Spring Clean Your Kitchen

Have you ever noticed that, even if it is the smallest room in the house, people at parties seem to always converge in the kitchen? Since it is the most popular room in the house for so many, it is important to keep it presentable and germ free. As we are entering the warmer season, spring cleaning is a hot topic, and I have several tips on ways to effectively deep clean your kitchen. Deedee Perry of Augusta, mother of two boys ages 8 and 4, describes herself as one who would rather clean with a toothbrush than exercise. When deep cleaning the kitchen, Perry says to focus on each area including the refrigerator, cabinets, oven/cook top/microwave, counters, and floors. 

Start with the Refrigerator

For the refrigerator, Perry fills a bucket with warm soapy water and a cloth, empties the fridge completely, and wipes down shelves and removes them for a good wash in the sink. Once the interior is clean, she puts items back in, discarding any expired foods. She uses warm water and a cloth to wipe down condiment bottles, milk jugs, etc. “This is also a perfect time to take an inventory of storage containers you are lacking and make a note to pick them up next time you are at the store,” she suggests.

Next Stop: Stove and Small Appliances

Perry recommends tackling this area of the kitchen in the following order:

• Check to ensure that the oven is turned off and all elements are cool.
• Remove any removable parts including the oven door. Removing the door makes reaching in so much easier.
• Put knobs in the dishwasher or in a sink of warm soapy water.
• Clean the cooktop using a cook top cleaner for your specific brand/model.
• Apply oven spray recommended in the manufacturer’s use and care manual as well as the directions found on the can.
• Once the oven cleaner has done its work, wipe the oven clean and rinse with a clean cloth.
• Reassemble the stove.
• Wipe down the cooktop downdraft or vent.
• Fill a glass bowl full of water and add about one-quarter cup of vinegar to it. Place the bowl in the microwave and run the microwave for about three minutes. This should be long enough to steam the inside of the microwave.
• Wipe the interior and exterior with a damp cloth.
• Use a cloth with warm soapy water to wipe down any other small appliances, including a blender or coffee maker.

Vertis Woods of Augusta has been cleaning homes for 35 years and believes the  most effective cleansers are baking soda, white vinegar and water. “These are home remedies and will clean most anything,” she says. She believes the best way to clean stainless steel appliances is to use plain warm water. “Wash it down completely, follow the grain, and dry it with a paper towel or soft cloth,” she advises.

Floors, Countertops and Exterior Surfaces

“Look at your countertops and decide which items should be there and which items are cluttering your space,” says Perry. “Remove any unnecessary items.” She says to use the cleaning products recommended for your type of surface.
For granite countertops, Woods says the most effective cleanser is a solution of warm water, vinegar and one tablespoon of dishwashing detergent.

For the floors, Perry uses a mixture of vinegar and water with a small amount of a pine cleaner solution. Woods agrees but adds a twist. “Hardwood floors get cleanest using water with vinegar but if you want to put some shine on it, add two tablespoons of Crisco Oil,” she says.

Woods uses Murphy’s Oil on the cabinets, starting at the top and working down. Perry uses warm soapy water to wipe down cabinets and door knobs. She uses the old standby, vinegar and water, to clean the exterior of the refrigerator, using long vertical strokes if stainless.

Cleaning Products

In addition to the products mentioned above, Fay Hayes of Augusta House Cleaning Professionals recommends using her company’s products such as heavy duty cleanser, soap/scum cleaner, a glass cleaner, a stainless steel cleaning product and Bon Ami.
Woods likes to stick with the basics of vinegar, warm water and baking soda for most tasks. She also thinks adding a drop or two of dishwashing detergent can help in some instances.

How Often Should You Deep Clean?

Perry tries to give her kitchen a thorough cleaning at least a couple of times a year. “Once the kitchen is deep cleaned, use your judgment according to your lifestyle when deciding how often you’ll repeat the steps.”
Hayes recommends deep cleaning your kitchen every two weeks if possible or at least once a month to keep the dust and grease down on the cabinets.

To avoid having to deep clean as often, Hayes recommends cleaning as you go, making sure to wipe up spills and crumbs that come from everyday use. Perry agrees, stating “I find if you stay on top of the dirt and grime, it’s easier and not as involved when you are ready to deep clean."

Green Cleaning

If you are looking for a “greener” way to clean, Stephanie Ware of the Green Way Store in Evans, offers many products and suggestions. “We carry many products that are certified green by the EPA, Green Seal as well as EcoLogo,” she says.
The Green Way Store also sells products that are not officially certified but have safer ingredients. “Some people still want a blue glass cleaner and a nice smelling restroom so we have a very safe formulation that can give them both the results as well as being safer and environmentally preferred,” adds Ware.

So what are the benefits of using more green products? Besides the obvious environmental benefit, the health of the user and the health of the occupants of the space where the cleaner is being used need to be considered. “There are a lot of synthetic chemicals that go into making household cleaners that are not natural for our body to absorb,” says Ware. “Having safer chemistry in our home means a lot less toxic materials are going down our drains and eventually back to us in some other form.” 

Regular cleaning products contain many harmful chemicals as well as fragrance and color associated with the idea of clean. “The cleanest room should smell like nothing, but people somewhere got the idea that clean is supposed to smell like a man-made version of a mountain stream or field of flowers,” says Ware. She says if there is a synthetic smell or color left behind in the room, we are absorbing this in our bodies.

There are many green products on the market to clean countertops that are based on d’limonine, a natural orange peel extract used to break up dirt and grease so it can be easily wiped up. There are also heavy duty products for tougher jobs such as cleaning the stove and oven. Ware suggests using microfiber cloths to clean any room in the house as they make cleaners work even better.

For more information about Green cleaning, you can visit The Green Way Store at 4336C Washington Road in Evans, 1326 Reynolds Street in downtown Augusta, or go to the website at www.thegreenwaystore.com.
 

Cammie Jones is an Augusta freelancewriter and busy mother of three.