DESIDERATA

Confession: I do not own a toaster. Or an air fryer. Why? Because I don’t want to clean one. But I do own more coffee makers than one human should have. And a waffle maker that gets a LOT of use. Have you ever made a grilled cheese in a waffle maker?! French toast?! Cornbread? Croissants? Cookies? Try it and you’ll never go back. But you’ll also end up with a waffle maker that is the stuff of nightmares. Let’s fix that.

The non-negotiables:

• Coffee maker. Use a toothbrush or small cleaning brush to get all of the coffee grounds out of all the little crevices. Descale your machine. I love this stuff but as long as you have descaler for your machine, just follow the instructions on the package. Then wipe down all surfaces with all purpose cleaner.
• Kettle. Descale with descaling solution and then wipe down exterior with all purpose cleaner.
• Waffle maker. Wet 3-4 paper towels until they’re wet but not dripping and lay them across the plates. Turn on the waffle maker for just a couple of minutes. You don’t want to start a fire but the wet paper towels will steam off the inside of the plates. Wipe down when it’s cool enough to touch. You might have to use a toothbrush or cotton swab to get those last little bits. Wipe down the exterior with all purpose cleaner and a cloth.
• Blender. Run all of the dishwasher-safe parts through the dishwasher and use a toothbrush dipped in all purpose cleaner to get all the little crevices on the base.
• Stand mixer. Dust off with a soft cloth to get any loose bits off. Then dip a toothbrush in all purpose cleaner and scrub all of the nooks and crannies – especially where the attachments fit into the motor. Wipe down exterior with all purpose cleaner.
• Slow cooker. Run any dishwasher-safe parts in an extra hot cycle then get to work on the outside. Maybe I’m just a messy cook or maybe my slow cooker is extra attractive to gunk but it gets so gross-looking. I use the pink stuff miracle cleaning paste and a toothbrush to really scrub the outside, handles, and seams and then wipe with a damp cloth.

The maybe negotiables:

• Don’t just shove your appliances back in a cabinet – find them a proper home where they’re easy to access but not all on the countertops. I made some appliance shelves out of an acrylic end table in my pantry that way they’re all ready to use (no playing Tetris to get them in and out) but also out of sight in the kitchen.

Smarter, not harder (smart home integration):

• Connect any smart appliances. Or plug them into smart plugs and set a routine in your smart home system. Having the kettle and/or coffee maker ready in the morning is life-giving.

Maintenance:

• Wipe down all appliances immediately after using.
• Deep clean once every two months. Go through the above steps for each of your appliances. Set a reminder in your calendar for every other month to be the chore of the day!

Your turn:

What small appliances can you not live without? How do you keep up with them?

Now let’s get to it!