the new season is here which means plenty of time spent indoors to keep warm stuck inside staring at the walls and working up a sweat it s time to get your home looking clean smelling fresh and feeling cozy put on your cleaning gloves and get the following tasks ticked off before winter sets into your home big cleaning season is usually related to spring but winter is the best time to do serious cleaning not sure where to begin use this kitchen checklist to help you never miss a spot in the kitchen 1 your oven you will be using the oven more for roasting and grilling all your hearty meals for the cold days and nights take the time to clean your oven before the spills and splatters start to build up it s time to address the oven mess handle the oven messes while they are still fresh the longer you let messy oven spills and splatters sit in your oven the harder they are to clean from walls and grates remember that you can clean your oven with everyday ingredients such as baking soda and vinegar 2 your kitchen cabinets greasy debris along your cabinets can build up from your windows being closed while preparing meals cleaning countertops during the summer might be challenging because of the heat that s why it is recommended you do it now while the sun is not shining cabinet exteriors are another surface that can easily be in neglect and with all the cooking and entertaining your kitchen cabinet doors need some tlc this season try using warm soapy water to clean cabinet fronts focusing your efforts around frequently handled knobs 3 your pantry when it gets this cold outside creatures move inside take the time to make sure your pantry will not provide a home for them cleaning your pantry is the perfect time to clear some space for your root veggies baking needs and anything else you store more of in the winter months infestations insects mice and other creatures can contribute to food waste and cost you money over time and at the same time it poses a risk of contaminating your food and contributing to respiratory issues restore order and good health in your pantry take everything out wipe down shelving and categorize your supplies throw out anything that has expired take note of what you have and what you might need to replenish and then replace items by category in the spaces that make the most sense such as most used items at eye level the purpose of organizing your pantry is to make it easy to find what you need quickly 4 your freezer the most convenient time to clean up your fridge is now winter is a more convenient time to deep clean the freezer because you can often store the contents outside while you re working it s also the best time to take stock of what summer produce is left over and make space to hold batches of frozen foods to heat up on chilly days your fridge and freezer could use a makeover with all the make ahead meals and leftovers during the holidays taking everything out to clean and re organize the fridge and freezer will help you see what you have and what you still need to buy as tedious as it may sound in the long run this will save you time and money to deep clean the fridge means emptying shelves one by one tossing expired items as necessary cleaning the fridge interior before replacing items and wiping containers before putting them back in their place do the same for the freezer store items by category wherever you can and label sections to create an organized system to make it easier to find them 5 cleaning the backsplash grout your backsplash grout in the kitchen is exposed to water sauce grease steam and all sorts of things although the tiles can usually be wiped clean pretty easily the grout that holds the tiles in place is porous it stains easily and is harder to clean use a mixture of hot water bleach and powdered laundry detergent applied with a gentle scrub brush and then rinse off don t use this method on natural stone cleaning your backsplash will make your whole kitchen look and feel fresh and clean