34 Weeks of Clean Rinse and Repeat- Week 6 The Dreaded Stove and Loose Ends

OK friends, with your recipes done we are ready to embark on our final push for the kitchen.  After this we will really only spend one week in each "area" of our house so be ready for some serious digging in!

But this week- we should have called this "the week that almost did not happen!"  Seriously!

The first time we tackled 34 Weeks of Clean my friend, Cristi, from Through the Calm and Through the Storm reminded me of Kitchen Countertops!  I personally did that when we did the cabinets, but failed to mention it to you. SOOOOOOOOO, if you have not tackled that area yet, today is the day.  Clear them off, clean them up, and see if you can keep them clear!  Now THAT is the challenge.  In our family we each have a water bottle that we drink out of, a different color for each person.  Because I got weary of them being all over the house, I gave in and put a basket on our kitchen counter for the water bottles to be held.  Somehow they make it close, but seem to not make it in. Let's just say we are still in training!

I challenge you to only put half of what you take off those counter tops back- it might seem stark at first but you will be surprised at how much neater it will look and how much more prep space you will have.  Out with the clutter, my friends!

And the loose ends- are you ready?



The Stove/Oven and Microwave, tops of cabinets, windows, blinds, and light fixtures.  Hang in there - I promise this is the end of this room!  The good news is that after this deep cleaning we should only need a light weekly maintenance to keep it sparkling.  At least that is my story and to keep you as friends I am sticking to it.

So our final push-

• Clear/clean off any counter top space you have!  Get rid of the piles you have sitting there (I KNOW I can't be the only one) and resolve to not let them creep back up on you by next week, or tomorrow!  See, the water bottles CAN be contained! ;)

 

 

• Microwave- Clean it!  Inside and out!! This is a good job for teens, just saying! ;)

•  Stove/Oven- This is a good job for a maid, but since I cannot convince my hubby I need one, I guess I am the one tackling this one.  Yay for automatic oven cleaners, yuck for the burnt smell no matter what.  I admire you who can keep the bottom of your oven clean.  I am not one of those people (obviously). I have tried. I have failed.  Crack your door or window if you can to get rid of the smell!

I do love a gas stove, but I do not love this one!  Too many spaces for crumbs to fall through and hard to clean.

Yes, it was THAT bad.  Full disclosure and no judging, please!  My hero husband came to the rescue and did this project for me while I was gone one day. This is what I came home to-

Yes, this scared me a little!

It is now back together and looks great!

And the oven!

Just recently because of this beauty...

I ended up with this mess.  Now, my oven is never spotless, but I assure you it is not usually this bad.  And while that dessert was worth it, it did take a while to clean! 

This time around, I sprinkled it with baking soda, added white vinegar and heated the oven up!  After it cooled, I scraped off the mess and wiped it down!

 

It's not perfect, but it is MUCH better!

•  Tops of cabinets.  While I do like the fun decorative space they provide, when I build my own house someday I am putting in cabinets that go all the way to the ceiling. Until then, the dust must go!  Make sure you not only take all that decorative stuff off the tops and wash off the LAYERS of dust, (anyone else?), but then also take the time to vacuum or wipe the layer of dust off the cabinets.

• If you have blinds in your kitchen, now is the time to wash them down.  You can dust them on a regular basis, but they do occasionally need a good, deep cleaning!  I have taken ours down in the past and put them in the tub, but our current ones are wood so I just do them slat by slat.  Remind me if I ever get to build my dream home- NO BLINDS!!  Ugh, they are a pain to keep clean.  If you have curtains (smart you!), just wash them and rehang.  While you are there, wash those windows and wipe down the ledges!

• And last but not least, wipe off any light fixtures you may have in your kitchen, replace any burned out light bulbs, and check your fire extinguishers!  If you do not have one, small but handy ones can be purchased at your local Walmart or such.  Consider that your friendly public safely announcement. You are welcome.

Wow!  We are DONE with the kitchen!  Take a step back, admire your hard work and pat yourself on the back!  Imagine me cheering yay you!  You did it!  

Let me also take a second to encourage you to keep moving forward.  We all have busy lives.  Some weeks are crazier than others.  Some times we gets lots done, other times we should just celebrate that the children got fed and bathed, right? 

Thank you again to Redeemed and 621 gifts for their gracious donation of prizes for our final drawing.  Keep sharing those pictures on our Facebook page to not only stay in the drawing, but to encourage and spur others on!  You all are AWESOME and I love the community you are creating!

Until next week - Happy cleaning and many blessings,