Kitchen Cleaning -- Organize Your Approach

MISSION, KS--(Marketwire - Sep 24, 2012) -  (Family Features) Maintaining a clean kitchen is important. However, there are often cleaning tasks that get put on hold because they require a great deal of time and effort. According to the Scrubbing Bubbles Dirty Work Index survey, men and women agree the kitchen is the most difficult room to clean after the bathroom. Luckily, following a few simple steps and using all-purpose kitchen cleaners make tackling tough kitchen messes easier -- ensuring that your home is not only clean but also healthy. Follow the below tips and tricks to learn how to clean your kitchen with ease.

Tackle the Appliances
Use these tips for maintaining your oven, microwave, dishwasher and refrigerator:

Oven
If your oven boasts a self-cleaning mode, go ahead and turn it on. For the stovetop and exterior of the oven, spray a grease-cutting cleaner that stays where you spray, such as the new Scrubbing Bubbles Total Kitchen Foaming All Purpose Cleaner with fantastik, to thoroughly cover the surfaces, exterior walls and oven door. Allow the cleaner to go to work penetrating and lifting grime while you move on to the microwave. Use damp sponges or paper towels to remove the cleaner when the grease and grime have dissolved.

Microwave
To loosen grease and food spatters, boil a cup of water with a few lemon slices in the microwave for one minute, which will help to soften dried food particles to make cleanup easier. Then, use a foaming all-purpose cleaner and a damp sponge to easily wipe away residue and grease and leave a fresh scent behind.

Dishwasher
Use a toothbrush and warm, soapy water to clean around the rubber seal on the door of your dishwasher. Use a scrubbing brush or sponge to wipe away dirt and grime on the inside of the door, as well as the walls. Wipe away debris around the drain that could cause later clogging. Run your empty dishwasher on the hottest cycle to help further remove buildup.

Fridge
Because the refrigerator houses perishable foods, it's crucial to your family's health to keep it well-maintained and sanitary. Cleaning the refrigerator requires more work than just pitching old food. To ensure your fridge is thoroughly cleaned, turn the dial control to "0" and remove and discard old food items before removing shelves and drawers, then wipe them down using mild soap and water. Next, use a toothpick and toothbrush to clean corners, hinges and the rubber gasket. Finally, sanitize the drop pan with an antibacterial all-purpose cleaner. Cleaning the drop pan weekly will help reduce spilled food odors. After these steps are complete, return the dial control to the original temperature setting.

Five Tips to an Organized, Clean Kitchen

-- Create a plan of action.
Before you begin cleaning, gather everything you'll need to tackle the kitchen as a whole, from rubber gloves and sponges, to the vacuum and mop. Assign tasks to each family member to help speed up the process. To ensure everything gets squeaky clean, make a checklist.

-- Use all-purpose cleaners.
Make it easier with a quality, all-purpose cleaning product that can tackle all sorts of kitchen messes while killing germs, such as the Scrubbing Bubbles All Purpose Heavy Duty Cleaner with fantastik, which kills 99.9 percent of germs and bacteria. This cleaner can wipe out tough grease and grime, without leaving behind a filmy residue.

-- Reorganize and prioritize.
As you clean the kitchen, reorganize contents of pantries, cabinets, drawers and spice racks so everything is easy to find, with your most-used items in front for easy access. Ensure anything expired is thrown out, and donate canned foods you don't plan to use to a food bank.

-- Dust cabinet interiors.
Remove dry-storage food items and dust out your cabinetry. Make sure you get back into the corners of your cabinets with a duster or vacuum. Wipe down dry food items with a damp cloth and place back in the cabinets.

-- Get your floors gleaming.
Vacuum or sweep floors to get them prepped for mopping. Make sure to dust baseboards and corners where dust and pet hair can get trapped. Pay special attention to the cleaning solution you purchase to clean your floors, as hardwood flooring especially requires specific cleaners.

For more information on Scrubbing Bubbles products, visit www.scrubbingbubbles.com. For more tips on keeping your home clean, visit www.rightathome.com.

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