The 1 Cleaning Task You Should Never Skip In January

I don't know about you, but the period from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day is a blur of activity. While I try to keep everything clean and neat, I don't do much deep cleaning . But when the last decoration is put away, and the last celebratory meal is served, I know what my first January cleaning task will be: the kitchen. It's a bit of a deep clean, but there's no better feeling than having a sparkling clean oven and cabinets , an orderly pantry, and a refrigerator with no mysterious leftovers. Here's how you can start the new year with a clean kitchen.

Make A Cleaning Plan And Get To Work

I like to start by tackling the oven because most commercial and DIY cleaners need time to work. I place a big baking dish filled with water in the oven, set the heat to 400degrees F., and let the dish steam for about 30 minutes to loosen grease and burnt-on food. While it's steaming and cooling for about an hour, I can move on to other surfaces before cleaning the oven with a baking soda paste .

While it's cooling, I clean the outside of the kitchen cabinets . Six weeks of cooking have left a greasy film, food splatters I missed, and fingerprints. I have to grab a sturdy stepstool to dust the tops of the upper cabinets and the refrigerator. While I'm up there, I clean the range hood with a good degreaser or a 50:50 mix of distilled white vinegar and water, and toss the metal vent filters in the dishwasher. Of course, I always manage to drip some cleaning solution on my glass cooktop , so I clean it next and finish cleaning the oven.

Sort, Clean, and Donate

Now it's time to clear the counters, clean them, and put away any small appliances I don't use daily. I also take a hard look at all of my kitchen tools, sort them, and donate the ones that I never use. Why do I need four melon ballers?

The refrigerator is next. I overcome my inner guilt of wasting food and use a firm hand and the sniff test to get rid of leftovers, shriveled vegetables, and jars of condiments that are half-eaten and probably several years old. After wiping down the inside the shelves and drawers with a solution of warm water and baking soda, it sparkles. The freezer is also stocked with leftovers but cleaning it out can wait until after I have a big pot of soup is simmering.

The next task is cleaning out the pantry . I know you're just like me and bought ingredients like that can of coconut milk with all good intentions to bake a cake, or the assortment of bagged snacks that no one liked. If I don't plan to use these extras right away, I donate them to my local food bank. While the cupboard is "bare" take the time to wipe down shelves and use a vacuum to capture crumbs and spilled ingredients.

Finally, I clean the sink and freshen the garbage disposal. I have a hardwood kitchen floor, so I dust mop and then use a neutral, hardwood floor cleaner like Bona to remove sticky messes and bring back the shine. The washable rug in front of the sink gets tossed in the washing machine.

Finishing Touches

With the kitchen clean, I put out fresh towels, fill a bowl with camellias from the garden, light the candle on my clean counter, and make reservations at my favorite restaurant.

Read the original article on Southern Living