Week 6 - The Dreaded Stove

Michele labelled this week's challenge "The dreaded stove and other loose ends." For our home, she could have stopped after the word stove. The only thing I don't like about our current stove is that IT DOES NOT HAVE A SELF CLEANING OVEN! I have been spoiled in my adult life because we have always had stoves with self-cleaning ovens in the past. We've had this stove about 3 years and (horrors) this is only the second time I've cleaned it. I could have used one of those all-natural cleaning recipes my blogging friends like to share. . . but this needed done pronto - and I was short on time this week - Easy Off to the rescue!

I sprayed the oven Friday morning, told the girls to NOT use it, and headed to work for a few hours. I do enjoy the freedom to set my own schedule at work, and with Kurt currently working nights, that means I'm on the day shift. The can said let it sit for 2 hours. . . as gross as our oven was, I figured the 4 hours I was gone would qualify under that "especially dirty" phrase buried at the end of the instructions. 

I came home and threw my lunch in the toaster oven to bake while I wiped out the oven. Thankful that I had remembered to NOT spray the light bulb this time, I set to work with my wet paper towels and the trash can. The mess that I wiped out took away some of my appetite, but by the time my lunch was finished baking, the oven was much cleaner. There were a couple spots that didn't come completely clean, and I needed to use the scraper on some of the blobs on the window, but overall, I'd say its clean!

That just left the odds and ends. For me, that meant cleaning the counters and the top of the refrigerator (because it didn't get done in week 4 when the girls did all the work.) I also decided to pare down the number of magnets on the fridge to a reasonable amount. Emily cleans the stove top every week, sometimes two or three times a week depending on how messy we are, when she finishes washing the dishes. She is supposed to clean the countertops every day, but sometimes she needs some help. It is also her job to keep the sink clean, which we do with some baking soda, water, and elbow grease.

After six weeks of work, I am happy to say that the kitchen is finished! Now, to just maintain what we've done, and to remember to clean the oven again this summer - when I can open the window and use the fans! I also need to figure out how to clean the racks in the oven, but I think that is another Spring weather job. Since it is currently 23, snowing, and the winds are 35 mph, I think they'll just have to wait until later. Our kitchen is not large, but spreading out the deep cleaning and decluttering tasks over several weeks has really helped us stay on task.

Next week's challenge is the dining room. We have one of those. You might remember the china cabinet that houses our "No more junk drawer" resides there. That means cleaning, dusting, and organizing the rest of that cabinet, as well as cleaning the floor and walls. 

Until next week, here is a panorama shot of our beautifully clean kitchen! Have a great week!