Spring Cleaning the Kitchen: The Plan

My kitchen is getting me down.

That may have to do with the fact that the walls seriously need repainting.

It may have to do with the fact that a day or two after I broke down and bleached my counter tops (a process which harms them but is the only way I know how to remove the nastiness), the coffee pot malfunctioned and dumped about half a pot of the dark stuff onto the counters. They were instantly stained, yet again.

Or, it could be that the wonderful round table I bought on Craigslist last year--the Liatorp from Ikea has not held up well at all. It's nasty lacquered melamine finish over pressboard is all pitted and gouged and even swollen in places.

Nonetheless. I don't know what else to do other than clean the heck out of this ramshackle kitchen of mine --and possibly paint. No, we won't paint. Well, not the walls. Not yet.

This list is compiled from Erin Doland's book, Unclutter Your Life in One Week. There are both Spring Cleaning and Fall cleaning lists in the back.

Here are the tasks which relate to the kitchen, with a few things I want to do tacked on at the end:

Cleaning Checklist:
Scrub floor
Clean and organize cabinets, shelves and drawers
Scrub counters
Clean fridge and freezer with mild detergent
Defrost fridge freezer
Clean inside of oven
Clean stove burners
Clean exterior of small appliances
Pull fridge from the wall and clean floor underneath
Vacuum fridge coils
Have knives professionally sharpened
Clean trash can
Wax floor
Wash windows
Wash and install screens
Clean dog food container
Clean coffee maker w/ vinegar
Wash curtains
Wash walls and baseboards
Touch up paint on window and door trim.

Source: viv-spot.blogspot.com via Alana on Pinterest

I've been doing a bit of research on the web to figure out how to do stuff. There's a neat trick for cleaning burners here
update: link is working now.

There's a guest post at Org Junkie dealing with organizing the freezer here.

There are a number of articles posted as weekly challenges on how to organize the kitchen at this page of The Organized Home. There is the Hall of Fame page where the blog's author features people who have taken on "the challenges."

And, finally, the inestimable TSH at Simple Mom coincidentally is kicking off the second "Project Simplify:" The pantry and fridge.


Of course, as I clean, I'll be on the look out to get rid of things.

Declutter:Expired food
Broken or chipped plates and glasses, bent cutlery
Old cooking pots, baking pans
Gadgets and Appliances
Table linens, dish towels, dish cloths and cleaning cloths.


I also have a few "prettification" projects I'd like to complete:
1. Purchase or find another option for my drainboard
2. Sew curtain panel for window

Oh...and one last thing, there's a free e-book with cleaning lists and schedules right here! I haven't had a chance to look at it, though, so I can't say anything about it.

Have fun this week. Prioritize and do what needs to get done. That'll be good enough.