Clean Behind Your Kitchen Appliances

How often is it necessary to clean behind your kitchen appliances? Think about the appliances in your kitchen. Most people have a refrigerator, stove, and dishwasher, and those are considered large appliances. But we also have appliances on our countertops such as blenders, toasters, toaster ovens, coffeemakers, in-house grills, and small frying units. When we think of cleaning behind our kitchen appliances, we often think of the large units like a refrigerator and stove. But oftentimes it's the small, countertop appliances that require us to clean behind them on a weekly schedule.

Follow these guidelines to clean behind your kitchen appliances. Begin with your large appliances, and then finish with the small ones:

• Refrigerator. Pull your refrigerator out from the wall, taking care not to pull it so far that you pull the icemaker water line from the wall. Vacuum the refrigerator coils thoroughly, as well as the floor. Using Windex and paper towels, clean the floor and the back of the refrigerator and put it back into place. Don't forget to clean the top of the refrigerator.
• Oven and stove. Pull the range away from the wall and vacuum the back of it, clean the backsplash with Windex and paper towels, as well as the floor and the back of the stove. Put the range back in place and then clean the top of the stove. If you've a glass-top stove, use specially formulated cleaner to clean the glass top. Don't forget to clean the bottom drawer of the stove.
• Dishwasher. Unless you have a free-standing dishwasher, you cannot easily clean behind it without completely removing the unit from underneath your countertop. It is advisable to let a professional remove your dishwasher if you feel that you need to clean behind it.
• Countertops. Since you've already got the Windex and paper towels out, clean behind your small appliances. Unplug all of them and place them on your kitchen table. Thoroughly spray down the vacant countertops with antibacterial spray and clean them entirely with paper towels. Don't use a sponge, as they tend to breed bacteria. If you have a heavy buildup of grease from cooking, use Soft Scrub and a scouring sponge to clean your countertops.
• Small Appliances. Before replacing the appliances, clean them. Take your toaster outside, remove the crumb drawer and knock the toaster with your other hand to release all of the crumbs from the bread slots. Bring it back inside and shine the chrome with chrome polish or Windex and paper towels. Clean all of your other appliances in the same manner, and then replace them on the countertop.

While there is some argument as to how often you should clean behind your larger appliances, professional cleaners agree that you should clean behind your small appliances each week. Some people choose to clean behind their large appliances once a year, while some think it necessary to do it once a month. The choice is yours.