Today is the first day of the first week of our Spring Cleaning Event! I can’t wait to get started and today we will begin the first week in the kitchen. 
I love this clean, white kitchen from Country Living! You may not have a designer kitchen but you can certainly have a neat, orderly, useful kitchen just like this one.
We’ll work the whole week this week on the kitchen and when we’re finished your kitchen will shine!
First things first ….. At some point during the 5 Weeks I will make a post for you to enter a drawing for something very nice that I have made especially for this event. You’ll be able to enter the drawing up to three times; once at the CHK site in the post by replying, once on Facebook and once on Twitter! I won’t tell you what I have made just yet …. but I will say that its cute, useful and I might even show you a small part of it in my next post. 
Let’s start today with the Refrigerator, Freezer and Oven. Come back here each day this week and post your progress. Encourage each other, and use the Mcklinky to share links to pictures of your progress if you like!
Here are some tips for cleaning the frig:
Clean out and throw away unusable or outdated food.
Re-wrap and package food that isn’t wrapped well.
Take everything out of the frig.
Make up a cleaning solution of either your favorite store-bought cleaner or, use a warm water-mild detergent mixture.
Be sure NOT to use hot water on refrigerator shelves or drawers that are glass. The sudden change in temperature can cause the glass to break!
Wipe down the insides of the refrigerator, clean out all the drawers and shelves and then replace the shelves and drawers.
Place a box or canister of baking soda in your clean refrigerator to absorb odors and excess moisture.
Wipe down all the contents of the refrigerator and replace them.
Be sure to gently clean the gasket or plastic seal around the door.
We’re going to clean under appliances tomorrow, but now is a good time to vacuum out from under the frig and vacuum the back of the frig, especially the fan and inside the motor. Be careful!
Cleaning the Freezer:
Most freezers are self defrosting or no-frost today. If yours needs to be defrosted go ahead and start the process.
Pull everything out of the freezer. If the food is not labeled, check the contents to see if it is still good and if it is, re-wrap and label.
Once everything is out of the freezer, and all the food has been sorted and re-wrapped if needed, place it all back in the freezer. Organize it as it goes in. Meat together, veggies together, etc.
Be sure to clean the gaskets or seals on the door.
Cleaning the Oven and Stove:
Most newer ovens are self cleaning. Follow your oven’s manufacturer’s instructions and get the process going.
If you have a Textured Oven or a Continuous Cleaning Oven, all you need to do is to wipe down the inside of the oven when it is cool. Hey … I want that kind of oven! haha.
If you have an oven that you need to clean, you can either use a chemical cleaner or you can use this method:
Ammonia Oven Cleaning Method:
This is a two day process.
Make sure you have windows open and good ventilation before using this method.
Heat the oven to 150* F. While the oven is heating, bring a pot of water to a boil. Leave two racks in the oven. Place a small glass bowl of ammonia on the top rack and the pan of boiling water on the bottom rack. Close the oven door.
Leave the ammonia and water in the closed oven over night.
Next day:
Open the oven and allow it to air for about 15 minutes before you start working.
Use kitchen gloves.
Wipe down the interior of the oven with a soft cloth.
Wipe down racks.
If racks are stained try putting them in a large garbage bag with about 1 cup of ammonia. Take the bag outside and let it sit for 1 hour. Open the bag outside and rinse off the racks.
Rinse the oven interior with clear water frequently while cleaning to cut down on fumes.
Do Not clean oven gaskets with ammonia. Use warm water to clean gaskets.
Do Not mix ammonia with any other cleaner or chemical.
Don’t forget to clean the stove top.
The next 4 days will include:
- Cleaning under appliances and cleaning floors – Tuesday
- Cabinets, other storage areas – Wednesday
- Counter-tops and small appliances – Thursday
- Woodwork and windows – Friday
Don’t stress if you don’t get everything done in a day! Just do what you can. Pick and choose what is important to you.
I’ll also be posting about how to de-clutter this week!
Questions? Other comments? Tips? Add them here in this post!
OK! … lets get busy ……… and if you want to post your progress or pictures feel free to use the McLinky below! I’d love to see how you’re coming along… plus you can share your blog and make new bloggie friends by using my Mcklinky! Please link back to this post and mention the 5 weeks! Thanks! Posts that don’t have anything to do with the 5 Weeks will be deleted.
About Sylvia
I’m going for the oven and stove this afternoon!
Glad to have you with me, Yvonne!
I got to thinking this morning as I was puttering around in the kitchen …. some may need a few tips about how to get started in an already messy kitchen… its hard to spring clean when there’s dishes and laundry sitting around.
So… get a load of laundry started, sort the rest of the laundry. Run a sink of hot soapy water. If you have a dishwasher, fill it up and run it. If you don’t, then go ahead and do those dishes before starting the frig/oven/freezer.
Use the hot soapy water to help you in your frig cleaning and to rinse off dishes that accumulate during the day.
Its all do-able! Hang in there!
Well, think I’ll be able to get the ‘frigerator cleaned today and the dishes washed up.
My ‘frig is so old and the seal are yuk-kee!!! How do you clean the nasty black stuff (mold?), w/ baking soda or a bleach solution.
Thanks Sylvia,
Patty
Hi Patty, glad you’re joining in this week!
First I clean the seals with hot water and dish liquid and a clean cloth. I have also used an old toothbrush to get in the small spaces. Then, I use bleach but that is a personal preference. I use a mixture of bleach and hot water to clean stains left by the mold.
Hey Silvia-
I am super excited about this series. No matter how established we are within our own routines, everyone needs a little push or motivation now and then. And the good Lord knows I am greatly in need at this point in time. I am so grateful that you have created this series, and I look forward to taking part and seeing everyone else’s results.
Do you have any tips for sinks, and especially drains. I am notorious for letting small misc food chunks down the drain and it tends to get stopped up. So I am looking for some on going tips, such as flushing the drains naturally, versus pumping draino down it every month.
Thanks so much.
Hi Serena,
Yes, I need that motivation too, in a big way! So I started a blog many years ago! haha
I have that problem too with the drains. The best thing I ever did was to get some of those wire mesh strainers and put in the sinks to trap the stuff before it gets into the drains.
Some clogs just won’t come out without a chemical but for small clogs I use boiling water and then vinegar or bleach to get rid of any odors.
Thanks for joining me!
I am super excited to be participating in this challenge! I stumbled across this site about one month ago and it has provided so much encouragement as a new child in Christ who has been a wife and mother for 10 years but has not had the diligence and patience to maintain a “home.” Thank you for being a blessing to others and providing encouragement, advice, and tools to assist me in turning my house into a “home.”
Hi Nicole, I am super glad to have you with us! You’re so kind and I appreciate the love. I hope you find lots of encouragement for cleaning in the next 5 weeks, too!
After a wild March, cleaning the fridge was at the top of my list this week. Perfect timing! I wonder if anyone but me uses just baking soda in a sink of warm water to clean the fridge??
Thanks for the inspiration to get moving today! Works always more fun together.
Yay!! I love Spring Cleaning! I got a jump start this weekend working on our bedroom, and Dave and I decided to spend the rest of this week working on it. So, I’ll be cleaning alongside you, but in a different room
I’m just glad to have you along, Kristen!
I’ve done my fridge/freezer. Tina, I have used baking soda and warm water in the past – this time I tried washing soda (called ‘soda crystals’ in the UK – no wonder I couldn’t find any for a long time!) and warm water, with just a few drops of dish detergent. That worked well as well – though washing soda is stronger so you probably don’t need as much as I used!
Silvia, I had to load the dishwasher and clear the countertops before getting started, so that’s a very good piece of advice!
I’m feeling really good about the job I’ve done so far, even though it isn’t perfect. There’s still a long way for me to go, but having a cleaned-out fridge makes me feel great! I’ll probably do the oven next. I think mine has a self-clean feature, but I have no idea how to use it, or what it does – can anyone help there? Otherwise I’ll get after it with some kind of cleaner (I haven’t got ammonia
). I looked underneath where the door connects to the oven…old french fries…Ewww!
Kristen, you are doing great!
Try looking online to see if you can find a manual for your oven make and model. There are alot of manuals like that online.
My frig is done … just trying to decide if I will need my oven today because the self-cleaning setting takes up to 4 hours.
You can also clean the oven with baking soda. I don’t know how well it works on really big messes. First turn the oven on 150*F, then when its heated turn it off. You wipe the oven floor with water, sprinkle on baking soda then spray the soda with water. Spray the baking soda with water several times over the course of a few hours. Then scrape the dried soda off …. hopefully with all the dirt!
I actually did the fridge a couple weeks ago so I’ve got a head start! But my oven def needs doing, so I’m so glad I came upon this today. It’ll be a great motivator to keep me on track.
So glad to hear it, Stacey!
Hi, Sylvia!
Well, the fridge and freezer are done!!! Yay! I don’t know if I will tackle oven yet today or not. I don’t really want to use that chemical cleaner, but I may have to. I have to admit that I have never cleaned an oven. I am a bit embarrassed about that! If I choose not to use the chemical cleaner, I will try your baking soda method tomorrow. I have to leave for work in a couple hours, so I don’t want to get started and not be able to finish it.
I, too, had to do a bit of clean-up before starting this morning. I had a whole sinkful of dishes from food I made yesterday to take for Easter at my grandma’s. So, while I had a pan full of hot, soapy water, I cleaned out all food/containers out of the fridge. I changed my water and “attacked” the fridge and freezer. Done!
Thanks for the continual encouragement, Sylvia!!
Good job, Nicole!
Started with the fridge this morning. Had one thing left to wash, when I heard CROAKING in the sink drain! The disposible side! By the time my son went to get his father, it had stopped(of course). Anyway the fridge is very sparkily now, inside and out! I’ve never been excited about cleaning. Hope I don’t lose steam by Wednesday. Thanks for the support
CRoaking!? Oh my, I hope your disposal didn’t ‘croak’
Try to hang in there. Just think about how beautiful the house will look when you’re done!
Stove, oven, and vent hood including fan are done! I am almost done with the fridge.
Yay Jennifer!
Thank you so much for doing this. I need help and direction and do well when someone tells me what to do. Blessings!!!
Dorene, I am so glad you can use it!
Good morning, Sylvia! You can count me in on the spring cleaning deal! I have to admit that I was a bit shocked and discouraged that SO much was planned for today! I have homeschooling and a baby!!!! But! I KNOW I don’t have to do it ALL today… I think I’ll shoot for the fridge. My daughter has cleaned it out before, when I was pregnant, and LOVED it! I’ll get her help!
Woo hoo!
That’s right, Diona! You have all week long to get the kitchen done. We’re going to chip away at it little by little…
Thank you so much Sylvia for putting this blog together… I have always struggled in the past on exactly how to get that good deep clean around the house. I loved that first post that I saw with the 5 days broken down into bite sized chunks of the different areas of the house done throughout the week… I can’t wait to get through this 5 week session….
Last week made great progress in kitchen and bathroom. I did not know that you were going to break it down even further… THANKS for your ministry in our lives… Titus 2:3-5. Well going to get started on fridge and stove….
Roberta, I think little by little we’ll get it done together. I’m so glad you’ve joined us!
Fridge is now done. I am getting ready to tackly my deep freezer. I just have to organize and make an inventory sheet. I may have to split this up to before and after my accounting test.
Jennifer, an inventory list for the freezer is a great idea!
I can see we are starting with the fun stuff first! LOL! Oh my fridge has been calling out to me for too long. I guess this is the kick in the butt I needed.
Though I doubt I’ll be brave enough to post a before picture. LOL
Blessings,
Kim
OK, Kim, consider this your “kick”
I am working hard in my kitchen, I changed what I was doing a bit as the Fridge was cleaned last Thursday before our monthly shopping trip, but I did get the top cleaned. I am also blogging about this journey.
Midge,
Be sure to put a link to your blog post in the Mcklinky so we can go read!
ooops!!! I’m in the “clean up the bathrooms…” today….(it was necessary….) but kitchen get ready, your day is coming….” (Wednesday , grandma’s birthday gives a little reprieve!!)
God Bless all of you 8 + )
That’s fine, Carmella! Maybe you can share tops when we get to the bathroom on week 3 !
Ok, so the oven is done (self cleaning, thankfully). I’ve got to do the stove top, finish the fridge and freezer. But I did get a load of laundry washed, and put in the dryer, the princess taken to Tumbling, and the red-headed monkey and her friend, blondie went with me to run a couple of errands. Everyone is down for naps now, so it’s off to finish the kitchen so I can go play outside, lol.
You’re doing great, Cecily!
So far it has been a very productive day! Feeling very good about myself! Now it’s time to go through the recipe books and plan my meals for the week. Can’t wait to stock the fridge, it’s so nice and clean. By the way, I still have the stoppers in the sink so the frog won’t come jumping out at me!
Thank you Sylvia
Kristin-
You are not alone. I think I have enough to plan a meal out of my little pocket between the door and oven. I dropped an apple cake, and obviously did not do as well cleaning up as I had thought.
And to top it off I found old bell pepper chunks around the seal of my freezer. Yum yum.
I just finished my frig and discovered that my cheese draw is broken! It has a crack from top to bottom. At least I do have a clean frig now! Now onward to find a replacement….
Guess what?!?!?! I’m done!! Fridge, freezer, stove top and oven are cleaned!!!! It is really amazing how good you feel when you look into a nice clean fridge! I threw out so much that I had to triple bag my trash bag. I even topped it off by cleaning out the trash can when I was done. I feel great! Tired, but great. Funny thing is, my kitchen is still dirty, lol…. I knew if I didn’t just start on the fridge and I tried to empty and reload the dishwasher first, I’d never get it started. So in a few minutes, I’ll go back in there and get that done, then I’m going outside to play!!
Way to go Cecily! You are fast. Go get some rest!
I am so excited about this challenge!! My fridge has never been so clean! Did the self cleaning this morning and now I’m cleaning the stove top. It feels so good to get things accomplished!
Yes it does feel good, Caryn! I’m so glad you’re joining us.
I’m getting a late start today, but I think I can do either the fridge or the oven. I’ve never cleaned an oven before, so that should be an adventure! >w<
I am sure you can do it, Miss Rose! Let us know how you’re doing.
I just got done taking all my before pictures, and listed all the things I would like to accomplish. I am going to start doing some of these things tonight after we get back from grocery shopping. The kitchen really needs this cleaning!
Looking forward to seeing your progress, Jen!
So today I browsed the internet looking for inspirational cleaning blogs, as I was ready to give up a friend (Serena!) posted this website on her Facebook! I thanked her soo much and started immediately! So far I’ve cleaned my fridge thoroughly inside and out. Moved it and cleaned the floors under. I cleaned my oven after letting it go for 6 months! I used some SOS pads, loads of water and good ol fashion elbow grease. I usually use an oven cleaner, but I did not have any on hand. I didn’t want to give up on this challenge so used what I had! I also moved my oven and cleaned the floors under it and the walls and sides of cabinets beside it.
I have 3 children, so my nice clean house is prone to looking like a disaster zone within seconds of cleaning. It’s actually caused me to become depressed and want to give up. Luckily I found this site and will not be alone in my journey to a clean house, slowly but prayfully surely!
Its so good to have you with us. I am really glad Serena told you! We’re with you, so hang in there!
I did everything, except the ovens. I’ll explain later in a post. Sir Husband just came home and pulled out the frig. for me to clean and mop behind. So good to have that done.
You did good, Michelle. Glad Sir Husband was on hand to move that frig, you’re one ahead now!
Well, it’s in the books, or the bucket as the case maybe! The bathrooms are cleaned up! With a fragrant aroma that will linger I’m thinking for a while. I dropped a bottle of perfume, it shattered, it was old. I kept it for a long time as the bottle was cute and tiny.
My dear husband thought everything smelled and looked great….Oh he made my day!!
Blessings!
That’s the sweetest thing! I’m so glad you got your bathroom clean today and blessed to know your hubby is so pleased!
I am DONE for today! Fridge and freezer, stove, oven, vent hood, and kitchen sink. I even got my inventory checklist made for the deep freeze and laminated hanging up in the laundry room.
Jennifer, you’re amazing! Yay!
Hi Sylvia et al.
Okay, here’s where I started. First of all, I cleaned and organizized the food storage room in the basement. Yay! It’s all done and everything looks so nice and neat on the shelves. We organized our pots and pans and believe me, we, or I have lots of them. My husband even dared to suggest that we get rid of some. I told him to wash his mouth out with soap—of all the nervy things to suggest. Heehee just kidding. I did, in fact, send some things to an organization similar to the salvation army. Now I’m ready to clean the refrigerator, but I will do it tomorrow after I return from some charity work I do on Tuesdays. So I guess I’ll be a little behind all of you, but I’ll catch up. Good luck and happy cleaning to you all. Thanks Sylvia for organizing this Spring Cleanup for us.
You’re so welcome, Marly. I’m glad you got so much done. I would have to agree with you about what I might say if my hubby suggested such a thing!
I am so excited to participate in the 5 weeks! I cleaned the fridge today. Wiped everything out and threw away old food. We were supposed to do freezer and oven as well, but I actually just did the freezer a couple weeks ago, and the oven got a good self clean a when I spilled a bunch of stuff at Christmastime. I’m due to have a baby at the beginning of June, so this is fitting well into my nesting as well as my spring cleaning! Yeah! I’m so excited to read about how everyone does with all the cleaning!
Emily you are doing so well! Doesn’t it feel good to have that done?
I got on here a little late today, but very excited to have a guide for Spring Cleaning. Getting it day by day should help me to keep from feeling overwhelmed. We just moved into our home In Jan, so there is not a lot of hard cleaning that needs to be done. This in encouraging to me since I would hate to be starting when it is gross dirt and grime. My goal is to keep up with things like this. I also have a 3yr and a new baby in the house (born 19days after we moved in), so the less I have to concentrate on it the better.
Will be doing the fridge today and oven tonight after they are in bed.
That sounds like a good plan, Sabrina. Just a little at a time will get it all done!
I am an Orthodox Christian and we call the week following Pascha (Easter) “Bright Week”. I thought that kind of fits with the idea of “brightening” the home, filling it with freshness and cleanliness and joy. So hi ho, here I go…off to the stove/oven. It feels so good! I like this idea of doing a little each day. I tend to want to do it all at once. Then I wind up cranky and tired. The fridge if full of fresh Pascha food from yesterday, so that will have to wait until we eat some of it away.
Christ is Risen!
Shelley
Shelley I think that is a beautiful idea. Thank you so much for sharing it!
Hey, Sylvia, thanks so much for putting this together. I gotta be honest with you…I;m not doing my kitchen this week. Reason is, I cleaned out my fridge last week in prep for grocery shopping, and I defrosted my big freezer last weekend, and I don’t have oven cleaner OR ammonia right now. Plus I have an absolute mountain of laundry to catch up on and I need the kitchen sink for that. So I’m not doing my kitchen. Instead I started in my bathroom today. It’s not done yet, I still need to wash the rugs and the shower curtain and wash down all the walls. But it’s a small room so I can probably get it done by midweek. And then during the week you clean the bathroom, I will do my kitchen! Does that sound OK?
Megan, its perfectly OK not to do exactly what we’re doing … we’re all different and we’ve all got different stuff going on around us. I will be your cheerleader while you get that laundry and bathroom done, OK?
Well, I managed to get the fridge and freezer clean. That was quite a task, since it had been a while. I threw out all the old, re-wrapped, took the drawers and shelves outside for a good washing, while I had the fridge pulled out, I swept and mopped behind and under it. Once the fridge/freezer was complete I tore into the biggest counter in the kitchen, decluttering and cleaning it.
) (Just didn’t seem right for that counter to be such a mess with the fridge sparkling.) Hubby was very happy, he had been complaining for a week about the “nasty” fridge. I would have accomplished the entire kitchen today, as was my intention, but the weather was in the upper 80′s and sunny, so I got a little side tracked while tending the children, chickens, and goats. Oh well, I will have plenty of time when it is rainy and cold at the end of the week. Off to finish the 18 loads of laundry created from stripping 5 beds now. Thanks for this challenge I needed it. God Bless you all and your wonderful ministry. It is a breath of fresh air for this disorganized Mama. 
Heather, you have gotten so much done! Good for you! Doesn’t it feel good?
I can’t believe what all we got done yesterday and in a short amount of time. It helped that I paid the girls with chocolate. LOL
Oh chocolate would work for me, definitely!
Ack, I want to join but I’m already behind.
Don’t stress Molly! Just pick up where you can. Some of the ladies are even doing different rooms.
My oven is being cleaned right now. It is smoking up the house, which is why I hate to clean it. lol All windows are open and a fan is in one of them blowing the smoke out. cough…cough…. This proves that cleaning the oven is bad for your health. ROTFL
I’m going to pay myself in chocolate for this job.
Erma Bombeck once said ….. “Housework, if done properly, will kill you.” Now you know the truth in those words. LOL
p.s. give yourself a raise.
I’m so glad to be a part of your spring cleaning event. I cleaned out the fridge and freezer, the stove and microwave, and even the dishwasher. You’ve got me motivated!
Blessings,
Marcia
I guess I’m a little late in starting but I needed a push to get going.
Thanks for this push!
Blessings and love,
Debbie
Between co-op classes, a 2 hour dr appointment for a 4yr checkup and a funeral last night, I only managed to throw all the old food out. But, I’m glad for that. I did give the fridge a cleaning last week before my daughter’s bday so that will help the rest of the cleaning go faster, but I still have to do the oven. Now, on to today’s tasks!!
Wish I had found this yesterday, then I would be on track. But the fridge and freezer are clean and running again… I was getting ready to cook breakfast Sat. morning and realized it wasn’t as cold as it should have been, so we spent all morning emptying it out, cleaning inside and outside, over and under. Still wouldn’t work right, so hubby went and brought a new fan motor yesterday and replaced it. I have a few things in it now, been waiting and watching that the temp stays steady before bringing everything back in from the old fridge in the garage. Tomorrow I will do the stove/oven, and the counters and such. Sorry so long a post, but thanks a bunch for this spring challenge!
Thank you for this event. and the motivation!
Many Blessings,
Melanie
http://www.homesteadmel.com/3/post/2010/04/5-weeks-to-a-clean-organized-home-week-1.html
Thanks for getting me motivated. My kitchen is looking good!
I’m so glad! Be sure to enter the drawing for the apron, Kerry. Its open to everyone.
I would love to join in….I just found this site today
Brenda, please just jump in anywhere. I am so glad you’ve joined us and I hope we can be a blessing to you!
Just found this site today, and it will get me motivated! Thanks, I’m always looking for what-to-do-when
Glad to have you with us! I hope we can be a help and encouragement to you, Suzi.
Thanks for these tips. They are great.