Spring Cleaning: Kitchen

Well, today was scheduled to be my first day of spring cleaning. However, Saturday did not have anything planned and was in need of a gigantic and tiring project to fill it up! :) Yes, I decided to get started a bit early. And, I usually start with the kitchen because it is really the hardest room to do.

Here is the "before" photo which does not show deep down dirt!

Here is what I did:
* Dusted all upper walls
* Cleaned ceiling fan. (Amy has a great tip for this which worked great! Take a pillow case and put the fan blade inside - all dirt is caught in the pillow case as you wipe it off!)
* Wiped down fronts of all cabinets and drawers.
* Cleaned the top of the fridge.
* Cleaned off outside of fridge (inside was done by my dear friend, Melissa, a couple of weeks ago and for this great accomplishment, she is earning a complimentary entry to the drawing. Talk about a humbling experience!) I also straightened the freezer and emptied the ice bin, washed it out and put that back.
* Pulled out fridge and vacuumed underneath and behind. Mopped floor underneath.
* Cleaned in/out/under microwave.
* Cleaned outside of stove. Pulled stove out and vacuumed under and mopped floor under. Took out drawer and cleaned it out.
* Cleaned over-the-stove light.
* Wiped down all counters.
* Put away all clutter and actually went through and took care of most of it, without just shuffling it to another catch-all.
* Emptied dishwasher and re-filled, started.
* Cleaned sinks. Cleaned drain: put baking soda in drain and follow with a kettle of boiling water while running disposal. Then, put some lemon slices in the disposal!
* Washed windows inside/out.
* Vacuumed out track of window and washed window sill. Dusted everything on window sill.
* Vacuumed out floor of pantry and kitchen floor.
* Washed light fixture. Vacuumed out all light fixture openings.
* Used a Magic Eraser on walls to remove marks.
* Cleaned off table and put things AWAY!
* Washed rug and all rags.

* Still to finish: wash out trash can and recycling bin. I was out of energy to do this on Saturday.

This was the part-way photo:

At this point, I was getting discouraged. I knew that I would never pass any kind of Health Dept. inspection for serving food out of this kitchen. Spring Cleaning is not for the faint of heart - it is a hard job! But, the results are so encouraging! And, there is the satisfaction of working hard to make my home clean and beautiful.

Ahhh...now if it would only stay this way! I'm afraid to say how long all of this took as I don't want to discourage you. But, last year, several of you mentioned appreciating knowing how long I spent in each room so I'll whisper it very quietly: five hours. Yes, I did have a few interruptions. But, it took most of that.

Spring Cleaning 2007 was powered by:

Make sure to leave a comment when you finish a room naming the room and what you did so I can add you to the drawing! I'll be revealing the prize as we go - to give further motivation!

"Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up!" Galatians 6:9