Worst kitchen chore?

**Marc Olson** · February 4, 2006

Do you have a kitchen chore that you consistently put off? I tackled one of mine today.

We have a Viking island hood with squirrel cage fans (in the hood, not the attic). I will clean the grease traps a couple times a year, but the fans themselves have been growing a layer of, well, you know. No need to be too graphic.

Today I took the covers and traps off and put them in the dishwasher (this was an experiment) and while they were washing on 'heavy cycle' with extra detergent, I tackled the fans themselves. A layer of newspaper over the cooktop, a bottle of Simple Green, and a table knife. I thought I might be able to remove the fans, but my socket set was at the hangar instead of in the basement, so I was without my 3/8" extension.

Instead, I just used the kitchen knife to scrape each blade of the fan. A disgusting ribbon of gunk came off of each one. An astonishing amount of crud by the time I was finished. It's a wonder the fans could even turn.

While I was at it I thoroughly cleaned the interior of the hood, removed and replaced the light covers, and then finished it off with a good polish of lemon oil cleaner. The traps and covers emerged from the dishwasher spotless (I'll do them more often this way).

The fan is quieter in addition to cleaner. I'm sure it's pulling more air out as well now that the fan blades look like fans instead of fuzzy caterpillers.

Next time I'll remove the fans themselves and run the whole kit through the dishwaher.

mizducky · February 4, 2006

Aaaaaaauuuugh!

I was going to say my number-one most-hated kitchen chore is cleaning a non-self-cleaning oven (chemical warfare red alert *hack* *cough* *choke*), but your post reminded me that I have never, ever, been brave enough to tackle a kitchen exhaust fan on my own. Urgh. I never really thought of myself as a delicate sort, but ... urgh. I think that's one task I'd gladly pay for someone else to tackle. Preferably when I wasn't around. Urgh. :blink: :laugh:

rosebud · February 4, 2006

Aaaaaaauuuugh!
I was going to say my number-one most-hated kitchen chore is cleaning a non-self-cleaning oven (chemical warfare red alert *hack* *cough* *choke*), but your post reminded me that I have never, ever, been brave enough to tackle a kitchen exhaust fan on my own. Urgh. I never really thought of myself as a delicate sort, but ... urgh. I think that's one task I'd gladly pay for someone else to tackle. Preferably when I wasn't around. Urgh.
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Ditto, ditto, ditto.

Chris Amirault · February 4, 2006

Aren't you just supposed to replace those fans when the gunk is so thick it stops rotating? Learn somethin' new every day....

Susan G · February 4, 2006

Radiant heat brick floor in my kitchen. Have. To. Scrub. Floor. By. Hand. Bricks too rough to mop. How 19th century! Still, on gross factor, *nothing* like cleaning gucked-up fan blades!

Abra · February 5, 2006

Organizing my spices. I have two full drawers as well as a 24-rack of spices. It's a hopeless task to remember what I'm out of and need to put in my Penzey's order, plus there's no possible way to systematize it that lasts more than a week. Not to mention that I'm a seasoning addict, so whenever I read about an herb or spice that I haven't tried I have to get some just in case I need it.

Exhaust fans are supposed to be cleaned?

ninetofive · February 5, 2006

Mine's more mundane: emptying the dishwasher. Unfortunately, this is something I have to do at least 1x/day.

Anna N · February 5, 2006

Mine's more mundane: emptying the dishwasher. Unfortunately, this is something I have to do at least 1x/day.
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Emptying the dishwasher ranks right up there but so does peeling potatoes! Cleaning a self-cleaning oven isn't disgusting but it annoys the heck out of me because it puts my oven and cooktop out of commision for many hours.

Edited for clumsy finger syndrome.

Edited February 5, 2006 by Anna N (log)

Dana · February 5, 2006

I hate cleaning my cooktop. It's a DCS, and the grates have to be removed, then the stainless top cleaned, and I don't like leaving streaks. Right now, there's some gook from rice that boiled over, and some drips from something else... :angry:

Toasted · February 5, 2006

Cleaning the silverware drawer. I did this today and learned a little lesson: Those Chinese take-out packets of mustard and soy sauce will explode and stick to the drawer like nothing else if you leave them in there too long. It took me an hour to get the whole thing cleaned up and then I had to wash every piece of silverware by hand to get the sticky stuff off. The dishwasher tried, but failed and even made it harder to get the stuff off. Anyway, it's done but take it from me, put those take-out packets in the fridge.

rooftop1000 · February 5, 2006

Range hood? Bah dont even have one...oven cleaner...I really should, someday...mop the floor, the peel and stick tiles come up...

I have the cleaning chore from hell ahead of me, should be done tomorrow having guests next weekend...

Did I mention we live in a log cabin? with no exhaust fan or nice painted flat sheetrock?

Tomorrow I must scrub the logs behind the stove. Someday I will scrub the very low, very beautiful hardwood ceiling and make that the same color that I made the cabinets when I moved in :blink:

tracey

eJulia · February 5, 2006

Any cleaning chore is a PITA. I want a maid!

daniellewiley · February 6, 2006

I hate cleaning the refrigerator. Just hate it. And, thus, I haven't done it in ages. I hate pulling out old jars of stuff and emptying them and rinsing them. Hate scrubbing muck off of shelves. Bleck.

sparrowgrass · February 6, 2006

Scrubbing the grease off the cabinet doors above the stove. And let's not even talk about the collection of old pitchers and baskets sitting on top of the cabinets. They are probably welded in place by the greasy dust coating them.

(They still look good, from 7 or 8 feet away, anyhow.)

Edited February 6, 2006 by sparrowgrass (log)

lesfen · February 6, 2006

I'm going to have to second cleaning out the refrigerator. I try to keep up with it, I really do, but it would be a safe bet that there is some variety of "refrigerator soup" a-brewin' in my crisper drawers as we speak. Bleck indeed.

cakewalk · February 6, 2006

Oh boy. I just had my apartment painted, so I decided I should clean stuff as well. Kitchen first. Oy. I think cleaning the stovetop gets my vote here, although that might be because I haven't started on the fridge yet. :raz: Grease, grease everywhere. How can something that tastes so good as food be so awful otherwise? Eeeyewww. Really gross.

But the stove looks so wonderful when it's clean. Makes me wanna cook and dirty it up again. :smile:

Malawry · February 6, 2006

Ya'll better be glad that home kitchens aren't normally equipped with grease traps. :unsure:

Anna N · February 6, 2006

Hubby found a way to quickly clean the ceiling fan in the dining/kitchen area. He decided it was revolving in the wrong direction and switched directions on the fly. Fly is right! Dust bunnies flew absolutely everywhere - horrid little things! I may never find them all. Don't try this at home! :wacko:

jgm · February 6, 2006

I hate cleaning the refrigerator. Just hate it. And, thus, I haven't done it in ages. I hate pulling out old jars of stuff and emptying them and rinsing them. Hate scrubbing muck off of shelves. Bleck.
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I hate this, too. What makes it even worse, is dealing with Mr. jgm. We both have our little fiefdoms. Mine is assorted condiments. His is barbecue sauce and salsa. Neither of us will part with a single jar, unless the other can demonstrate it's inedible because of mold, foul odor, or because it no longer bears any resemblance to its original form.

We're thinking about painting a line down the middle.

Don't even get me started on the spice cabinet. He will NOT look at what we have, before buying more. 7 containers of chili powder, anyone? :wacko:

By the way, we had the same kind of arguments when we moved in together. All of the excess stuff went into the garage. My thing was "The red lamps are not coming into the house." His thing was "No human being needs this much Tupperware." A year later, a tornado settled all the arguments.

We're hoping for another. :laugh:

Shalmanese · February 7, 2006

man, you guys all have much cleaner kitchens than I do.

daniellewiley · February 7, 2006

Hubby found a way to quickly clean the ceiling fan in the dining/kitchen area. He decided it was revolving in the wrong direction and switched directions on the fly. Fly is right! Dust bunnies flew absolutely everywhere - horrid little things! I may never find them all. Don't try this at home!
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Hey, next time try this: click!. It really works!

I love the company that makes it: Casabella. (they make the world's greatest rubber gloves). If only they had some kind of tool to magically get rid of the gnarly jars in my fridge.

Marlene · February 7, 2006

I tackled the exhaust hood the other day. I did like the fact that the covers and traps could be cleaned in the dishwasher, but I swear the previous owners never cleaned the inside of that thing once. Grease for days. Today it's the oven. Yes, self clean but of course I have to scrub the oven door because that never comes clean.

I don't even want to think about my fridge.

bavila · February 7, 2006

I think I need to banish myself from this thread before I lose the itch I've recently had to start spring cleaning.

Chris Amirault · February 8, 2006

I don't even want to think about my fridge.
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Don't worry, Marlene. The fridge fairies clean it at night. I have this on very good authority.

Kouign Aman · February 8, 2006

Until I read about cleaning the hood, I thought my least fav was pulling the stove/oven out of its nook, and cleaning the sides of the stove and the nook.

Until my oven died mid-roast, it was a job I'd never thought of. Apparently neither had the 20 years of previous residents. blech.

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