I feel like I'm finally back amongst the living this week. My surgery went well, but as with all surgeries, there was anesthesia and pain medication involved. For the record, I don't do well with either.
Apparently, during recovery, I was offering all of the hospital staff chicken recipes and housekeeping tips with abandon. When I got back to the safety of my home, still on pain medication, I recall little of any conversations I had with people. It seems that I also posted on Facebook and returned a few emails - none of which I remember.
For reasons of safety (for myself) and respect (for others) I decided (with help from Hubs) that I would not work on the computer until all meds were out of my system.
So, now that my body is free of pain medication, I'm eager to get back to having fun. I promised you a few weeks ago that we would work on organizing the kitchen in February. Since February is half over, I think it's high time we at least got started.
We'll be breaking down the kitchen tasks into different categories:
1. Appliances
2. Cabinets
3. Drawers
4. Counters
Today, we'll start with Appliances.
First, the stove.
1. Take everything off of the stove.
2. Follow the manufacturer's directions to clean the oven/stove inside and out. Be sure to remove knobs, if possible, and clean the surface around them. I usually let them soak in the sink that is filled with dish washing detergent.
3. If you have a canister or crock filled with kitchen utensils, empty that container into the sink as well, letting all of the utensils get a well needed soaking.
4. After you have cleaned inside and out of the stove/oven, spray the outside of the whole thing with Sparkle cleaner and polish. Don't forget the doors, sides, and bottom drawer of the appliance.
5. Now, place everything you removed back onto and into the appliance and you're done.
6. Don't forget to clean the range hood too!
Next, the microwave:
1. Fill a bowl with water and lemon juice or vinegar. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Leave the bowl in the oven for 5 minutes with the door closed.
2. If your microwave has a removable tray, soak it in your suds filled sink.
3. With a wet dishrag, wipe down all surfaces of the microwave. Don't forget the roof of the oven and the inside of the door. (some manufacturers recommend that you unplug your oven before wiping it down)
4. Replace anything you took out.
5. With Sparkle cleaner, spray a cloth and wipe down the whole exterior of the oven, being very careful around the touch pad. Don't spray Sparkle cleaner directly on the touch pad.
Toaster:
1. Unplug the toaster.
2. Remove bottom crumb tray and dump crumbs into the trash can. If you have a toaster that doesn't have a crumb tray, simply take the whole thing outside, turn it upside down, shake the dickens out of it, and let the birds eat the crumbs.
3. Carefully wipe down outside surface. If you have a toaster oven with a glass window or door, use sparkle cleaner to clean that. If you have baked on residue, you might want to use a Mr. Clean Magic Sponge to get rid of it.
4. Always leave your toaster unplugged when not in use to avoid a fire.
Coffee Pot:
1. Follow the manufacturer's directions for cleaning your pot. There are too many varieties out there to follow one set of directions.
2. I've included directions here if you want to know how I clean mine.
Dishwasher:
1. Again, read your manual for specific directions. Most dishwashers are pretty self-cleaning if you know what I mean.
2. On the outside, use Sparkle cleaner or your own preferred cleaner to wipe down the outside of the door and touch pad/knobs. Also, open the door and wipe down the sides of the door.
3. I've noticed that since I've switched over to making my own detergent, I have much less residue around the gaskets on the door.
4. Take this time to check to see if you need to refill the rinse agent container. I use white vinegar, but you might use something like Jet-Dry.
Refrigerator: I've saved the biggest job for last
Since I've posted this job before, I just decided to link to it so you can read it if you're interested.
Apparently, during recovery, I was offering all of the hospital staff chicken recipes and housekeeping tips with abandon. When I got back to the safety of my home, still on pain medication, I recall little of any conversations I had with people. It seems that I also posted on Facebook and returned a few emails - none of which I remember.
For reasons of safety (for myself) and respect (for others) I decided (with help from Hubs) that I would not work on the computer until all meds were out of my system.
So, now that my body is free of pain medication, I'm eager to get back to having fun. I promised you a few weeks ago that we would work on organizing the kitchen in February. Since February is half over, I think it's high time we at least got started.
We'll be breaking down the kitchen tasks into different categories:
1. Appliances
2. Cabinets
3. Drawers
4. Counters
Today, we'll start with Appliances.
First, the stove.
1. Take everything off of the stove.
2. Follow the manufacturer's directions to clean the oven/stove inside and out. Be sure to remove knobs, if possible, and clean the surface around them. I usually let them soak in the sink that is filled with dish washing detergent.
3. If you have a canister or crock filled with kitchen utensils, empty that container into the sink as well, letting all of the utensils get a well needed soaking.
4. After you have cleaned inside and out of the stove/oven, spray the outside of the whole thing with Sparkle cleaner and polish. Don't forget the doors, sides, and bottom drawer of the appliance.
5. Now, place everything you removed back onto and into the appliance and you're done.
6. Don't forget to clean the range hood too!
Next, the microwave:
1. Fill a bowl with water and lemon juice or vinegar. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Leave the bowl in the oven for 5 minutes with the door closed.
2. If your microwave has a removable tray, soak it in your suds filled sink.
3. With a wet dishrag, wipe down all surfaces of the microwave. Don't forget the roof of the oven and the inside of the door. (some manufacturers recommend that you unplug your oven before wiping it down)
4. Replace anything you took out.
5. With Sparkle cleaner, spray a cloth and wipe down the whole exterior of the oven, being very careful around the touch pad. Don't spray Sparkle cleaner directly on the touch pad.
Toaster:
1. Unplug the toaster.
2. Remove bottom crumb tray and dump crumbs into the trash can. If you have a toaster that doesn't have a crumb tray, simply take the whole thing outside, turn it upside down, shake the dickens out of it, and let the birds eat the crumbs.
3. Carefully wipe down outside surface. If you have a toaster oven with a glass window or door, use sparkle cleaner to clean that. If you have baked on residue, you might want to use a Mr. Clean Magic Sponge to get rid of it.
4. Always leave your toaster unplugged when not in use to avoid a fire.
Coffee Pot:
1. Follow the manufacturer's directions for cleaning your pot. There are too many varieties out there to follow one set of directions.
2. I've included directions here if you want to know how I clean mine.
Dishwasher:
1. Again, read your manual for specific directions. Most dishwashers are pretty self-cleaning if you know what I mean.
2. On the outside, use Sparkle cleaner or your own preferred cleaner to wipe down the outside of the door and touch pad/knobs. Also, open the door and wipe down the sides of the door.
3. I've noticed that since I've switched over to making my own detergent, I have much less residue around the gaskets on the door.
4. Take this time to check to see if you need to refill the rinse agent container. I use white vinegar, but you might use something like Jet-Dry.
Refrigerator: I've saved the biggest job for last
Since I've posted this job before, I just decided to link to it so you can read it if you're interested.
I'm just going to comment on the first part of the post and ignore the rest since appliances are my least favorite thing to clean Hehe.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're surgery went well! I was praying it would! And I'm sure the nurses got some really helpful cleaning tips from you LOL!
WELCOME BACK KELLY!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Kelly,
ReplyDeleteI just finished all my kitchen appliances and stood back to look at my (looks like) new shiny kitchen! I just love your Sparkle Cleaner! I read your posts before about using it, but never took out the vinegar jug and made any. Glad I did today! Thank you for your blog!
Hugs,
Lottie