Purge those expired products from your kitchen shelves, ditch the clutter from your cabinets and get the fridge free of grease and grime for spring. Follow our budget-friendly and practical suggestions and let’s get cracking!  

1. The frightful fridge 

If you only tackle one area or item this spring, ensure it is your fridge. This is where kitchen nasties can lurk, from mould and bacteria to listeria, which aren’t killed by cold temperatures and can cause foodborne illness. “Prevention of messes is the first step to a clean refrigerator. When storing raw meat, poultry, or fish, be sure to separate them from other foods,” says Diane Wright Hirsch, Senior Extension Educator/Food Safety of the University of Connecticut. “Pre-treat the inside of the fridge with a simple, all-purpose cleaner,” advises Melissa Maker (@cleanmyspace) on YouTube. 

@elnazhamai DIY Fridge Cleaner! #fridgecleaning #diycleaner #fridgecleaner #cleanthefridge #hometips #elnazhamaitip #cleaningtipsandhacks #cleaningmotivation #cleankitchen #fridgecleanout ♬ Cool for the Summer – Sped Up (Nightcore) – Demi Lovato & Speed Radio

2. Kitchen-cabinet clear-out

This is often where the unwanted products lurk at the back of the shelf. YouTube cleaning expert, Melissa Maker (@cleanmyspace), says you should “Have two or three microfibre cloths handy and, of course, all-purpose spray,” along with a step stool to reach high shelves. She also advises donating cutlery that hasn’t been used for six months or more to charity to “free up some much-needed space”.      

3. The pantry of shame

This area can become a cluttered nightmare if you leave it for too long. Unpack everything on to a kitchen counter, advises @honeybobabear on TikTok, and “have a pile for keeping and a pile for donating”, once you’ve checked the labels for expiry dates. Following cleaning with a household cleaner, she vacuums any dust and debris away, before returning the ‘keep’ items, which can be organised into labelled baskets. Remember to place items at the front that are close to their expiry date, so they are used first!  

@elnazhamai DIY Fridge Cleaner! #fridgecleaning #diycleaner #fridgecleaner #cleanthefridge #hometips #elnazhamaitip #cleaningtipsandhacks #cleaningmotivation #cleankitchen #fridgecleanout ♬ Cool for the Summer – Sped Up (Nightcore) – Demi Lovato & Speed Radio

4. Don’t forget the oven 

It is the place we hate cleaning most, but it’s just as important to disinfect as the fridge. Store-bought oven cleaners can be effective but also highly toxic and expensive. For those reasons, it’s worth trying baking soda and vinegar, advises @CleanFreakGermaphobe on YouTube. “Make a thin, runny paste … the consistency of glue”, out of baking soda and water and “smear it everywhere on the oven, preferably for a couple of hours”, before spraying with vinegar for a great grease-buster that can simply be wiped off. 

Image: Pexels

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