Some people find cleaning therapeutic, while others dread it. If you fall into the latter category, deep cleaning your appliances probably sounds like a nightmarish chore — a group of Family Feud survey panelists would agree.
In true Family Feud style, they asked 100 people, “What’s the hardest kitchen appliance to clean.” Here are the top six answers and some expert tips to make cleaning these appliances less of a hassle.
Stove/Oven (45)
Ovens get caked-on grease and burnt-on food, which is hard to clean off. Deep cleaning an oven requires special cleaners and sometimes serious scrubbing power, so it’s no wonder that Family Feud panelists named the stove and oven the hardest-to-clean appliances.
If you want to make the oven a little less difficult to tackle, here’s what to do: With the oven cool, use a vacuum attachment to suction away any crumbs or debris. Then, use an appropriate oven cleaner, like Easy Off, to break down the gunk. Spray it in the oven, allow it to sit for the proper amount of time, and then wipe it with a sponge. You’ll need to wear rubber gloves and may need to ventilate the room, but the cleaner will do all the heavy work for you.
Blender (16)
Blenders are convenient for various foods, including smoothings, purees, soups, and milkshakes. But their small, hard-to-reach crevices provide the perfect environment for mold growth.
Blenders were voted the second hardest-to-clean kitchen appliances. Make the job easier by following these steps: After blending, fill the carafe halfway with water. Add two drops of your favorite dish soap and mix for two minutes. Then, dump out the soapy water and rinse well. Wipe down the outside of the blender with hot soapy water.
Refrigerator (11)
There are a lot of shelves in the refrigerator, which equals a lot of space for sticky drink spills and food splatters. Cleaning the refrigerator isn’t hard, but is a lot of work, especially for fridges you haven’t cleaned in months.
Keep your refrigerator easy to manage by spot-cleaning whenever you notice a spill. Then, once per month, pull all food out and wipe down the interior with a mixture of half water and half white distilled vinegar. The vinegar will clean and deodorize.
Microwave (10)
In most US households, microwaves are worth their weight in gold. They are a hard-working part of the kitchen, often filled with splatters of pasta sauce, mac n cheese, and leftovers. If not dealt with promptly, food splatters in microwaves turn hard and crusty. But don’t worry; we have a foolproof method for cleaning even the dirtiest microwaves.
Start by filling a microwaveable bowl with one cup of water and three tablespoons of vinegar. Microwave the bowl for five minutes to create steam. Leave the microwave door shut for an additional five minutes so the steam can loosen stuck-on debris. Remove the bowl from the microwave and wipe the interior walls.
Toaster (8)
The toaster ranked as the fifth hardest appliance to clean. While toasters don’t succumb to grease and food splatters like other appliances, they do get filled with bread crumbs, which make their way to the counter.
The easiest way to clean the toaster is to regularly empty the breadcrumb tray. All toasters have removable trays at the bottom. Unplug your toaster, remove the tray, and empty it in the trash. Then, hold the toaster over the trashcan and shake it to dislodge the remaining crumbs. Do this every couple of weeks.
Coffee Maker (7)
Family feud panelists voted the coffee maker as the sixth worst kitchen appliance to clean. And it’s true, these small appliances can build up limescale and sludge, affecting the taste of your morning brew.
Clean your coffee maker by running a combination of half white distilled vinegar and half water through the machine — this method works for both drip coffee makers and Keurigs. To rinse, run water only through the machine three times.
