Here is a link for some great tips to declutter your kitchen.

Here’s how to keep your kitchen clean Daily!

My friend Karen from This Mainer Mom has a very helpful video about decluttering and organizing your small pantry. You can subscribe to her Youtube channel while you’re there!

Remember that these are ideas to help you, not necessarily a list of things that you must do to clean your kitchen. All kitchens are alike in a few ways but we each know what our own kitchens need and don’t need.

First
* Take out trash.
* Pick up countertops
* Take everything out of the kitchen that doesn’t go in the kitchen.
* Take down curtains – wash if possible.
* Take up rugs – wash if needed.

The kitchen can become a catch-all if you’re not careful. If your family has a habit of depositing things in the kitchen, and you’re OK with that, try to have a receptacle for all their stuff. Baskets are great for keys, change, pocket contents. Mail really clutters up kitchen counter tops!

Consider the fact that the Kitchen is a workplace and decorations and nic-nacs can get in the way and compete for valuable work space

Try using a box or basket to hold mail, both outgoing and incoming. Move out furniture and take everything off your countertops that you possibly can.

I use laundry baskets to hold everything while I am cleaning. Two two big areas to clean in most kitchens are the refrigerator and the oven.

Here is how I clean my oven:

Go ahead and use oven cleaner in the oven if you’re adventurous. Take out the drip pans and put them in a pan of hot soapy water to soak. Take out the exhaust filter over the stove and clean it in a pan of very hot water with baking soda added (add the soda slowly or you’ll have a volcano on your hands).

Here are steps to cleaning out the refrigerator.

* Make a sink or large tub of hot soapy water.
* Empty the refrigerator.
* Throw away outdated, old food.
* Pull out shelves and drawers that can be taken out.
* Wash all the shelves and drawers with your hot soapy water (WARNING: Don’t put a cold glass shelf or glass drawer in warm or hot water! Don’t ask….)
* Wipe down the inside of the refrigerator with your natural cleaner or cleaner of choice.
Rinse well.
* Wipe down gaskets and outer portions of the door, also clean the vent under the door.
* Replace drawers and shelves.
* Wipe down jars and food containers.
* Replace food. *Add a deodorizing element like an open box of baking soda or an open container of fresh coffee beans

If you need more help with knowing how to clean your fridge, here is a video from Karen about how to clean and organize your refrigerator

On with the Kitchen Cleaning…
1. Sweep down cobwebs.
2. Make a sink of hot soapy water or use your chemical cleaner. Get out your rags and start washing down.
3. the ceiling if needed, door frames, window frames, baseboards and walls. Wash windows.
4. Put a load of dishes in to wash while you work, or go ahead and wash all the dishes by hand.
5. Clean the top of the refrigerator, the stove exhaust hood, all large appliances.
7. Clean of shelves and inside cabinets. Wash them down. Order and organize your pantry food and your pots and pans.
8. Wash inside your cabinets while they are empty.
9. Re-line cabinets if needed. Did you know that in the “old days” we used to use newspaper for this? I use cloth now but I also like contact paper.
10. Replace everything that goes in the cabinets, washing and dusting off as you go.
11. Wash down the outside of the cabinets, use de-greaser if needed or a wood soap. Dry them and then polish them with lemon oil if they are finished wood. 12. Don’t forget the areas over the stove!
13. Change your wash water if needed.
14. Wash down all the bottles, canisters, containers, etc. that sit on your counter tops and clean small appliances.
15. Scrub the counter tops. Wash and replace the drip pans.
16. Sweep the floor. Make up your mop water and get to scrubbing. I will use a scrub brush this morning and scrub under the stove and all around the cabinets. Then I’ll mop the rest of the floor.
17. Can you move the stove and clean under it? That would probably be a good idea.

18. If you can move your fridge and clean under it, that is always a good idea, too.

While you’re cleaning and rearranging, consider setting up a Baking Center if you cook and bake a lot. I sat mine up in one of my cabinets. I put these items in my Baking Center:
•Mixer
•Food processor
•Flours
•Yeast
•Baking powder and soda
•Salt
•Cornmeal
•Shortening
•Oil
•Spices

You could put more in it, like measuring spoons and mixing bowls. It really is a time saver for me because everything is there together when I’m ready to bake.

And then, to add a little finesse…..
* Put all your curtains and dry rugs back down when the floor is dry. Give the appliances one more look and a polish.
* Rearrange all your counter top things.
* Light yourself some candles, make some tea and enjoy your kitchen!

We’ll work on our kitchens this year for about 2 days then we’ll move on to the Living Room. If you’d like to join us for discussion and encouragement at the CHK Group on Facebook, come on over!