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" There are only 7 days until the first day of spring, and you know what that means: it&amp;#039;s time to break out the dust rags and mop for the annual deep-clean. We understand how overwhelming it can feel to face all the dust and clutter that&amp;#039;s accumulated over the cooped-up winter months. That&amp;#039;s why we&amp;#039;ve broken down a complete spring cleaning routine into more manageable daily tasks\u2014one for each day leading up to the first day of spring. Follow our chore-a-day series for a stress-free way to a cleaner abode. By March 20, all you&amp;#039;ll have left to do is enjoy the look and feel of your sparkling home.   Cleaning and organizing the fridge and pantry is one job that can bring out the procrastinator in all of us. However, with a bit of elbow grease, it&amp;#039;s possible to whip your kitchen into shape both quickly and efficiently. Here are some tips to get you started.   Cleaning the Refrigerator:   1. Unplug the fridge or turn the temperature gauge to the &amp;quot;Off&amp;quot; position.   2. Remove everything from the fridge; throw out anything that&amp;#039;s expired or spoiled as you go. Then, remove the shelves and compartments; let them come to room temperature on the kitchen counter.   3. Wash shelves and compartments in a sink or bathtub full of warm water and mild dish soap (or, go the natural route and use a mixture of vinegar and water). Kitchen sponges are a good tool for the job; use a toothpick or toothbrush to get stubborn gunk out of hard-to-reach crevices. Rinse and let air dry.   4. While the fridge is empty, use a wet sponge to wipe down all interior and exterior surfaces, taking care to remove any food debris from the rubber molding. Also wipe down any bottles you took out of the fridge, cleaning away any sticky residue.   5. If your fridge has exposed coils in the back, pull it away from the wall and use a handheld vacuum to clear away any major dust bunnies; take the opportunity to sweep up any debris that has been lurking under the fridge. 6. Make sure all the shelves are clean and dry before you return them (and the food) to the fridge.   Organizing the Refrigerator:   1) Take a cue from the professionals and store your food according to cooking temperature. An article on Apartment Therapy&amp;#039;s Kitchen explains why it&amp;#039;s best to store ready-to-eat foods on upper shelves and raw ingredients lower down.   2) Keep food groups together\u2014veggies with veggies, meats with meats, etc. This saves time and frustration when you&amp;#039;re cooking, since it&amp;#039;s easy to locate what you need. Also store items in height order: tall items together behind shorter items, so everything is clearly visible.   Cleaning the Pantry:   1) Start at the top and work your way down. Remove everything from the cabinets, and throw away anything that&amp;#039;s expired or gone bad. Wipe down each shelf with a dishcloth or sponge dipped in warm water. For hard-to-remove spills, a mixture of baking soda and water should do the trick.   2) The exterior of cabinets can be trickier to clean, given that they tend to accumulate grease, and many have special finishes that don&amp;#039;t respond well to regular soap and water. &amp;quot;Queen of Clean&amp;quot; Linda Cobb recommends wiping down the outside of wood cabinets with car wax and buffing, while doityourself.com has some good recommendations and safety tips for different types of products that work on various surfaces.   Organizing the Pantry:   1) Line shelves with paper towels to protect wood from spills or moisture. When you&amp;#039;re arranging items in kitchen cabinets or the pantry, group similar food items and appliances together\u2014this way, they&amp;#039;ll be easier to locate later on.   2) Keep spill-prone items in containers or bags; store cookie and muffin sheets in a row on their sides between two bookends to save space. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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