This could be a new sport. Yes I know my oven is self cleaning BUT the last time I cleaned it the darn thing locked and Mr Fixit had to come and unlock it for me and I think he charged well over 100 dollars to do so. SO I clean it myself…and save 100 dollars.
I don’t use smelly caustic oven cleaners either…I use baking soda and a green 3 M scratch pad thingy and lots of elbow grease…and some super duper athletic moves.
I practically have to do an arabesque to get close enough to clean the sides of the oven. I was wishing that my kitchen was a true galley kitchen that way I could have put one leg up on a cupboard for support! A modified yoga move called a Downward – facing dog will get me to the back wall of the oven. At one point I got dizzy…too much blood up there in my head. When I broke into a sweat Far Guy took over for a bit…it was nice to have a break. Too bad they don’t design an oven with a removable door so you could get closer to scour…you have to be careful too…one false arabesque or doggie move will take out that oven door that you have been cussing. Luckily that did not happen. The oven racks were scrubbed and scrubbed until they looked like new and I will be protective of them for a few weeks anyway. I laid on the floor to clean under the stove…I was almost long armed enough to reach all the way to the wall…I had to use Far Guy’s Mom’s old picker upper with a rag on the end of it to reach the far wall. Everything that could be taken apart was taken apart. I cleaned as far down in the downdraft vent as my hand would let me without getting stuck.
The first part of the day was spent moving the fridge out of it’s spot. I had cleaned it inside a few weeks ago…yeah me!
Yes I know none of the appliances match…who wants to be all matchy matchy anyways. Some day this 20 year old Amana refrigerator will bite the dust and I can get a black one…or one of those fancy smancy silver ones. I hope my Jenn-Air never bites the dust as they are pretty expensive now …it was one thing that I splurged on when we built the house.
The kitchen has been holding me hostage this week. I am happy to be almost done…so happy I am taking today off…the open cupboards above the sink is all that is left and I hear there is a snowstorm coming so I will clean all those dishes and shelves during the snowstorm.
It feels really good to be almost done with this spring cleaning project. In case you were wondering, all the cabinets by the fridge were custom built by a local craftsman….when I needed the rest of the cabinets for the kitchen he was too busy to do them so he gave Far Guy lessons and Far Guy and I built them piece by piece. We designed them and built them. The drawers were the pits to make…but I love them.
Such a nice kitchen. The cabinets/woodwork caught my eye right away. I have been doing much the same kind of cleaning here. I took a fly swatter with a rag to get under my frig! lol It does feel good to check off some of the items on the "to do list." Sorry to hear you have more bad weather predicted. My oven is not self cleaning, so thanks for the baking soda tip. (and my appliances don't match either!)
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful sparkling clean kitchen! Are you sure your oven door doesn't come off? I didn't think mine did but after I went through all the gyrations you mentioned for two years , Paul strolled through the kitchen and said, "why don't you take the door off?" He wiggled it around a few minutes and off it came! I didn't know whether to thank him of throw it at him!
ReplyDeleteI love your kitchen. It is so roomy and the cabinets are divine. I know what you mean about cleaning the oven and all the "moves" a person must make to do this. Self cleaning ovens scare me as they get so hot. I do mine with cleaner and elbow grease.
ReplyDeleteI hate cleaning the oven, Mac does the racks for me. I've seen videos and things on Pinterest on how to remove the door, but it looks like too much work.
ReplyDeleteI totally love your kitchen. I so need to clean my oven, we had a spillover from sugaring that dripped into my oven and I need to clean that...being lazy :)
ReplyDeleteI laughed as I pictured your yoga moves while cleaning your stove. And your kitchen is really warm and inviting. Those are the drawers you just finished cleaning out, I'll bet. Great job! :-)
ReplyDeleteI really like your cabinets and kitchen all.
ReplyDeleteI had an elelctric stove back about 20 years ago that the door just slid up and off. You opened it to the first stop and pulled it up and you could set it aside.
Your yoga moves sound too fun , in my mind anyway.
I am surprised also, that your oven door doesn't come off, mine does & it is old. Your kitchen looks wonderful!!
ReplyDeleteI have a self cleaning oven but I just hate how it takes at a minimum of 4 hours for it to heat up & cool down enough the door unlocks. It is not a job for summertime where I live.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful kitchen! The open shelves and plate rack are a nice feature! Love the pine cabinets! Your cleaning is an inspiration & Sorry about the upcoming weather.
ReplyDeleteYour kitchen is lovely and so spacious! My oven needs cleaning too... I dread it, but it must be done!
ReplyDeleteThe last time I used the self-cleaning feature the house was filled with terrible fumes: I haven't used that feature since!
ReplyDeleteYeah for you guys! So nice to have things clean - if I were I would keep on with that trusty refrigerator (they definitely don't last like they used too) plus we had difficulty in finding a size to fit (why is that). But I will have to say out of our new appliances I am mostly pleased with the frig. Happy Spring Cleaning - love the cleaning description!!
ReplyDeleteYou are so industrious...I wait until forever to mine!
ReplyDeleteI cleaned my oven last week, it took a long time! I detest that job. If I could, I would have an oven separate from the stove top, and at a level that doesn't require acrobatics to reach into it.
ReplyDeleteI used Young Living's Thieves cleaner and baking soda, I wou't use those toxic chemical cleaners either even if it does make the job harder.
Nice job on the cabinets!
I never thought about removing an oven door! Pays to read the comments. I could probably find a youtube video if I searched--LOL!
ReplyDeleteYou guys did an amazing job on the cupboards and drawers!! Wow! Must feel fantastic to be almost done with the deep clean in there.
I have thought it would be appropriate for a stove to be red and a fridge to be blue.
ReplyDeleteI have the same feeling about appliance doors. We have a wall oven so that's easy but the dishwasher is another thing.
ReplyDeleteUgh...your post is reminding me that I too need to clean my oven. Love your kitchen cupboards!
ReplyDeleteWow! You really have been spring cleaning! I wish I had your energy. Your kitchen and those cabinets are just beautiful! I would love to have a lot of drawers like that, I think they are so much more efficient. More snow? Will it ever stop? We had snow the last two Sundays and they are talking about it again this Sunday even though we actually had a couple of warmer days this week.
ReplyDeleteYou are so motivated!! I need some more energy before I tackle any Spring cleaning.
ReplyDeleteI have a self-cleaning oven and use it maybe once a year. In between I just wipe it up as best I can.
Send some of your energy to me. My shoulder is keeping me from doing much right now. Ha ha, describing cleaning the over was funny. Hugs, lj
ReplyDeleteI love your rustic looking kitchen! So much available counter space! I live in a mobile home & have a very small kitchen with very little cabinets & hardly any workable counter space. Your kitchen's a dream! I love the wood cabinets! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteLove your kitchen, well except for the stove, sorry, not a fan of black appliances, although your stove seems to look just fine in there. Maybe because the cabinets aren't dark. Not long ago I bought a 'new to me stove'. I literally took the thing apart to clean it all. There were a couple of little thingies on the door hinges that you flipped over, and then the door just lifted out. I took that door apart and cleaned both sides of 3 layers of glass. It is a self cleaning, which I have never had before, but not sure I will be brave enough to use that feature. You are making me feel guilty, I should be doing that sort of kitchen cleaning here, well not the stove but all the cupboards.
ReplyDeleteI am impressed by a lot of things in this post: your dedication to thoroughness in cleaning the stove, an awful job; your persistence in cleaning all of your drawers and cupboards, inside and out, without saying "that's good enough" like I would have; those hand made cabinets that you and Far guy made!
ReplyDeleteNice kitchen. My stove and refrigerator are 34 years old. I'm waiting for something to go haywire.
ReplyDeleteIs there anything you 2 can't do? You're amazing and so is your gorgeous kitchen!
ReplyDeleteI have a Jenn Aire cook top and it has a grill and griddle but I never use it as it is a pain to clean. One burner has the knob broken off so Ican't use it so I have one burner to cook on and it is a small one. I have a wall mount oven and it is a Whirlpool and the frig is something else. They are all about 50 years old now but they still work mostly so I'm keeping them! They say the newer ones don't last any time at all. Mine are almond color. Good for you with your cleaning! You're my role model! I feel good if I can just get the dog hair vacuumed up! LOL!
My oven does have a removable door, and I have now a lovely small stool I can sit on to clean it. But do I clean it? No. I do not. Your kitchen is just gorgeous. Lucky you!
ReplyDeleteWow! To all of that!
ReplyDelete