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Updated on June 6, 2024
Day 9: Clean Small Appliances. In just 31 days, get your home in tip-top shape. Today’s task is to clean small appliances like the microwave, toaster, and coffee pot.
Welcome to day 9 of the 31 Days of Deep Cleaning Your Home series!
Clean Small Appliances
Today’s task is to clean your small kitchen appliances.
This could mean a microwave, coffee pot, toaster, stand mixer, food processor, blender, or slow cooker.
The three dirtiest, most used appliances for me are the microwave, coffee pot, and toaster. I will share tips on these three today. The great news is that it only took me about 30 minutes to clean all three!
Follow any specific manufacturer care instructions for your particular appliances. If you don’t use one (or any) of the above-mentioned small appliances, choose the three you use the most in your home.
How to Clean the Microwave
Start by placing 2 cups of water in a microwave-safe bowl or container.
Microwave the water on high for 5 minutes.
While the water is heating, wash the glass tray and any other removable parts in the sink with warm, soapy water.
After the water has heated, let it sit in the microwave with the door closed for 5 minutes.
Remove the water from the microwave. All the gunk should be nice and softened up!
Wipe the inside out with a damp microfiber cloth. Mine was greasy from a butter explosion, so I used a warm, soapy rag to wipe it out.
Dry and replace the glass tray. Wipe the outside of your microwave as well with a damp microfiber rag. It can get pretty dusty and dirty!
Tip: To keep your microwave cleaner longer, use a damp coffee filter to cover your food when you microwave. They are inexpensive and cut down on splatters!
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How to Clean the Coffee Pot
Follow any cleaning instructions that come with your coffee pot. If you no longer have the instructions, the following should work well to clean just about any coffee pot. My new coffee pot has a clean cycle that does the resting time for me.
Pour white vinegar into the water reservoir to the halfway mark for your coffee pot. Mine is an 8-cup coffeepot, so I filled mine to the 4-cup mark.
Fill the reservoir with water. I use a stronger vinegar-to-water solution because we have hard water, but if your water is not too hard, you can add equal amounts of vinegar to water.
Run a normal cycle until the solution reaches the lowest marked water level on your coffee pot, which is the 3-cup mark for me.
Turn off the coffee pot and allow it to sit for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, turn the coffee pot back on and let it run for the rest of the cycle. Then, pour the water out.
Refill the water reservoir to the highest spot with cold water and run another full cycle. This helps to rinse out any remaining vinegar solution.
After completing this second brew cycle, remove any removable parts from your coffee pot and wash them in warm, soapy water. Rinse and dry.
Lastly, unplug the coffee pot. Wipe down the outside of your coffee pot with a damp cloth.
My coffee pot is over seven years old, so this is as clean as it gets! Replace all the removable parts and enjoy some fresh coffee!
How to Clean the Toaster
Unplug the toaster.
Start by slightly shaking your toaster to get all the crumbs into the bottom tray. Remove the toaster tray(s).
Mine pull out from the back, but you might have one that unhooks from the bottom.
Then, shake the toaster over the trash can to remove any remaining crumbs.
Wash the tray(s) out, dry, and replace them.
Wipe down the outside of your toaster with a damp cloth.
If you have a stainless steel toaster, wipe it with a microfiber cloth in the direction of the grain and dry it.
I begin by filling the coffee pot with the vinegar solution, heating the water in the microwave, and continuing until each step is completed.
The toaster is cleaned last. I can clean all three appliances in under 30 minutes.
And if you don’t have much time to complete this task, choose your dirtiest or most used small appliance and clean it!
This post is part of the 31 Days of Deep Cleaning Your Home series. In just 31 days, you can get your home in tip-top shape.
This series includes deep cleaning lists, tips and tricks, ideas, and how-tos.
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