It’s about that time of year when everything in your house gets a good scrub down and you go through all the clutter. Just in time, OXO is here to help keep your kitchen clean and organized!
I’m in my kitchen a lot. Shocking I know, it’s as if I have a food blog or something. As such I am constantly cleaning my kitchen but I guarantee it’s not getting the proper scrub down it deserves on a frequent enough basis. And then there’s my pantry situation. I have food stored EVERYWHERE. In the cabinets, on an open shelf, more stock piles on shelves in the basement (mostly baking supplies – this is what happens when a company sends you 50lbs of sugar), and a chest freezer too.
Anywho, where I’m going with this is that it’s time for that thing people like to call “spring cleaning”. I guess after months of hibernation, hiding inside our houses waiting for winter to cease, it could use a good once over. Normally this event is not that much of a thing in our house but with the appearance of the new OXO Kitchen Appliance Cleaning Set, Microfiber Under Appliance Duster and 10-Piece POP Container Set I really didn’t have much of an excuse.
To avoid single-function tool clutter (which I hate as much as Alton Brown does),the Kitchen Appliance Cleaning Set has lots of uses and is very compact, snapping together into a clip for storage. The set has durable nylon brushes and scrapers that can get into your kitchen fixtures and appliances’ tight spaces and get unsightly buildup out of them. Things that come to mind: edges around the sink, bullet blender blades, immersion blender blades, any knobs and grooves on appliances that have collected grease, etc.
Have I ever told you how much of a klutz I am? I probably break something glass or porcelain in the kitchen bimonthly. While I do my best to use a broom and vacuum to collect all the pieces that somehow mange to go clear across the entire kitchen, I don’t exactly take the extra effort to get under the appliances. Sure I stuck the vacuum hose under there but I bet it’s not getting it all. Sure enough when I put the Microfiber Under Appliance Duster to work it came up with more than dust and food particles. Oh yea some glass shards! The duster’s long, flat profile allows it to go where no dusters has gone before! It adventured around and underneath my appliances and cabinets. Exciting I know. It also has long, fluffy fibers that conform to uneven surfaces to capture dust bunnies, which are unfortunately not as cute as the name would imply. To clean the head, it easily unsnaps to then be washed in cold water and dried without heat.
Once everything was clean (and broken glass-free), I went to work on organizing my open shelf. It used to be organized and neat but over time it has lost it’s original order. I actually already owned a set of the POP containers but clearly one set was not enough. Heck I could probably do with one or two more if I really went to town but I stuck to the items that were most at risk of causing spills or had irregular shapes. Which means all of the various kinds of baking chips went into them, along with all types of flour, starches, grains, and miscellaneous baking supplies. These containers are seriously the best. They are stackable, space efficient, and designed for modular use allowing you to organize in an array of height combinations to fit your countertop and pantry. And they have an air-tight seal provided by the push-button mechanism which means no spills!
Just look at it all orderly and stuff! I also included a full before and after below for your viewing pleasure. But before I release you I wanted to pick your brain. What are your least favorite things to clean in the kitchen? Does your pantry desperately need a makeover? Or better yet, tell me your secrets to keeping your kitchen clean and organized year round so I don’t have to do a huge haul every year. Thanks in advance!
Disclosure: I was provided with complimentary products from OXO. All thoughts and opinions remain my own.
