How to Clean Kitchen Appliances

You’ve mopped the floors, wiped the sink and washed the dishes, but your kitchen still doesn’t smell or feel clean. Perhaps your appliances are to blame, as they are used endlessly throughout the year, withstand lots of spilled or spoiled food and receive all-too-few scrub-downs.

Fix the problem by scouring your appliances the right way, and outfit your home with that “Ahh, clean!” scent when guests walk in the door. Break the tasks up between a few days or two weekends if it feels overwhelming, but you’ll be glad you did it in the end.

Refrigerator

  1. Remove everything from the refrigerator, and throw away anything you don’t use or that is expired.
  2. Remove the shelves and drawers from the refrigerator to clean in the grooves that hold the shelves.
  3. Wash the shelves, drawers, walls and floor of the refrigerator with a washcloth soaked in a grease-cutting dishwashing soap and water, and scrub tough-to-clean parts with a paste made of baking soda and water.
  4. Rinse with a damp washcloth, and dry the inside of the fridge with a towel to avoid streaks.
  5. Put everything back in the fridge, grouping like condiments together (such as mustard, mayonnaise and ketchup on one shelf and pickles and relishes on another).
  6. Place an opened box of baking soda on a shelf to absorb future odors.

Microwave

  1. To loosen greasy stains and get rid of smells inside the microwave, cut a lemon in half and squeeze the juice into a microwave-safe container, mixed with about a cup and a half of water. Toss the squeezed lemon halves in as well.
  2. Microwave the mixture, uncovered, for five to 10 minutes, allowing the steam to condense on all areas inside.
  3. Remove the bowl and wipe the inside of the microwave with a soft dishcloth, leaving your microwave clean and smelling great.

Oven

If you have a self-cleaning oven, set the self-cleaning cycle on a very cold day and turn on the vent hood and ceiling fans to reduce fumes and smoke throughout the house. Make sure you don’t need to use the oven first, as it locks for the duration of the cleaning. After the cycle is complete, wipe the ashes from the bottom of the oven with a damp cloth, and use a gentle cleanser to wash the oven door.

If you don’t have a self-cleaning setting on your oven (or if you’re conserving energy, as oven-cleaning uses the highest heat setting for about four hours), try to wipe up spills as soon as they happen so they won’t become stuck to the bottom. For stubborn messes, mix baking soda and water until it forms a paste and scrub the oven with a plastic- or thick-bristled brush, and wipe away the residue with a damp cloth.

Cooktop

  1. For big spills on a ceramic cooktop, carefully pour water from a recently boiled kettle over them and let them soak until the water cools to lukewarm.
  2. Wash them away with soapy water (or a non-abrasive cleaner, such as Soft Scrub) and a sponge.
  3. Dry your range top with paper towels to keep it streak-free.
  4. For stubborn messes, purchase a scraper specifically made for a ceramic cooktop, which you can find from a hardware or kitchen store, then clean as mentioned before.
  5. Shine your stovetop with polish made specifically for glass stove tops.

For non-ceramic range tops, you can use a more abrasive cleaner to remove stubborn stains, and wipe away residue with a damp cloth.

Garbage Disposal

Anyone who has ever seen a horror movie knows how scary cleaning the garbage disposal can be.

  1. Turn off the fuse that powers your garbage disposal so you’ll feel more at ease cleaning it.
  2. Use tongs or pliers to remove debris from the rotating impellers inside.
  3. Turn the power back on, combine two cups of ice and a cup of rock salt, pour it down the garbage disposal, run cold water over it and turn on the garbage disposal for about 10 seconds, which will help remove anything stuck to the grinding elements.
  4. Continue running cold water until the ice and salt have dissolved, sprinkle several lemon peels into the garbage disposal and grind the peels with the water still running, which will deodorize your disposer and kitchen.

Washing Machine

  1. For oil or gasoline-based stains or smells inside your washing machine, try leaving your washing machine door open for a few days.
  2. If that doesn’t work, liberally spray a grease-dissolving, all-purpose cleaner on the walls and drum of the washing machine and leave the door open for a day.
  3. Wipe the sides out with a damp cloth, and wash a load of towels, using laundry detergent, on the hottest setting.
  4. Leave the washing machine door open for one more day to air out.

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Source: apartmentguide.com