The Ultimate Guide to Cleaning Kitchen Appliances

Whether you’re cleaning for Pesach or just looking to do a spring cleaning, knowing the best way to clean your appliances is essential. This will help keep them in tip-top shape and ensure you clean them effectively. Always check the manufacturer’s instructions on your appliance to ensure you clean it correctly.

How to Clean Your Refrigerator

Step 1: Gather Your Supplies

You’ll need dish soap to clean out your fridge.

Step 2: Take Out all the Food

Take out all the food and set it aside. Throw out any expired food.

Step 3: Remove all Shelves and Drawers

Take out all removable fridge parts such as drawers and shelves.

Step 4: Wipe Down

Wipe down the whole inside of the fridge and doors with soap and warm water. For any stuck-on stains, use a paste of baking soda and water with a little elbow grease.

Next, wipe down all the shelves and drawers with dishwashing liquid and water. And again, if there are any spills that are not being removed, your baking soda and water mixture should do the trick.

Step 5: Dry

You can either let everything dry naturally or dry it off with a dry rag or paper towel.

Step 6: Put All Shelves and Drawers Back into the Fridge

Replace all shelves and doors back into the fridge. Make sure to be gentle since they are made from glass.

Step 7: Replace All Food

Put all the food back into the fridge wiping off any sticky jars or bottles.

Step 8: Clean out the Freezer

Follow the same method to clean out the freezer.

Step 9: Clean the Outside of Your Fridge

To clean the outside, wipe it down with soap and water. If the outside is stainless steel, make sure to use stainless steel spray or wipes since all-purpose cleaners can leave streaks. Don’t forget to clean the door seals and handles!

Enjoy your clean fridge!

How to Clean Your Oven

Very possibly the scariest kitchen appliance to clean, with these tips, it doesn’t have to be! If your oven has a self-cleaning feature, you may still need to clean the oven first if it is very dirty and has lots of baked-on food and grease.

Step 1: Gather your Supplies

If your oven isn’t so dirty, you may be able to get away with just baking soda, vinegar, and Bar Keeper’s Friend. If your oven is really dirty, you should use a more heavy-duty oven cleaner.

Step 2: Remove Oven Racks

Remove all racks and anything else that may be in your oven.

Step 3: Spray

If using an oven cleaner, follow the instructions on the can. Use protective gear like gloves and do not spray on any electric elements or gas vents. Make sure to open windows and turn on your vent fan in the kitchen if possible.

If using baking soda and vinegar, in a small bowl mix 1/2 a cup of baking soda with a little bit of water to form a paste. Spread the baking soda paste all over the oven getting into all the crevices. It is helpful to wear gloves for this and spread it with your gloved hands.

Step 4: Let it sit

For oven cleaner, close the oven door and let sit for 30 minutes.

For baking soda, close the oven door and let it sit for at least 10 hours or overnight.

Step 5: Clean the Racks

Meanwhile, clean your oven racks. Make a paste with Bar Keeper’s Friend and water. Use your hands or a brush to spread it all over the racks in your kitchen sink or bathtub. Let sit for 45 minutes and then scrub off with a sponge. Rinse well. This procedure works really well and requires very little scrubbing on your end which is always a win.

Step 6: Wipe Down

Whether you used baking soda or oven cleaner, use a damp sponge or cloth to wipe down the oven.

If you used baking soda and there is still some remaining, spray some white vinegar to get out the baking soda and wipe until all is gone.

Step 7: Put your Oven Back Together

Put the racks back into your oven and enjoy your clean oven!

How to Clean Your Dishwasher

Step 1: Gather your Supplies.

You’ll need vinegar and baking soda.

Step 2: Remove the Racks, Filter, and Cutlery Holders.

In order to do a deep clean, you’ll need to take these out. Note that some dishwasher filters may need to be removed with tools.

After you take these out, let them soak in a mixture of warm water and 1 cup of white vinegar for at least half an hour.

Step 3: Wipe it Out

Now that your dishwasher is empty, take a few minutes to wipe it out with a cloth. If there are any crevices, use a toothpick or skewer to really get in there.

Step 4: Run the Dishwasher with Vinegar

Place 1 cup of vinegar in a dishwasher-safe bowl. Put it at the bottom of the dishwasher and run a hot water cycle.

Step 5: Run Another Cycle with Baking Soda

Once your vinegar cycle is done, sprinkle 1 cup of baking soda on the bottom of the dishwasher. Run a short cycle.

Step 6: Clean the Outside of your Dishwasher

If the outside is stainless steel, make sure to use stainless steel spray or wipes since all-purpose cleaners can leave streaks.

Enjoy your clean dishwasher 🙂