Posted by: Donna Apr 19 2006, 03:24 PM

I just finished cleaning out the pots and pans cabinet. It took 2 hours, but the cabinet is a large one.. 6.5 feet long, 2 feet deep with two full shelves.

I doubt anyone really wants to hear about this job, but I'm going to tell how I do it anyway.

- Sweep your floor and lay a blanket on the floor.
- Get a cloth and the cleaning solution that you want to use. In my case I used a spray bottle with ammonia and water. The ammonia and water has two purposes.. it will kill any bugs I come across and it will be used for the cleaner.
- Get a good light source. I used a very adjustable portable halogen light.
- Get a laundry basket for loose items.
- Put the cat somewhere else because he will find the open cabinet(s) irresistible.

Start taking the stuff out of the cabinet. (If you have small kids, do this in sections instead of doing the whole big thing because you may not get to finish.)

Use the light to view the area before sticking your arm in there. There might be spiders! I found a black spider in my cabinet. I am leery of any spider that likes dark places. LOOK first!

Once the stuff is out, use the good light to look at the area. Inspect any 'litter' you find. If you find anything that looks like droppings, it probably is droppings. Small droppings means small bugs such as roaches; large droppings indicate mice. Lucky me, I found no droppings.

Clean the shelves. If you use shelf paper, replace it if it is in bad shape. Lucky for me, my shelves in some cabinets are covered with vinyl flooring. Vinyl flooring is a good covering for a heavy item cabinet such as a pots and pans cabinet. I also have vinyl flooring in my under-the-sink cabinet.

Look at the items that you removed. If you have items that have not been used in over two years, that is an item to consider getting rid of. An exception might be a little used item. In my case, the little used items are small corning ware cookware dishes that I used to use when it was just hubby and I. Someday, it will be just hubby and I once more, so I kept that stuff. Another item I kept is a punch bowl. I might use it someday for a wedding or a baby shower. I have room for it, so I am keeping it for now. Decide what to keep and what to get rid of.

Put everything back in.
Clean up the mess on the floor.

Unless there is an accident, this job won't have to be done again in a long while.

Posted by: Sammi Apr 19 2006, 04:29 PM

Unless you have children, who mess it up...it won't need done again!

Mine needs reorganized every few months. When the kids put things away, they put things any which way!

Posted by: Blaise Apr 19 2006, 05:44 PM

Mine do too. I can't find anything in my cabinets... ever! I open them and things fall out. I can't find anything in there when I'm looking for it. I always make the kids venture in and find things when I need them.

Posted by: wings Apr 19 2006, 05:56 PM

Sounds like my last few weeks!!!! Sheesh only once a year do I do all those cabinets!!!

Ber

Posted by: Donna Apr 19 2006, 05:58 PM

I don't have that problem. I showed my kids where things go in the kitchen and they put them there. If they didn't know where something went they would always ask me. My daughter will inspect the dishes for cleanliness before she puts them away, I didn't teach her that. She even stacks the flatware in neat single piles.

Posted by: chocolatelover Apr 19 2006, 10:37 PM

I wish I would have known about that vinyl flooring on the bottome of the cabinets and shelves...
What a great idea.

Making note of that one.

My kids are the same as all of yours. "It goes in there? Okay" Throw, Slam the door closed.
"Done"

Posted by: Sherinova Apr 19 2006, 11:18 PM

Bet its nice to have that task checked off the 'to do list'!

Vinyl flooring under the sink......***Oh honey, I have a new project for your list!***

I stick the long handle of the vacuum in places I can't see/reach....like in my corner round-a-bout cabinets.

I wish I could teach my husband as well as my children where 'stuff' belongs in the kitchen. Maybe they should teach him.

Posted by: siscaboo1512 Apr 20 2006, 07:10 AM

Great idea about the vinyl flooring in the cabinets.



Some of my kids do the throw slam method also. That is why they get stuff out of the pot and pan cabinet. Not me. Plus, they are closer to the ground. Lame excuse but, it works.

Posted by: javaprof23 Apr 20 2006, 07:19 AM

I like the vinyl flooring idea, too.

All my cabinets need to be cleaned/reorganized desperately. 13yo dd did it last time. She seems to like to organize things. Maybe she'll do it again!

Posted by: Appliejuice Apr 20 2006, 07:20 AM

Since you already know how to do this, Donna, how about you coming over to my house and clean mine out?

Actually, I have two that need to be deep cleaned. They are my corner cabinets that go back behind another cabinet, so the only way to clean them is to get into the cabinet. This is not going to happen until after school is over with, which will be in about 3 weeks.

At some point this summer I want hubby to put down vinyl in each of the lower cabinets. We have had it for two years now.

Thanks for telling us how to clean out the cabinet. It has inspired me to get to it. Must wait until after school.

Posted by: chocolatechic Apr 20 2006, 07:26 AM

Mine kind of did this, but they have learned to put it away where it goes, because when I find out who is doing the "throw and slam"...........they get to clean out ALL the cabinets....

Posted by: Grammie Apr 20 2006, 07:55 AM

Are our kids related? Or is this just a 'kid' thing? Of course, I almost killed my ex- once. I was putting away the cast iron skillets in the cabinet over the stove. I couldn't quite reach the cabinet, so instead of pulling them out and stacking them by size, I just put the larger ones on top of the smaller ones. He opened the cabinet and they all came tumbling down! Now, DGD, does the same thing -- luckily the pots and pans are kept in a lower cabinet!

Posted by: AKHomemom Apr 20 2006, 10:55 AM

Thank you for sharing your method, Donna.

You have inspired me as well to clean my cubbords out. But like Applie it will have to wait until summer to be done.

Posted by: Beth S...in AK Apr 20 2006, 12:09 PM

I will be having some help with cleaning out my cabinets, sometime next month! When they are all empty I will clean them....but the movers will be putting everything in boxes, so I won't have to put stuff back in.

Posted by: Donna Apr 21 2006, 08:48 PM

This one is that way. I had to get inside the lower cabinet to clean the corners. That part of the job was the worse part.