February is a bit of home maintenance purgatory. We’re still trudging through Winter, and we’ve done most of the winterization jobs. But…all the stores are putting out the Spring items and we’re itching to move onto that stuff which is way more fun! But we’re just not there yet. So let’s use February to focus on the kitchen.
Get Organized
♦ Gather instruction manuals for all your appliances, electronics, tools, etc, and put them all together in one place. Don’t just include kitchen items, go find ALL of those manuals you’ve stuffed in drawers over the years. Scan the receipts and warranty information and store it somewhere like Evernote for easy reference. You can also put the physical copy inside the instruction manual so you’ll know where it is. Each time you make a large purchase, scan the warranty and receipt and upload/save it with the others.
Since so much is now digital and available on YouTube, it might be time to just chunk the manual in File 13 and stop hoarding stuff you’ll never look at.
♦ Go through your kitchen cabinets. Clean out dishes, small appliances, and clutter you don’t use anymore. And go ahead and throw away all those container lids that don’t have matching containers. You aren’t going to need them.
♦ Sort through the pantry and toss out any old or expired products. The first time you do this, you might be shocked at what you find.
While it’s cleaned out, this is a great time to organize your items to maximize the space. Air-tight containers, racks for canned goods, and bins for packaged goods are great ways to get items out of boxes and make it easier to see what you have.
Home Maintenance Items in the Kitchen
♦ Clean the garbage disposal. It’s nastier than you think.
♦ Clean your refrigerator and do some preventative maintenance. Wipe down the shelves and insides of the drawers. Clean the coils. Here’s a video on how to do that. Once that’s done, clean the gasket around the doors with mild detergent.
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♦ Wipe down kitchen cabinets, stovetop, microwave, and dishwasher door to remove food splatters, grease, and dust build-up.
♦ Wipe down the inside of the kitchen trash container with a good disinfecting spray. If it’s particularly nasty, you might need to spray it out and scrub it with a nylon brush first. One thing I’ve found that really eliminates odor is the scented trash bags from Hefty.
♦ Clean the interior side of your windows. This is a whole house item, but we ran out of time last month. Depending on how many windows you have, you might want to do these as we go through different rooms over the coming months.
Spray, squeegee, and wipe down with a fresh microfiber cloth. A set like this is convenient because it has a squeegee, microfiber pad, and an extension pole for those larger windows.
♦ Deep cleaning your oven can be a daunting task, but it’s essential to keep it in good working condition and ensure safe food preparation. One of the easiest ways to clean your oven is by using a store-bought oven cleaner or a homemade solution of baking soda and water.
First, remove any loose debris or food scraps from the oven. Then, apply the cleaner or baking soda solution to the interior of the oven, focusing on any particularly dirty or greasy areas. Allow the cleaner or solution to sit for the recommended time before wiping it away with a damp cloth or sponge. For tough stains, you can use a scraper or a non-abrasive brush. After cleaning, rinse the oven with water and dry it with a clean cloth. It’s important to avoid using abrasive materials or steel wool as they can damage the oven’s surface.
♦ Clean the mirrors. Since this seems to be the month we’re wiping everything down, go ahead and do the mirrors too. If done sei-regularly, this shouldn’t take long. My favorite cleaner for this job is Spraway Glass Cleaner (not Windex), and this is the best I’ve found. Here is yet another place those microfiber cloths are going to come in handy, so go get some. I’ll wait.
Closing Out Winter
Next month we’re going to start shedding winter and getting ready for Spring. About time, right? However, March is a pivotal month so we’re going to be focusing more on the outside of the house. Let’s get this winter wrapped up so we can start prepping for warmer weather, sunshine, and growing some stuff
And here is January – in case you missed it!
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