Monday, March 05, 2007

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

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Does my impromptu kitchen cleaning count? I emptied everything from the refrigerator, tossed open containers b/c of sickness, organized the freezer contents while I was at it. The fridge, the stove, every surface, knob and even the floor were scrubbed with bleach solution. Refrigerator shelves and bins were rinsed in the sink. It took me over two hours. Luckily my cabinets were already straightened.

Monica Wilkinson said...

YES! You definitely get to count that! Consider yourself entered!

Anonymous said...

Hey Monica, love love love your new blogs look!!!!! beautiful! I love even more all the thought you put into it!!!
I won't be participating in yhe spring cleaning thing as all was done when we moved in. The house we are renting is brand new(love that) so all feels clean. I was careful about sorting through "stuff" when I packed, so all of that is done. I still have some organizing and unpacking to do could that count maybe???
Thanks for the motivation any way, If I had done this with you last year my move wouldn't have been so taxing! god bless, amy

Anonymous said...

oops, that would be God bless, as he always should be capitalized!!!

Monica Wilkinson said...

Hi Amy!

Sure! We can definitely count your organizing toward the drawing! Let me know as you finish unpacking them! :)

Great to see you yesterday! I'm glad you like the new look! I sure am enjoying it too! :)

Annie said...

Your kitchen looks great! :)
Here is my spring cleaning run-down from saturday:
I cleaned my kitchen from top to bottom, living room (this didn't require too much-I dusted, organized the "toy corner," and vacuumed the couches), I dusted all the pictures downstairs and cleaned my hardwood floors (which is the entire first floor and a big job with a hairy dog), I thoroughly cleaned and organized the master bedroom, my 18 mo. old daughter's room, and the guest bedroom. I also cleaned and organized 3 bathrooms,the laundry room, and all the bedroom closets (3) and linen closets (2). Luckily, I cleaned out my downstairs closet when we put away Christmas stuff. My husband cleaned the garage and helped me with some of the other tasks above. Our house is only a year old, so I think that makes things easier to clean. I would have posted pictures on my blog, but our digital camera is messed up.

Unknown said...

Does yesterday count? I cleaned my 21 year olds room from top to bottom, cleaned out his drawers, (which was almost scary to find something, umm, well he is 21) But I just couldn't stand it any longer, and my kids appreciate me keeping there rooms looking fresh! Rearranged his closet, work shirts on one end, he is a painter, nice clothes over here, please don't ruin any more clothes! Okay, Join the party

Jenn said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jenn said...

WEll, this weekend, Danny and Ryan's room got done. Blinds were dusted, windows/frame cleaned, ceiling edges, corners and walls dry dusted. beds aired and flipped, sheets and pillowcases changed, toys straightened, bureaus straightened, and carpet vaccumed....WHEW!

Also the dining room....since it's the easiest room I went off my schedule a lil bit. I always do that, and rarely have schedules...LOL Chandalier was a big dusting job...curio glass cleaned, wood wiped down, celing corners and sides dusted, walls washed from the kids messes, table and chairs wiped down, wood floor cleaned.

Susan P. said...

I love the new look of your blog, Monica! I especially loved how you told the meaning behind each picture! Today was the first day I have had some time to do some Spring cleaning since my MIL's heart attack. My family room needed a LOT of TLC and I was busy polishing, vacuuming, throwing out, sorting, and shining! One room down, a LOT more to go;)

Lisa said...

Great job on your kitchen.

I will start my cleaning Tuesday. Monday has been a very busy day for me. Haven't been home much at all.

Blessings
Lisa

Anonymous said...

Wow, Monica -- I'm tired just from reading the list of all you did in your kitchen! But it sure looks great -- well done! :)

Love, Mom

Anonymous said...

PS: I wonder where you got the taste for Coke and M&Ms??? Great music and great snacks for the job!

Love, Mom

Monica Wilkinson said...

Wow! Everyone is busy getting things clean! This is great! I'm amazed at how speedy of cleaners you are as you are getting entire houses done in one day and I did ONE ROOM! Oh my...

This drawing is getting competitive! :)

Monica Wilkinson said...

Sharon, you can definitely still join in - just let me know which rooms you've already done and we'll add your name to the drawing!