Are you ready?

With the holidays fast approaching, you may be expecting guests in your home perhaps just for a meal or a party or – maybe for a lengthy stay.  We all know our homes are never cleaner than when we are expecting guests, but you might want to consider taking it to the next level, preparing your home to avoid any annoying disturbances.

Let’s start with the refrigerator.  Even if your thermostat is set to under 40°, it may not be cold enough to keep the contents safely chilled if your condenser coils are dirty.  Located at the back or bottom of the appliance, unplug the refrigerator and clean the coils with a coil brush (available at hardware stores).

You also might want to prevent clogs by cleaning the P trap under the kitchen sink.  Place a bucket under the trap, unscrew the nuts at both ends to remove it, and dump out the contents.  Wash out the trap in another sink, then reattach it.

While you are at it, you might want to clean the grinder in the garbage disposal.  Dump two cups of ice and one cup of coarse salt down the drain, fill the sink halfway with cold water, and run the disposal until the water is gone.  If there is an odor, throw in some lemon peels to freshen it up.

Okay, now for the oven.  Get rid of excess grease by mixing water with baking soda to create a paste.  Spread it on interior oven surfaces, let it sit overnight, then wipe it clean.  This is less toxic than commercial cleaners and as for self-cleaning ovens, you really shouldn’t use the self-cleaning cycle right before doing a lot of cooking.

Are you ready now?