Three Ways to Clean Under the Oven and Refrigerator Without Moving Them
Have you ever dropped something behind the stove or refrigerator and went after it, only to realize in the process that somehow there was a huge mess underneath? You might think that dust will collect under a massive appliance that takes up space on the floor, but you are wrong. There’s a ton of dust and dirt under your biggest appliances, and not only is it awful, it’s also extremely difficult to clean. Aside from dragging it all away from the wall—not an easy task, especially for one person—here are three methods you can try instead.
One step to cleaning
Before you can clean under the appliance, you must be able to get under it. Dishwashers (and some ranges) have a protective plate that you need to unscrew to gain unobstructed access to the area underneath, so check the manufacturer’s instructions if it’s not immediately clear where your plate is or how to remove it. If you have a stove with a drawer underneath, pull out this suction cup to get to the floor underneath. Refrigerators also have plates that cover the motors, so take them off first to vacuum the dust out from under them.
zip tool method
Family Handyman recommends a hair cleaner or zipper, the device you use to get your hair out of the drain. Because they tend to be quite long, you can tuck one of them under a refrigerator or other appliance to pull out pet hair, dustballs, crumbs, and all sorts of debris that drifts down there. It is light and plastic, does not scratch the floor. Here’s one from Walmart for about $14.
Flat vacuum method
Martha Stewart recommends using a flat vacuum nozzle to pick up dust that collects near the front bottom or sides of your appliances. You probably won’t be able to get it too far under or behind anything big as they tend not to be very long or very flexible, but you should be able to at least do some preventative brushing on the front and sides .
Tissue-on-a-stick method
Martha Stewart also suggests attaching a microfiber cloth to the wand of a mop, broom, or similarly sized item. Then you can get under your appliances with it; keep it dry for dust or dampen it with your favorite cleaner for a more thorough cleaning. Apartment Therapy notes that, in a pinch, you can even cover the measurement with old tights or a sock to make a tool for this purpose.