The art of decluttering part 2: Kitchens

Deep clean

Cupboard doors and handles 

It’s surprising how easily your cupboard doors get greasy and grimy simply through everyday use of the kitchen. Degrease them and wipe down the door handles to disinfect them.

We recommend:

Elbow Grease cuts through grease with minimal effort. Spray over your cupboard doors and leave to work for 2-3 minutes. Wipe off with a damp microfibre cloth.

Dettol All-in-One Disinfectant Spray kills germs and leaves handles disinfected. Spray directly onto a cloth and wipe the handles down.

Work surfaces 

Remove all appliances and storage items from your work surfaces, collect dust and crumbs with a dry cloth then clean your surfaces with a disinfectant spray.

We recommend:

Stardrops 4-in-1 pine disinfectant if you love a truly clean smell. Spray onto your work surfaces liberally and leave to work for five minutes before working in and rinsing with a damp cloth.

For a slightly gentler scent, Fabulosa Antibac Cleaner comes in a range of gorgeous scents and works to disinfect your surfaces. Again, spray and leave to work for five minutes before rinsing with a damp cloth.

Appliances (kettle/toaster/coffee machine/microwave)

It’s amazing how often we touch the appliances in our kitchen and leave fingerprints, marks and germs behind. Taking a moment to wipe them over will leave them looking like new in no time.

We recommend:

Stardrops white vinegar spray for removing limescale around kettles. Spray some kitchen roll with white vinegar and place around the opening of your kettle or wherever limescale has built up. Leave it for 15 minutes then remove the roll and rinse with a damp cloth.

Pink Stuff the Miracle Multipurpose cleaner spray is great for bringing appliances up like new. Spray onto a damp cloth and wipe over your appliances. Sparkling.

Ozmo Fridge and Microwave cleaner is a great spray to use on your microwave. Spray onto the interior and exterior surfaces of your microwave, leave for three minutes then rinse with a damp cloth. For hard-to-remove marks, try Pink Stuff paste on a Minky M Cloth cleaning pad. Rinse afterwards with a clean, damp cloth.

Oven 

Everyone’s least favourite kitchen appliance to clean, the oven is simple if you keep on top of it. Remove all racks and inner workings before cleaning then get in there with your rubber gloves and give it a good fettle.

We recommend:

Astonish Oven and Grill cleaner which comes with everything you need to rid your oven of baked-on marks.

Pink Stuff paste is also fantastic for inside ovens and oven doors. Rub in with a Scrub Daddy to remove really stubborn marks, then rinse with a damp cloth.

Finish off with a spray of Dettol All in One Disinfectant Spray and a Minky M Cloth, Glass and Window on the outside of your oven door to bring up the shine and kill germs in one.

Fridge/Freezer 

Empty your fridge and freezer (and defrost the freezer if you don’t have a frost-free one) before cleaning. Remove all shelves and trays and wash them in hot soapy water. Dry and replace at the end.

While all the shelves and trays are removed, clean the insides of your fridge and freezer and remove any crumbs and food waste that’s accumulated there.

Don’t forget the seals of the doors – these can collect grime and mould if not regularly checked. Use cotton wool sticks to get into the seals and remove any dirt.

We recommend:

Ozmo Fridge and Microwave cleaner for the inside of your fridge and freezer. Spray onto the interior and exterior surfaces, leave for three minutes then rinse with a damp cloth.

For hard-to-remove marks, try Pink Stuff paste on a Minky M Cloth cleaning pad. Rinse afterwards with a clean, damp cloth.

To eliminate smells and ward them off in future, a Croc Odor is handy to place in the centre of your fridge.

Washing machine / dryer 

Washing machines can harbour nasty smells and grime if not cleaned regularly. There are products that claim to clean the machine, but it’s simple to do without using these.

Remove the detergent drawer from the machine and clean in hot, soapy water. While that’s out, clean the inside of the drawer insert using a cleaning spray.

Once you’ve replaced the drawer, put a cup of bicarbonate of soda into the drum, followed by a cup of white vinegar. Put a cap or two of your favourite scented disinfectant into the detergent drawer and run a wash cycle on 50 degrees. This will clean your washing machine and leave it smelling fresh.

While the cycle is running, clean the outside of your washing machine and dryer using a disinfectant spray and clean, soft cloth. Also, remove fluff and lint build up from your dryer (this should be done after each use of the dryer to prevent the risk of fire).

We recommend:

Flash Natural French Soap Spray to clean the inside of your drawer area – it smells divine! Use a toothbrush to get into the nooks and crannies.

Cleaning grade Bicarbonate of Soda reacts with White Vinegar to create a cleaning, freshening action to leave your washing machine gleaming.

Zoflora comes in a huge range of gorgeous smells and helps to disinfect as it cleans. Use neat in the detergent drawer, then dilute some to clean the outside of your machines, with a soft cloth.

Next week we’re moving on to the living areas of your home.