Kitchen Areas We Need To Remember To Clean

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September 25, 2017

We remember to clean the countertops, appliances, oven, sink, and stovetop pretty well right?

When you’re running through your checklist while cleaning the kitchen, you may not even realize what you might be missing. Do a deep clean at home this spring, and be sure to add these spots to your list.

FRIDGE PAN

While you’re cleaning the fridge, take note of the tray that exists to collect condensation when the freezer defrosts. The pan is typically located at the bottom of the fridge, and regardless of make and model is often accessed behind the front grate or kick panel at ankle height.

When you locate the pan, pull it out towards you like a baking pan you’re sliding out of the oven. Don’t be alarmed when you see water, that means it’s doing its job (otherwise the water would drip all over the floor), but do note if the tray is slimy or presents with mold spots. Those spores can circulate in your kitchen, and you’ll want to sanitize the drip pan a couple of times a year to keep it clean, more often if you have sensitivities to allergies.

Check the drip tray below the ice and water dispenser on your refrigerator door. Stagnant water can breed mold in there too if it isn’t monitored.

DISHWASHER

Cleaning the outer facing door of the dishwasher is natural – but that’s not where it really counts. Inside the dishwasher itself, you’ll want to clean the interior walls, the sliding racks, and the inside of the door, because all can get covered with residue over time. The drain at the bottom of the dishwasher deserves special attention, especially if the food that rinses off the plates and bowls gets clogged in the drainage area. Use a diluted vinegar solution in a spray bottle to clean the space, and if you have a bit of dried food debris sitting around the drain, use the wand on a vacuum to remove it.

Pay special attention to the interior edges of the door and the folds in the rubber seals. They get extremely grimy, and when the build-up becomes substantial it will affect the dishwasher seal. That said, if you think your dishwasher is broken because a few drops have escaped the machine during its cycle, you may want to do a deep cleaning on the seal first before resorting to a repair man.

SPLATTER ZONE

We clean the countertops often enough when they get showered with grease while cooking, but what about the out-of-sight and out-of-mind areas?

Things like the underside of upper cabinets, inside of our vent fan, light fixtures and bulbs that are in the vicinity of the cooking space and the sides of the counter that butt up against our oven and range.

Wet a cloth with grease-cutting dish soap, wring it out, and wipe down all affected areas. You’ll find that it’s easier to get the area around the stove if you slide the appliance away from the wall. It’s probably on wheels and should easily pull 3-4’ off the wall without having to unhook the gas lines or electrical, although be aware of how all attachments are expanding and unfolding at all times so nothing becomes pinched.

FRIDGE COILS

Remember how much dust was on the floor beneath and behind your fridge last time you pulled the unit away from the wall? Bet you didn’t remember to clean the coils at the same time. First, make note of where your fridge coils are located. They might be behind the unit, but they could be fitted beneath it, accessible by a small grate across the bottom front. There’s a chance that covered coils may affect the fridge’s efficiency.

Wherever the coils are, get them in your line of sight. Pull the fridge away from the wall and unplug it. Keep the doors closed so your food doesn’t begin to warm up. Set up your vacuum with a detail attachment, and with the vacuum running to pick up the floating dust, use a small paintbrush to loosen any debris that has collected on the coils.

TOASTER OVEN

We use our toaster oven daily, and usually multiple times a day. While most items that cook within the oven are contained either on a metal baking sheet or in their own baking container, the toasts and waffles and miscellaneous items that are best handled flat on the racks are quick to leave a mess.

When tending to your toaster oven, open the door completely and remove the drip pan at the bottom of the unit. It catches bread crumbs, cheesy drips, and inevitable saucy splatters. Wash it, rinse it, dry it. While it’s out of the oven, and with the oven unplugged, use a damp cloth to capture any crumbs that fell beyond the boundaries of that tray, or slipped off when you were extracting the tray from the oven. Allow the inside of the oven to air dry. You’ll also want to use this opportunity to use some grease-cutting soap to clean the inside of the toaster oven door – for a spot that you think never touches the food, it sure does seem to get sticky and splattered.

Hopefully this brief article gave you an insight into cleaning the forgotten parts of the kitchen.

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