How to Clean the Kitchen – February HOD

January has kind of been whirlwind month around here!  Despite all of the illness {darn stomach bug!!} and lots of soul searching {resulting in a big decision that I’ll share soon!}, I did pretty well getting through The 31 Day Home Detox.  I had two car loads of donation items as well as a trip to the garbage dump, and felt like I got a good start on the home decluttering.  I wasn’t the best at sharing all of my progress with you, but hopefully I’ll get caught up on that over the next few weeks.

Since February is almost here, it’s time to start thinking about the tasks for the February Household Organization Diet.  We’ll be spending February decluttering, deep cleaning, and organizing our kitchen spaces.  I like to start the process in the kitchen for two main reasons.  First of all, it’s probably the most used space in the home and having an organized kitchen just seems to make everything run smoother. Secondly, we tend to have less sentimental attachment to items in the kitchen making it easier to part with all of those items that we no longer need or use.

So here are the tasks for this month…

DOWNLOAD THE FEBRUARY TASKS HERE
DOWNLOAD A BLANK FEBRUARY TASK SHEET HERE

I like to keep track of when I’m going to do what on a monthly calendar.  Make your {realistic!} monthly plan and stick to it!  Some people like to do a little each day and others would like to block off a longer time period once per week.  Do whatever works best for your time schedule and personality.

DOWNLOAD A BLANK FEBRUARY TASK CALENDAR

Keep a notes sheet {or two!} handy to jot down any projects, home improvement ideas, extra tasks, etc. that you would like to do.  You might want to use one for tasks that you would like to do this month and a second sheet for future projects that you would like to do in the kitchen.

DOWNLOAD THE FEBRUARY TASK SHEET HERE

I’ve been working on putting together a new home binder for this year’s Household Organization Diet and will show you that next week.  While you’re waiting, you can get your items ready that you’ll need – a 1 or 2 inch binder, 14 dividers, and a binder pouch to hold pens, post-its, and other little office items that you may wish to use.  I’ll have lots of printables for you throughout the year so you’ll definitely need a place to store them and write down your plan.

In the past, I’ve always combined the cleaning and organization tasks for each room in the same post.  I think, however, that doing two posts – one focusing on the cleaning and one focusing on the organizational aspect – might be better.  I’m hoping that this makes it a little less overwhelming for you and easier to come up with a plan that really fits your own individual needs.  So let’s get going on the cleaning tasks!

Clean the Oven

If you have a steam cleaner, give it a try to clean your oven.  It’s super quick and pretty much eliminates all of the scrubbing.  If you don’t have a steam cleaner you can always use this method – just don’t go too overboard on the baking soda or you’ll be spending a lot of time rinsing!

Clean the Stove

I’ve tried a lot of products and DIY cleaning recipes on our glass top and this is the easiest method to clean a glass top stove that I’ve found.

Clean the Microwave

Clean the Dishwasher

I usually do a quick clean of the dishwasher every couple of months – it just takes about 5 minutes plus the run time.  As well, just make sure to check after each load if there is any visible debris stuck at the base of the dishwasher or any gunk stuck in the cutlery tray.

Clean the Garbage Disposal

Cleaning out the garbage disposal literally takes less than a minute to do – it’s more about remembering to do it!  I usually clean the microwave and the garbage disposal at the same time as they both seem to need a weekly cleaning.  You can also try these DIY Garbage Disposal Tabs and Citrus Vinegar Cubes for a nice fresh scent.

Clean the Fridge

Clean your fridge and freezer with these tips HERE and HERE.

Clean Your Stainless Steel

Finding the best way to clean your stainless steel might take a little bit of trial and error.  What works on one type of stainless steel might not work as great on another.  Check out these methods HERE to determine the best way to clean your stainless steel.

Clean Your Pots and Pans

This easy DIY green cleaning recipe will get rid of any burnt on food on pots and pans as well as clean up muffin tins, cookie sheets, and more!

Once you have your kitchen cleaned, you’ll want to think about developing a regular cleaning plan to keep it that way {or at least somewhat that way!}.  What should you be doing on a daily basis to keep things “clean enough”?  What needs to be done periodically for a good deep cleaning?

Next week, I’ll have a post up for you to help you develop a regular cleaning routine for your whole home.  We’ll be talking about daily maintenance, weekly cleaning, as well as a yearly plan for all of those odd tasks that you just have to do periodically.  The following posts , however, will give you a good starting point for deciding what you need to do in the kitchen.

How to Speed Clean the Kitchen

How to Deep Clean the Kitchen

If all of these tasks seem overwhelming, just take them one at a time.  Don’t even look at the next one, until you’ve finished the first.  Most of them don’t take much time at all.  Lastly, I would recommend moving out all of your major appliances this month so you can clean in behind them.  It’s amazing what accumulates back there!!

Happy Cleaning!

This post is part of The Household Organization Diet.  Check out THIS POST to learn more and subscribe to my newsletter today!