Now that the warm weather is finally here, it’s time to catch up on your long-overdue cleaning projects. It’s easy to put off organizing, washing, and scrubbing the inside of your cabinets and pantry because of the work involved. Even though this project may not be much fun, the results are worth doing the job.
Step One: Take Everything Out of the Cabinets
Start off by opening one cabinet and removing all of its contents onto your counter or kitchen island. Go through the dishes and containers once you have them removed so you can throw away any dishes that are chipped. If the dishes you are keeping have collected any dust, add them to the dish washing pile. You can also use this time to throw away any food items that were stuffed all the way in the back of the cabinet and past its shelf life. Repeat the process for all of your cabinets one at a time.
BONUS TIP: Make it fun! Put on a cleaning day playlist and treat yourself to a glass of wine (or beverage of your choice). Cleaning your home can be something you look forward to doing as long as you keep a positive mindset and mix in things you enjoy along the ride.
Step Two: Ready Your Cleaning Supplies
Once you have your cabinets emptied, you’ll want to wipe down the inside with an all purpose cleaner. You can look into conventional store-bought cleaners or even try homemade recipes for green cleaning solutions. During this process you might notice a buildup of grease inside, or even on the exterior surface, from months of cooking.
Here’s where we can add some spice to this experience by making our own degreaser. Start with a clean, empty spray bottle. Mix two cups of warm water with a tablespoon of baking soda and 20 mL of essential oil. Shake it together after you seal the bottle with the sprayer.
Now we can put the degreaser to use. Simply spray the greasy area liberally with your degreaser and wipe down with a clean rag.
Step Three: Cleaning Checklist
So you have your cabinets emptied and you’ve been working on cleaning the inside shelves. While you have everything out you’ll want to be as thorough as possible with the cleaning. Scrub down the walls and inside of the doors with your all purpose cleaner. Move on to cleaning the exterior panels and the exteriors of the doors.
Make sure to clean the handles or knobs as well, while focusing on the areas between the cabinet doors. If your handles are greasy as well, spray them down with the degreaser and let the solution sit for a few minutes to help break down the grime.
Step Four: Organize Your Items
Congratulations! The hard part is over and your cabinets are sparkling clean. Now you have to reverse the process and put everything back in. Take this time to put an effective method of organization into use. You can add new dividers into your cabinets to designate areas for specific purposes, like having a section for your cereal and a section for your oatmeal.
Think of applying labels to your sections so you’ll know where certain pots or bowls are even if they’re hiding all the way in the back. Since you’ve already decluttered your cabinets by throwing away old dishes and expired food, organizing the things you are keeping should go much smoother.
Now that your cabinets are fully clean and everything is back in order, you can relax and enjoy the feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction. With everything inside organized, you can rest assured knowing you don’t have to worry about a cascade of dishes or containers potentially falling on you every time you open a cabinet door.
