The sun is shining and everyone is hoping that spring is right around the corner - ready for blooming trees and plants, spring showers and breezes, and playing outdoors in the fresh, crisp air, right? (Above photo by Dane Deaner on Unsplash) And then there is the other part of spring that you may not be looking forward to .... the thought of Spring Cleaning! Especially in the kitchen, sometimes the idea of spring cleaning is daunting or maybe even overwhelming. So today we are sharing 5 Tips for Kitchen Spring Cleaning that we hope will help make things a little bit easier for you this year. 1. Garbage Disposal Really this is a stinky area that should be cleaned regularly - but in case it's been disregarded for a while (as sometimes happens in my house - yep!), now is the time to get it grunge-free.  Freeze some white vinegar along with bits of citrus peel or pieces; run the frozen cubes through the garbage disposal with the cold water turned on to get rid of food and grease build-up.  The citrus peels will leave a clean, fresh smell afterwards, too.  Run some bits of citrus peel through the disposer weekly to help keep it smelling nice.  Also, be sure to wipe the underside of the black ring with a disinfectant-soaked rag to remove grunge from there. 2.  Microwave Who doesn't occasionally end up with dried food splatters in the microwave? (I know, I know ... it wasn't me this time either - the kitchen gremlins did that, right?)  Well, instead of scrubbing your fingers to the bone, use this easy trick.  Mix together 1/2 cup of water and 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar in a small bowl; bring it to a boil in the microwave and then let it sit in there for 5 minutes.  Since the steam loosens the dried-on food, you can then use a rag to quickly wipe the mess away! Voila! 3.  Appliance Buttons & Knobs Those darn little tight areas where everything gets caught, but it's too cramped to get a cleaning rag in there and clean thoroughly!  Cotton swabs are great for this sort of thing - simply douse them in your favorite cleaning solution and swab away around the stove-top knobs, dishwasher buttons, toaster oven switches and crevices, etc. 4.  Dishwasher Sometimes the dishwasher can get kind of dirty itself and maybe smell a little dank, but there is an easy way to take care of it!  Let 1 cup of baking soda sit in the bottom of the closed dishwasher overnight; then add a 1/2 cup of vinegar to the bottom of the dishwasher (over the baking soda) and run it on the hottest cycle for a sparkling clean and fresh smelling dishwasher. 5.  Non-self-cleaning oven (& oven racks) These days lots of people have self-cleaning ovens, but if you still have to scrub yours out by hand, help is on the way!  To remove burned-on food from the bottom of the oven, simply sprinkle baking soda over that area and spray it down with distilled white vinegar (this should start to foam a bit).  Let this sit overnight, and by morning you can use a wet rag to easily wipe away the grunge. For oven racks, place them in a large plastic bag and spray them down with some degreaser (such as ZEP Heavy-duty Citrus Degreaser); wrap the bag closed tightly and let everything sit for at least 30 minutes.  Remove the racks,  rinse them in the sink and allow to dry.  And now your hands will thank you for saving them some serious work! And if you happen to have a commercial range, check out these great tips from Katom for cleaning your commercial range. Remember, you can organize all your favorite recipes here at Dish Dish - get that kitchen recipe drawer organized by digitizing your favorite recipes and easily find them to plan meals, create shopping lists, or share with family and friends.  You can set up an account today!