Cleaning Your Appliances Inside & Out
Fresh & Clean, From Top To Bottom And Everywhere In Between!
If you haven’t cleaned your appliances in the last few weeks or even months here’s your reminder to get it done! Not sure what’s the best way to clean that dishwasher? Or maybe you didn’t even know you needed to clean your dishwasher? That’s where we come in! From the fridge to the microwave, get the low down on cleaning those dirty appliances inside & out!
Cleaning Your Refrigerator
Remove all food items from your fridge—now is the time to start fresh so toss any expired, empty, unusable, or disliked items. Also be sure you take out any removable drawers and shelves. Using a non-toxic cleaning spray, like Boulder Clean Disinfecting Spray or All-Purpose Cleaner, wipe down the inside of your refrigerator. To clean shelves and drawers, you can also use spray, or if your drawers and shelves are extra dirty and sticky, you can use Boulder Clean Liquid Dish Soap and warm water to give them a good scrub! Be sure all surfaces are dry and any remaining spray is wiped away. Replace your shelves and drawers and return your food items to the refrigerator. After you’ve cleaned the inside of your fridge, it’s time to tackle the outside. If you have a stainless refrigerator, you can use Boulder Clean Granite + Stainless Cleaner for extra shine and protection, we also recommend hitting the high touch areas (think the handle, water/ice dispensing buttons ect.) with a little disinfectant!
Cleaning Your Dishwasher
There are a lot of methods to cleaning your dishwasher, but our favorite comes from Better Homes & Gardens. Their multi-step method to cleaning your dishwasher will cover any and all areas (even those that are usually overlooked), leaving you with a squeaky clean dishwasher!
Step 1: Clean the Door
Keep the dishwasher door fingerprint-free by wiping the outside with Boulder Clean’s Granite + Stainless Cleaner or Disinfectant. Avoid scouring pads that might scratch the dishwasher’s finish. When the door is clean, wipe it dry with a soft cloth. Wipe away tricky fingerprints and smudges with a little dish soap and water.
Open the dishwasher door so you can get at its top and sides. Dip a small toothbrush in hot, soapy water, and scrub around the door. Make sure you dig into the grooves of the rubber seal and any other crevices, including the hinges. Wipe up the resulting grime with a household sponge dipped in hot soapy water. Wipe away any cleaning solution left behind with a clean, wet sponge.
Step 2: Clean the Tub
Before you start cleaning the tub, use a handful of paper towels to grab any debris from the base of the dishwasher. You’ll find most of the debris around the drain. Once the debris is removed, you’ll want to run a cycle to clean the dishwasher. (It should be run empty.) You can use one of several DIY dishwasher cleaners. Here’s how to clean a dishwasher with vinegar: simply set a dishwasher-safe cup of plain white vinegar on the top rack. Then run a full cycle, choosing the hottest water possible to disinfect the unit while it’s being cleaned. When the cycle is done, wipe out the inside of the dishwasher with paper towels or a clean, dry cloth.
Step 3: Clean the Accessories and Parts
Next, clean the dishwasher accessories and parts. Take out the racks and utensil holders. Wipe off any stuck-on food particles or other debris. Scrub the spray arm with a soft brush or toothbrush to remove clogs.
Step 4: Clean the Dishwasher Filter
To access the dishwasher filter, pull the bottom rack all the way out. The filter is usually located in one of the bottom, back corners of the appliance. If your filter is removable, twist to remove it from the dishwasher and rinse under hot running water to remove food particles and other debris. Wipe out the area beneath the filter inside the dishwasher with a damp cloth, sponge, or toothbrush. Once clean, add the clean dishwasher filter back into place.
Note that filters vary greatly across appliances. Refer to your owner’s manual for specific instructions on how to clean your dishwasher filter.
The best way to clean a dishwasher is by doing a thorough cleaning once a month and tackling smudges and splatters on the exterior as they happen!
Cleaning your Microwave
Even if you use your microwave on a regular basis, it’s easy to forget it’s a germ hotspot that needs to be cleaned on a regular basis, both inside and out! Over time your microwave handle and buttons will see a buildup of grime, and the interior will likely have a buildup of food splatter, crumbs, and even unpleasant smells! To clean your microwave use Boulder Clean Disinfectant or All Purpose Cleaner. While cleaning the exterior, if you’re concerned about liquid seeping into the buttons, you can spray disinfectant directly on a cloth, and then wipe it down. For the interior, you can spray directly on to the bottom surface. For the top and sides, it’s best to spray on a cloth first, before wiping up stains and splatters. Most importantly, make sure you’ve wiped all the disinfectant out of your microwave, and that it is fully dry before using.
Cleaning Your Stove
The trick to cleaning your stove, is to stay on top of it. Get to those spills and stains as they happen, rather than letting them sit for a few days. Of course, you’ll have to wait for your stovetop to cool, but once it does wipe up any messes with an all purpose cleaner. If you find yourself with two, three, even four-day old spills—don’t fret! Simply soak the mess in all purpose cleaner for a few minutes and wipe clean. If the simple spray, soak and wipe method doesn’t do the trick, soak the mess again, then gently scrape any stuck on food with a single edged scraper, and wipe clean!
How to Clean a Washing Machine
Regularly wipe down the exterior of your washing machine with an all purpose cleaner, make sure you hit the door handles and buttons! Don’t forget about the interior of your washing machine —yes, it sounds strange as it cleans our clothes, but after several cycles of heavy washing, imagine all the dirt and grime that has settled on the surfaces of your washer… it needs to be done.
To clean your washing machine Architectural Digest recommends the following:
- Measure out two cups of distilled white vinegar and pour it directly into your washing machine’s detergent dispenser. Set the washer to run on its longest cycle at its hottest temperature.
- Sprinkle half a cup of baking soda directly into the drum of the washing machine and run it on the same settings (highest and hottest).
- Run another cycle (hottest and longest again) without vinegar or detergent.
When you cleaning your washing machine, it’s hard to forget about it’s best friend—the dryer. Wipe your dryer exterior regularly, as you would with your washer. As for the interior—always, always, always, clean out the lint screen or filter before every load. It’s also a good idea to regularly check the lint trap (where the screen sits) and remove any debris and buildup.