We’re all about Spring Cleaning for the month of April, and last week, we made a list of less than 10 steps to spiffing up your living area. This week, we’ll focus on the kitchen, which we all know is a constant battle to keep clean. That being said, it is also one of the most important rooms to keep clean because the food you eat shouldn’t be fraternizing with dirt and germs.

Spring Cleaning Your Kitchen:

1. Take items out of cabinets and drawers and wipe down the insides. This not only keeps your cabinets and drawers clean, but it also forces you to take inventory of your kitchen items and organize/donate anything that you do not use or no longer need.
2. Sharpen your cooking knives.
3. Really sanitize your cutting boards.
4. Take items out of your refrigerator and wipe down the insides. Throw away expired food.
5. Wipe down the insides and surfaces of your microwave and stove
6. Take out burners and soak drip pans.
7. Scrub your sink and countertops with bleach that is diluted in hot water.
8. Clean crumbs out of your toaster.
9. Sweep floors with a broom and then mop them.
10. Run vinegar through your coffee maker/Keurig to clean out any build-up. (Just make sure to run water through a few times afterward, so the next coffee drinker doesn’t get a surprise!)

The kitchen is also the place where others have the most creative tips and shortcuts for cleaning it up. What are yours? We’d love to hear them. How do you clean food from your stove drip pans, for instance? Or sanitize and sharpen your garbage disposal? Let us know, so your neighbors can try your tips and check back again next week for a Spring Cleaning list for your bedroom and closet.