For some people, cleaning is as natural as walking and breathing. But for the rest of us, it takes effort and probably some knowledge that we’re currently lacking. After all, it’s not such a big deal to clean a microwave, but for some reason it feels like it just seems to take forever. Here are a few tips and tricks for cleaning your household appliances! 

 

Microwave

STEP 1: Begin cleaning your microwave by placing a coffee mug or small bowl full of water and slices of lemon in the center and run the microwave on high for about three minutes, or until the liquid is turning to steam. This will help soften food splatter and the lemon smells nice. You can also use other citrus fruits or forego it entirely and use a drop of dish soap.

STEP 2: Take out the turntable and anything else that will come loose. You can toss these parts in the dishwasher or scrub them in the sink. 

STEP 3: Wipe down the walls of the microwave with a sponge, cloth or several paper towels, plus your favorite dish soap and water or all purpose cleaner. There’s not really a wrong way to clean a microwave. If you are already cleaning the inside, you might as well take some time to wipe down the outside as well! 

 

Garbage Disposal

STEP 1: Begin by turning on the garbage disposal while running some cold water to make sure there’s not any food left in the device.

STEP 2: If your garbage disposal has a removable baffle (the black part that’s just inside the drain) you can remove this to make the cleaning process easier. However is yours does not have a removable baffle skip this step!  

STEP 3: From this point cleaning a garbage disposal is really easy. Just clean your removable baffle and toss some citrus fruit inside. If it’s really smelly, drop some liquid dish soap inside and run the water until the bubbles stop.

 

Dishwasher

STEP 1: Get started by running an empty load with a measuring cup full of vinegar or bleach to start the process. These chemicals help eliminate chronic smells, you’ll be really happy you did. DO NOT USE DISH SOAP.

STEP 2: Remove the racks and anything else that comes loose, like cutlery baskets. Rinse them down in the bath tub or shower and give them a going over with soapy water and a sponge. Then go ahead and slide those bad boys back into the machine after you get them cleaned. 

STEP 3: First clean any screens that might be protecting food grinders or other moving parts. You can just wipe that out. Next you will need to clean the inside of the dishwasher. Your life will be immeasurably easier if you buy some dishwasher cleaner and use as directed to clean this inside area.

 

Refrigerator

STEP 1: Put food into a prepared cooler and turn the ice maker off.

STEP 2: Pull out the shelves and drawers at once and place them in or near the sink. 

STEP 3: Start with the empty fridge cavity and wipe everything down, from the top to the bottom. Warm, soapy water is fine for most residue, tough grime can be knocked out with all-surface cleaner. Next, do the door interiors. Now wash the shelves and drawers and leave them to dry. Once all of that is complete, put the fridge back together and repeat with the freezer. Change your water filter and turn the ice maker back on when you’re done. Wipe the fridge outside down last.