Spring Cleaning Checklist: How To Give Your Appliances Some Extra TLC

Spring is the perfect time for deep cleaning everything in your home, including your appliances. After all, your appliances are the lifeblood of your kitchen, living room, and laundry room, so ensuring they’re clean and well-maintained is essential. But with so many different appliances to clean, it’s easy to forget how to properly care for each one.

This spring cleaning checklist will help you give your appliances the TLC they deserve. We’ll cover everything from properly scrubbing down your oven to cleaning the lint filter in your dryer. With these easy-to-follow instructions, your appliances will be sparkling in no time.

Preparing for Spring Cleaning

Before you get started, ensure you have the right safety gear and supplies ready. For example, wear protective gear such as rubber gloves and face masks to protect yourself from the harsh chemicals used to clean greasy surfaces and heavy build-up. Also, ensure that your electrical appliances are unplugged before cleaning them.

Make sure you have the necessary cleaning supplies like sponges, towels, glass cleaner, baking soda, and any brand-name appliance cleaner or degreaser available. In addition, have a sturdy ladder handy for reaching high places, and use protective covers on your appliances when applicable, like a grill cover.

Cleaning the Refrigerator

Start by removing all the shelves, drawers, and other compartments from your refrigerator. Set their contents aside in containers or shallow pans to keep them safe while cleaning. Separately clean out the drawers and baskets by using a damp cloth or sponge with warm water and a bit of detergent. Rinse the items with plain water and towel dry before placing them back.

Next, mix warm water with a mild detergent or soap and spray down the inner surfaces of the refrigerator walls, paying particular attention to grease build-up areas around the light fixture and edges of door seals. Finally, rinse with plain water and use paper towels or a soft cloth to wipe away any remaining residue. If necessary, use a more powerful cleaning solution on stubborn stains.

To clean your refrigerator’s door handle and rubber gasket seal, mix dishwashing liquid with warm water and dampen a soft cloth or sponge. Next, gently scrub the handle and seal to remove any grease or grime buildup, being careful not to oversaturate the handle. Next, rinse with plain water and dry it with a soft paper towel. To ensure optimal performance, replace your refrigerator’s water filter at least once a year and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

Cleaning the Oven

Although ovens are designed differently, most newer models have pre-heating and self-cleaning features that simplify cleaning dirt and food splatters. Before cleaning your oven, check whether it has these features. If necessary, unplug your oven before proceeding.

Take all racks out from inside your oven one by one. Use gloves while handling them as they may be hot from previous uses in cooking meals or running self-cleaning cycles. Then, wash them separately using warm soapy water or toss them into your dishwasher for faster cleaning.

Use warm soapy water (or baking soda combined with enough water to form a paste) to scrub away baked-on food particles from interior surfaces (sides first) and the top corners. Use a sponge or non-abrasive scouring pads for the best results. Rinse thoroughly afterward with plain water before drying completely with soft paper towels.

To clean the door handles and gasket seal of your oven, use a soft cloth dampened with warm soapy water or baking soda paste. Gently scrub the handles and gasket seal, then rinse them off with warm water. Dry them completely with paper towels afterward.

Cleaning the Dishwasher

Begin by taking out all trays and racks inside your dishwasher one by one. Make sure to empty out any dishes in them first before washing them separately in hot soapy water.

After removing the trays and racks from the dishwasher’s interior, the sprayer arms should be given special attention. Discard old clogged-up food particles before scrubbing their surface gently using a non-abrasive scouring pad and warm soapy water. Rinse off thoroughly using plain, cool tap water and dry off completely afterward using a paper towel.

Gently scrub the door, handle, and the door seal with warm soapy water and a soft cloth. Afterward, rinse the area with cool water and dry everything using paper towels.

Cleaning the Microwave

Start by removing the turntable tray and covering the plate underneath it and various racks inside the microwave itself (the heat shield should also come out if present). Then, they can be washed separately in hot soapy water in the sink or dishwasher. Let soak before scrubbing gently using a non-abrasive scouring pad accompanied by the same liquid detergent used earlier.

After removing trays and racks from the microwave’s interior surfaces (including upper sides), sprayer arms should be given special attention to discard old clogged-up food particles first before scrubbing their surface gently using a non-abrasive scouring pad accompanied by warm soapy water. Next, rinse off thoroughly using plain cool, running tap water. Dry off completely afterward using a paper towel.

Next, mix a few spoonfuls of baking soda, and a few drops of white vinegar into a bowl filled halfway up its brim until a paste is formed. Then use a soft cloth or sponge dipped into this solution over interior walls, including the top turntable surface, ensuring no spots are left untouched. Rinse off using plain cool, running tap water, then dry off completely using a soft paper towel.

Finally, take some soft cloth dampened with warm soapy water (or baking soda paste if needed), give both door handles, and seal a gentle scrubbing rinse off with plain warm water afterward before drying off completely with paper towels if needed.

Cleaning Washer & Dryer

Begin by first inspecting the exterior surfaces, such as lids, doors, and hinges, for any dirt buildup, which can easily be wiped out using a damp cloth. Then proceed towards checking behind the washer and dryer where buildup may also occur due mainly to lint accumulating over time. You can try removing lint buildup manually or use a vacuum on a higher suction setting.

After inspecting the exterior surfaces, looking closer at the washer drum and the detergent dispensing area is important. If the machine has ever had clothes come out smelling musty, it may be time to clean the dispensing area. Again, follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully when doing this job.

The lint trap is located near the base or backside of the dryer unit and should be removed regularly and cleaned, making sure each crevice is wiped down effectively. Lastly, the vent pipe connected in the back should be inspected for any buildup and cleared accordingly. If not cleaned periodically the vent pipe could create a fire hazard, hence caution is advised.

Tidy Everything Up

Remove any dust or cobwebs hanging around exterior appliance surfaces, and wipe down each panel of steel doors and grill covers using damp paper towels and other materials specified in the manufacturer’s instructions. Finally, arrange storage shelves and reorganize countertops in order to get everything to look neat and tidy.

Conclusion

Spring cleaning your appliances can seem daunting, but with this checklist, giving your appliances the TLC they deserve is easy. Start by preparing your safety gear and supplies and familiarizing yourself with your appliances’ self-cleaning features.

Then, move on to the more detailed cleaning steps, such as removing the compartments and shelves from your refrigerator, scrubbing down the oven interior, and taking care of the door handle and seal of your dishwasher.

Finally, tidy up the exterior surfaces of your appliances, and you’ll be ready to enjoy a sparklingly clean home. With this checklist, you’ll give your appliances the extra attention they need and ensure they run in tip-top shape for years.