Over the last week we started deep cleaning each room of the house, one day at a time, focusing on the walls, ceilings, floors, doors, windows and most visible surfaces. By now your house is clean, for the most part. But, you still need to clean what’s within each room.

Today you will be deep clean the fridge and microwave . In addition, you will also deep clean kitchen surfaces and the sink, which hadn’t been tackled last week.

Well, let’s go…

Day 8: Deep Clean the The Fridge and Microwave

Even though you are already cleaning your fridge on a weekly basis, it does need a monthly deep clean from the inside out. And, the same holds true for the microwave.

Refrigerator shelves need to be taken down and washed and stale, expired food stuff needs to be thrown away. Spills on the microwave turntable need to be washed off and splatters of food on the inner surfaces of the microwave have to be cleaned up.I know it sounds like a lot of work, but it’s really not that difficult. And once it’s done, all you need to do is maintain it during your weekly cleanups.

Important Note:

Today’s Cleaning Plan

Daily Cleaning Tasks: How is your daily routine going? Do you just breeze through them as a matter of habit or do you struggle to get all your tasks done? If so, you might need to re-think your daily tasks. Could you do some of the tasks weekly? Or maybe every alternate day?

Weekly Cleaning Tasks: Surface clean the Kitchen as part of your weekly routine and spend some extra time deep cleaning it. Clean the floor and sink at the end, once you are done with all other kitchen tasks.

Monthly Deep Cleaning tasks

• Deep Clean all surfaces: Move away items and appliances from the kitchen counter, wash it down and wipe dry. Pay close attention to any stubborn stains and clean them off.
  Then wipe down the items and arrange them back onto the counter. Clean the exteriors of all cupboards and cabinets, paying attention to any spots or stains. Also, clean the doors, knobs, backsplash, light switches, etc.
• Deep Clean the sink: Spray some cleaner onto your sink and scrub it thoroughly, paying attention to corners and the drain area. Use a toothbrush to get into the corners, around the rim, and around the faucets. Finally clean the faucets.
• Deep Clean the Microwave: Clean the interior surfaces of the microwave to clean up any food splatters and accumulated grime and wash the turn table.
  Clean the exterior surface with a suitable cleaner. After you are done cleaning the interior, wipe down all exterior surfaces of the microwave – the door, the sides, the top, the door, buttons etc. Also, remember to clean the surface it sits on – counter/shelf.
• Deep Clean the fridge: Remove all the contents of the refrigerator and freezer. Throw away any old and expired items. Remove all the shelves and drawers and wash them thoroughly. Wipe down the internal surfaces of the refrigerator and freezer and finally replace the shelves and rearrange the items to be kept.

Download your Day 8 Checklist here

Tips to remember during the 30 Day House Cleaning Challenge

1. Before you begin, gather all the necessary tools and keep them ready. You could get yourself a cleaning caddy or just use a basket or box.
2. Decide on a specific amount of time that you can/will spend cleaning and set a timer. Work as quickly as you can within this time and don’t get distracted. (Except if it’s an emergency of some kind!)
3. Start cleaning from the top of the room and work your way down. This will prevent dust falling on surfaces that you have already cleaned.
4. Work from one side of the room to the other side, in a systematic matter, so that you don’t miss any spots.
5. When the timer goes off, stop working! You can catch up with what you have missed during your next cleaning session.
6. Use checklists to track your progress and to ensure that you don’t miss out anything. Checklists are especially useful in instances where you cannot complete a task and need to reschedule it.