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Appliances Expert Tips Interiors Addict

Refresh your home with these 7 easy spring cleaning tips

Nothing clears the mind like a deep spring clean after a (very!) wet and cold winter. Spring is the perfect time to find cleaning inspiration to freshen up your home, but rather than repeating your usual cleaning process, this spring brings a chance to treat your house to a professional grade clean.

These seven tips provided by Appliances Online’s category expert Colin Jones will help make this year’s spring clean a breeze.

Tip 1: microwave

Your microwave may develop a bad food smell from overuse throughout the year. Place one cup of water and two tablespoons of white vinegar with some freshly squeezed lemon juice in a bowl and microwave for five minutes.

Tip 2: washing machine

Over time, musty smells may begin to develop in your washing machine, which can go through to your clothing. Add one cup of apple cider vinegar into the dispenser of your machine and run it empty on a full cycle.

Tip 3: oven

This is a step-by-step guide for a cleaner oven:

  1. Mix ½ cup baking soda with water until it is a spreadable paste-like consistency
  2. Using a brush, smear the entire inside of your oven and oven door, and leave it overnight (trick: you can also use this to clean your oven racks and trays)
  3. In a spray bottle, mix a combination of vinegar and water and spray the inside of the oven, using a damp cloth to remove the residue. Some harder to remove bits may require a scraper to remove entirely.

Tip 4: cooktops

  1. Mix ½ cup baking soda with lemon until it is a spreadable paste-like consistency
  2. Apply it to the cooktop in a circular motion
  3. Wipe down the cooktop with a damp cloth and use a good paper towel to dry  

Tip 5: rangehood filters

Rangehood filters are a key part to your rangehood and these should be kept clean;

  1. Remove the filters and place them in the sink with a combination of hot water, detergent and ¼ cup of baking soda. Leave them to soak for 15-to-20 minutes, if they are extremely dirty you may need to scrub them with a dish brush or scourer
  2. Once done, place the filters into your dishwasher on the hottest temperature (this will flush out built-up grease in between the filters)
  3. Once the cycle has finished, take the filters out and leave to dry completely before placing back into your rangehood

Tip 6: dishwasher

  1. Place a cup of white vinegar in the top  rack of your dishwasher, or pour directly into the dishwasher drain and run a short cycle. This will loosen trapped food particles causing the odours, giving you a fresher smell-free dishwasher
  2. Remove filters and soak them in warm water for 10 minutes. Give them a good rinse under hot running water and place back in your dishwasher. Throw ½ cup of baking soda down the drain hole as well to freshen it up
  3. Remove the spray arms and check there are no food particles blocking the spray jets. You can use a wire to clean out the holes of any hard deposits that can prevent them from working properly.

Tip 7: vacuum cleaner

To ensure your vacuum continues to run smoothly, the filters should be cleaned at least once every three months. 

  1. Open up your vacuum, remove the filter and tap it against a hard surface to shake off loose dust. Using a dry brush, gently remove the remaining dust. Ensure this is done outdoors so the dust doesn’t end up back inside! 
  2. Any fine dust remaining can be rinsed under a cold tap, hold the filter under the running water until it runs clear (be sure to check for electrical components or attachments before rinsing in water)
  3. Leave to dry in direct sunlight, and ensure the filter is completely dry before placing it back in the vacuum.
  4. At the same time, give your vacuum’s dust container a good rinse of any residual dust and grime, remembering to let it dry completely before reassembling.

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Expert Tips Kitchens

Kitchen ideas: Spring clean yours in three easy steps!

Often overlooked when it comes to spring cleaning, the kitchen is one of those household spaces that could really use reorganising on the regular. From rearranging the pantry to simplifying your drawers and sorting out the mess that is the space beneath the sink, we caught up with Freedom Kitchens for their step-by-step advice on how to overhaul your kitchen this spring.

Freedom Kitchens

Organise your pantry
As one of the hardest working parts of your kitchen, the pantry (whether a butler’s or simple single unit) is often one of the first spaces to become disorganised and overwhelming. If every time you open your pantry door something falls out (we’re looking at you Tupperware containers!), or you spend what seems like a lifetime trying to find that pasta sauce you need for tonight’s dinner, now is the perfect time to transform your pantry into one of your favourite kitchen spaces.

Pantry
A rather serene looking pantry

Step 1: Remove everything from your pantry. Throw out anything that is out of date and group the rest into ‘like’ items. Store tinned items together, then flours, sugars, pasta and rices, oils and sauces, herbs and spices and so forth. This allows you to find a given food item within your pantry quickly and easily.

Step 2: Clean the pantry shelves and internals.

Step 3: If beautiful, matching, clear containers and pretty labels are your jam, now is the time to place all items in them, keeping all like items together of course!

Step 4: Strategically place items back into the pantry. Keep go-to items at eye level (such as cereals, pasta, and other cooking staples) while placing treats and baking items up high on top shelves (out of sight, out of mind yes?!) and small appliances at the lower levels.

Step 5: Step back and admire your pantry! Oh, and try to repeat this process at least every six months so that it remains an organised masterpiece.

Hot tip: If you have children, consider placing healthy snacks on the bottom level so they can select items themselves with easy access. Also, it’s best to put small appliances up high and out of harm’s way.

Freedom Kitchens' pull-out pantry drawer
Freedom Kitchens’ pull-out pantry drawers

Simplify your drawers
A simple and effective way to spring clean your kitchen is to tidy your drawers containing cutlery and utensils. Afterall, how many wooden spoons does one kitchen really need?

Step 1: Take everything out of your cutlery and utensil drawers. Keep all like items together.

Step 2: Put aside any duplicate utensils. Do you need all ten wooden spoons or whisks? If not, consider donating them to a charity or daycare/school. The same applies to any damaged or mismatching cutlery. The more edited your collection, the easier it will be to store.

Step 3: Wipe and clean out empty drawers.

Step 4: Put all the items back into the drawers.

Freedom Kitchens has a great range of cutlery trays with adjustable dividing elements

The unexpected hero: Tidy under your kitchen sink
Another area of the kitchen, that can be your best friend or enemy, is the area under the kitchen sink. Ensure it’s the former by throwing out anything that you don’t use, or have duplicates of, and then group all like items together.

Consider space savvy storage solutions such as specially designed pull-out racks, or an under-sink drawer to make this organisation even easier. From cleaning products to brushes, gloves and sponges, this makes it much easier for you to find your cleaning essentials.

For more | Australian kitchen trends: Spring 2019 edition