Wamp: Spring Cleaning

I am finally done traveling until the wedding! {September} As much as I love and appreciate all the traveling we get to do .. sometimes I just need time to catch up on home and life in general. I've decided to take the month of May to complete my

Yes! A time to clean things that NEVER get cleaned, organize things that need a place, and get rid of things which are no longer necessary {this is my FAVORITE part} ... You'll learn why when I get to the Blog Challenge "What Is Your Dream Job".

Anyways I thought I would share with you my spring cleaning as I go through it and show you some tips and tricks on what I do to make things easier or cleaner.

The first thing up was the kitchen! While this is usually the room that gets cleaned most often I think its the room that doesn't get deep cleaned enough.

I started with my drawers ...

First - I went through every drawer and got rid of anything that was broken, expired, rusted, items I had no use for anymore and items I had too many of (i.e. whisks, cans of peas, etc.). I put together a box for donations and threw away the rest.

Second - I swept out and wiped down the bottoms of all the drawers {talk about crumb-central-station}

Third - I lined all the drawers with new contact paper {my drawers didn't have any to begin with but I would suggest at least checking it once a year and changing out any pieces that have ripped, bubbled or stained.

BEFORE

Junk Drawer

Pantry Drawer #1

Pantry Drawer #2

AFTER

Junk Drawer - After

Pantry Drawer #1 - After

Pantry Drawer #2 - AfterAfter all the drawers were complete {there was a total of 11} I moved on to the small appliances that you might not always think of ...

Toaster: Clean out all the crumbs in the bottom {this helps keep little pests away too}

Microwave: Wipe out the insides and wash the microwave plate. I don't remember where I heard this but its has always stuck in my head:

You can always tell the cleanliness of a person's home by looking in their microwave.

Keurig Machine: This one I try to do at least twice a year. I LOVE my Keurig Machine and I have had it for {knock-on-wood} 5 years and I would be heart broken without it. I use the tutorial listed below to clean mine and keep it running!

Side Note: You'll need to fill the reservoir and run plain water through more than once ... I would say three times to really get rid of the vinegar taste.

On to the BIG appliances ... I started with the one I hate the most ... The Oven.
I've seen all the pins on Pinterest about cleaning ovens naturally {using baking soda, vinegar, etc.} but to be honest, the normal oven cleaning solution works best for me.

Now I had not cleaned my oven for quite some time and there must have been a major spill at some point. I sprayed and scrubbed and sprayed and scrubbed but I had to resort to something I learned from my grandpa. The Razor Blade. Anytime something is caked on glass or a flat hard surface I use a razor blade to get the crap off. Its SO much easier and I believe get's it SO much cleaner.

Moving on to the other big appliances I cleaned out and wiped out my fridge {I do this every time I go grocery shopping so it wasn't too bad}. I did however, replace the open box of baking soda that I leave in my fridge to absorb any food odors.

I also clean my dishwasher every time I use it so I didn't have to do anything to that either. And no, I'm not considering washing the dishes ... washing my dishwasher. You see, when I used to run my dishwasher all the dishes end up smelling funky for some reason ... they are clean ... but they smell. So I started putting in 2 drops of Young Living Purification Essential Oil in with the dish soap with each load. Now I have no smells and my dishwasher remains Squeaky Clean.

**If your interested in learning more about Young Living Essential Oils, check out my friend Marie's blog and access to purchase them**

Last ... but certainly not least ... I cleaned out, refilled and wiped down all my spice jars. I have a cupboard full of all kinds of spices {most in bulk} and then I have a smaller collection of my most used spices in little jars by the stove. Those are the ones that I refill and wipe down. I also filled the jars that I have for flour, sugar, and brown sugar.