BENTON HARBOR, Mich., April 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The kitchen is often referred to as the heart of the home. Consequently, it is typically the busiest – and messiest – room in the house. Finding the time and patience to clean and organize this high-traffic hub is tough and getting motivated can be nearly impossible.  This year, to celebrate Whirlpool brand's third annual "Kitchen Clean Up Month," pledge to clean-up your kitchen by tackling one major appliance per week with help from the experts at the Institute of Kitchen Science.

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To help kick start your spring cleaning, the experts will be providing consumers with simple guidelines, practical advice and useful fixes to help makeover the kitchen throughout the month of April.  In addition, Whirlpool® will be giving away a different kitchen appliance each week throughout "Kitchen Clean Up Month." From April 2 – April 30, consumers can enter to win on the sweepstakes tab of Whirlpool brand's Facebook page. A winner will be chosen at random from eligible participants. 

From the refrigerator to the oven and even the dishwasher and the microwave, the following tips should get you started on a deep clean. Each week, the experts will share more tricks on Whirlpool brand's Facebook page and through Twitter (@kitchenSci). 

April 2^nd: Clean Your Dishwasher Week

• Do your dishes seem to have a sandy feeling leftover when you take them out of the dishwasher? Well, did you know even an appliance made for cleaning can benefit from a cleaning itself?  The chemistry used in the new formula of affresh® Dishwasher Cleaner uses environmentally safe ingredients and offers improved cleaning performance to help remove mineral residue in dishwashers.  All it takes is a monthly cleaning routine to keep a dishwasher looking like new.
• Make sure to check the detergent dispenser, to ensure there is no leftover detergent in or around the dispenser that would inhibit it from opening.  Also, if you use a rinse aid make sure to wipe up any spills when you refill, as rinse aids will cause unwanted sudsing in the dishwasher.

April 9^th: Clean Your Refrigerator (and Freezer!) Week

• Does your refrigerator have a leftover odor, even after you have thrown out all the expired food? It's time for a full cleaning. Start by thoroughly hand washing, rinsing and drying the removable parts and interior surfaces of the refrigerator. Use a clean sponge or soft cloth and a mild detergent in warm water; make sure to check that there is no leftover moisture. Finally, clean the refrigerator door gaskets, as kitchen spills can splash in there and hide.
• And don't forget about the freezer – a simple tip is to rotate food items and check the date, to ensure that older items get selected first.

April 16^th: Clean Your Microwave Week

• Did the oatmeal you were heating overflow or even burst – and now is caked onto the cavity of the microwave? Put a cup of water in the microwave, let boil for 3-4 minutes to create moisture on the cavity walls to loosen anything that has been caked on.  Here's an added tip – add some lemon juice to the water to make your microwave smell great.

April 23^rd: Clean Your Oven Week

• Whether you're a cook or a baker, oven spills happen to everyone. Even if you own a traditional self-cleaning oven, manually cleaning grease and stuck on food can be quick and easy with the right product.  Start by ensuring oven is cool and removing oven racks. Then use a scour pad to remove burned-on food and carbon.  Spray a cleaning solution, like affresh™ Kitchen & appliance cleaner directly on insides of oven and wipe clean. A new technology coming out in May will make cleaning your oven a cinch by utilizing low heat and water to release baked-on spills in less than one hour.
  

About Whirlpool Brand
Whirlpool Corporation is the world's leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, with annual sales of approximately $18 billion in 2010, 71,000 employees, and 66 manufacturing and technology research centers around the world. Whirlpool brand recognizes that consumers lead busy, active lives and continues to create solutions that help consumers optimize productivity and efficiency in the home. In addition to designing appliance solutions based on consumer insight, Whirlpool brand is dedicated to creating ENERGY STAR^® qualified appliances like the new Duet^® washer which uses 82 percent less water and 81 percent less energy than a traditional top load washer manufactured before 2004. Whirlpool is one of Habitat for Humanity's largest corporate partners, donating a refrigerator and range to every new Habitat for Humanity home built in North America.

For more information on Whirlpool brand please visit www.whirlpool.com or find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/whirlpool. Additional information about the company can be found at www.whirlpoolcorp.com.

SOURCE Whirlpool Corporation