Summary: From Chaos to Calm: Day Thirty-Four Cleaning the Kitchen Appliances Scripture Memory: “He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the LORD.” Psalms 113:9 Download the .pdf version of this article. Cleaning the kitchen appliances. This has to be one of my least favorite jobs! However, it is something that must be done - and done frequently - in order to maintain a sanitary kitchen environment. As part of your weekly routine, schedule a day to scrub and clean the kitchen appliances. Since this involves cleaning out the refrigerator, a good day to schedule this task would be the day before you do your weekly grocery shopping. Some appliances, such as a food processor, a blender, or a juicer should be cleaned and wiped down each time you use them. This prevents the build up of grime and grease. Other appliances are more easily cleaned on a weekly basis. These are the appliances we will be looking at today. The Refrigerator 1. Unplug refrigerator. Manufacturers warn to unplug the refrigerator before washing. Be careful not to splash lights and wires while you are cleaning. 2. Remove food from refrigerator to the counter top. 3. Remove drawers and shelves. 4. Using hot sudsy water, wipe down the inside of the refrigerator. Be sure to clean the walls and inside the gaskets. Work from top to bottom. 5. For nasty stuck on spills, make a paste with water and baking soda. 6. Really hot water may crack glass shelves so be careful. 7. If you have mold or mildew in your refrigerator, use a bleach solution to disinfect. However, using too much bleach will cause the refrigerator to smell like bleach. 3/4 cup bleach to 1 gallon of water. Do not clean and disinfect in one step. Clean first, and then disinfect. 8. Wash the shelves and drawers with hot sudsy water and replace them when finished. 9. Wipe off any sticky food containers before replacing them in the refrigerator. 10. Plug the refrigerator back in when you are done. Microwave 1. Place a mug filled 3/4 with water inside microwave. 2. Heat water for 1 - 2 minutes. Allow the water to stay in microwave for another minute before removing. 3. Carefully remove water from microwave. You may want to use a towel or pot holders to remove the water. Caution is needed. 4. Remove glass plate (turntable) from microwave and place in a sink of hot sudsy water. 5. Use a sponge or damp cloth to wipe out microwave. Rinse as needed. 6. Wash glass plate. Allow to dry and return to microwave. Toaster Oven 1. Unplug toaster oven and remove crumb tray and empty into trash can. 2. Place tray in hot sudsy water and wash. 3. Brush remaining crumbs from bottom of toaster oven. 4. Use glass cleaner to clean outside of toaster over. 5. Return crumb tray. Toaster 1. Unplug toaster. 2. Empty crumb tray over trash can. 3. Use a sponge and all purpose cleaner to wash the outside of the toaster. Can Opener 1. Unplug can opener. 2. Remove can opener blade and wash in hot sudsy water or place in dishwasher. (You may want to clean this at the end of each day.) 3. Wash outside of can opener with a damp sponge and all purpose cleaner. These tasks may seem mundane, tedious, or plain out right drudgery. However, remember that as a virtuous woman seeking God’s will for your life, that whatever task is at hand is a task to be done with a willing spirit, and a cheerful heart. How would you feel if you no longer had a refrigerator to clean and no way to purchase a new one. Your life would be so different! We can praise God for simple things like refrigerators. Tomorrow we will look at how to clean the stove. For now, pour yourself a cup of herbal tea with lemon and sit back and praise God for a job well done! Tip: If you have stainless steel appliances, use baby oil, mineral oil, or olive and a flannel cloth to buff the stainless steel to a shine after cleaning. Click to Listen Free Printable
