Day 4: Deep Clean

Sara Kate Gillingham
Sara Kate Gillingham
Sara Kate is the founding editor of The Kitchn. She co-founded the site in 2005 and has since written three cookbooks. She is most recently the co-author of The Kitchn Cookbook, published in October 2014 by Clarkson Potter.
published Oct 3, 2013
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(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)
(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Day 4: Thursday, October 3
Assignment: Deep clean every part of your kitchen

Here is one of my favorite tasks. I know, some people think I’m crazy, but cleaning a kitchen is one of the most rewarding chores. There are some places in a kitchen that can go years without attention, then suddenly you notice the grime and the grease and cleaning it up feels so liberating, you could just sing. Okay, maybe not all of you, but that’s how it goes in my house. Whether you like it or not, today is the day, so crank up the music, change into your sloppiest sweats and tee-shirt, don the rubber gloves, and get going.

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Today’s Assignment (estimated time: 1-3 hours)

1. Take before photos of a big mess: This might sound scary, but know that when you post the “after” shot you’ll get a big round of applause from all of us. Post them to social media using the #kitchncure hashtag.

2. Clean all remaining un-cleaned surfaces: Your kitchen should be totally clean after this assignment, as in eat-off-the-floor clean. Not just the surfaces, but the appliances too. By now the inside of your refrigerator and pantry cabinets should be clean, but now you need to hit the rest. Clean your floors, oil your butcher blocks, get the grit out of the seal around your fridge, yes with a Q-tip. Wipe down the top of the fridge, the outside of the cabinets and the inside of the cabinet under the sink. The whole nine yards. Step back and think about the nooks and crannies you’ve never cleaned. Take my magnetic knife rack, for example: if I don’t regularly remove all the knives and run a damp cloth across the top edge, it develops a thick fluffy layer of dust. You know you have things like this in your kitchen. Go deep.

There is a whole channel on The Kitchn about housekeeping and cleaning, so explore those posts for ideas, tips, and recipes for DIY cleaning solutions. Here are a few to help get you started:

3. Post your progress. Show off your work on your social media accounts. Have one of those nifty Diptic apps? Give us a side-by-side before/after. (Don’t forget to tag your work with #kitchncure.)

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  • Questions? Comments? Pictures? Email us at kitchncure@thekitchn.com
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(Images:

Leela Cyd Ross

Shutterstock/PRILL)
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