The kitchen is in constant use. Especially if you and your family eat at home 3 times a day, it can be a challenge to keep your kitchen clean daily. The longer you wait to clean your kitchen, the bigger the job becomes. Here’s a guide to keeping your kitchen clean – every day.
Daily Quick Kitchen Cleaning Routine
The key to keeping your kitchen consistently clean is a daily kitchen cleaning routine. This is how to clean a kitchen fast – in less than 20 minutes.
- Start at the sink. Fill it with hot, soapy water. If you have a garbage disposal on one side, keep that sink empty so you can use the disposal as you go.
- Clear the countertops. Scrape dishes into the compost or garbage disposal. Stack them into the dishwasher or place them in your sink of water. Let them soak. Put items that don’t belong in the kitchen in a bin, basket, or designated place to deal with later.
- Wipe the countertops and the stovetop. You can do this with your hot, soapy dishcloth.
- Wash the dishes in the sink. Either let them drip dry and put them away at the very end, or dry them with a towel and put them away now.
- Remove trash. Look in your fridge and discard food that’s gone bad. Take a quick tour of your cupboards and throw out any empty packages. Take out the trash and compost if the bags are full enough.
- Clean the floors. Sweep and mop (or spot clean) or vacuum.
- Put out a fresh dishtowel and dishcloth. Rinse out the dishcloth you just used with cold water. Wring it out and put it in your laundry pile. This will prevent it from smelling sour.
Do this routine at the end of every day. You’ll wake up to a clean kitchen and keeping it clean won’t be so overwhelming.
How to Deep Clean Your Kitchen
Sometimes your kitchen needs a little more attention than the daily routine. The daily routine is excellent for maintenance, but occasional deep cleaning is taking good care of your kitchen. It will also make the daily routine easier. Deep cleaning can happen all at once if you have a lot of energy and spare time – like spring break or during the summer. Some like to do it just after Christmas holidays to start the new year fresh. A less demanding route is to pick away at the deep cleaning over time. Do small amounts every week and eventually, you’ll have deep cleaned your whole kitchen without too much extra work. Here’s a deep clean kitchen checklist to help you. Every kitchen is slightly different, so there may be some tasks that don’t apply to you, or others you’ll need to add. But this is a great reference to start with. It’s also a handy guide for cleaning your kitchen when you’re moving out of a rental home.
Cabinetry
- Wipe down cupboard doors and drawer fronts.
- Organize cupboard contents.
- Wipe out inside of cupboards and drawers.
Walls & Windows
- Clean the walls.
- Wash the window(s).
- Wash drapes, curtains, and blinds.
- Dust and clean art and photos.
Lighting
- Clean the ceiling fan.
- Wipe down the light fixtures.
Small Appliances
Clean all small appliances:
- Toaster
- Coffee maker
- Electric kettle
- Stand mixer
- Blender
Large Appliances
- Fridge – Inside and outside (Don’t forget the top!)
- Microwave
- Oven – If you have a self-cleaning oven, run that cycle while you’re at home. If you don’t, you’ll need to use some elbow grease and a good oven cleaner. Don’t forget to clean the burners and their drip pans, too.
- Dishwasher – Yes, your dishwasher needs cleaning, too. Remove any bits of food and labels that have collected in the catch screens. Wipe around the seals. Clean the outside, too.
Countertops & Sink
Clear everything off the counters and do a thorough cleaning of the entire surface, including the edges. Wipe down the backsplash while you’re at it. To deep clean your sink, scrub it with the recommended cleaner for your sink type. Use an old toothbrush or dental floss to remove the gunk that collects around sink edges, the faucet and taps, and your sink drain stopper. Rinse the whole sink, then wipe it down with a dry cloth.
Flooring
Sweep or vacuum your floors, then mop thoroughly. Pay special attention to edges, corners, and the areas under the front of your appliances and cabinetry. Remember, the deep clean kitchen checklist doesn’t all have to be completed at once!
10 Kitchen Cleaning Tips to Help You Keep Your Kitchen Clean
Whether you clean your kitchen daily or count on a big weekly cleaning spree, these kitchen cleaning tips will help you keep your kitchen clean longer.
1. Clean as you go.
Before starting to prepare food, fill the sink with hot, soapy water. As you use utensils, mixing bowls, and measuring cups, place them into the sink to soak. Or wash them right away. Let them drip dry while you finish cooking. This eliminates the overwhelming dish mountain that ends up on the counter after a big meal.
2. Create an after-meal routine.
Train your family to rinse off their plates after every meal. If you have a dishwasher, they can just as easily stack their own plate, too. It’s a small task that makes a huge difference to the kitchen cleaner.
3. Make kitchen clean-up a family job.
The bigger your family, the longer cleaning the kitchen takes – unless everybody pitches in. Divide the responsibility among family members, assigning age-appropriate tasks to each one. “Many hands make light work.”
4. Create a “clean-up” playlist.
If you clean up on your own, create a playlist you’ll look forward to listening to while you work. Or put some podcasts in your queue. If your family helps you, let everyone contribute a song or two to your clean-up playlist.
5. Set a timer.
Especially when the job seems big, setting a timer can be an effective motivator. Set it for 15 minutes. Commit to cleaning for at least those 15 minutes. You’ll be surprised by how much you can get done in that short amount of time. Or make a game of it and try to beat the clock!
6. Have a place for everything.
If you have a designated spot for everything in your kitchen, it’s easier to find things when you need them. It also makes clean up easier because things fit where they belong. There’s no need to cram and stuff things into cupboards this way.
7. Prep food in bulk.
Meal prep is the messy part. Have a weekly meal prep session to cut up your veggies and prepare some meals in advance. This way, you prep once and clean once. It reduces the clean up throughout the week.
8. Clean up spills ASAP.
Don’t put off cleaning up spills. The longer it sits, the harder it is to clean.
9. Use drip catchers and splatter screens.
Reduce some of the grunt work by using disposable drip pans under your stovetop burners and in your oven. Use a splatter screen when frying. Cover food when you use the microwave.
10. Have your tools handy.
Designate a specific spot in your kitchen for your cleaning tools. Keep it stocked. You need dish cloths, dish soap, dishwasher detergent, a broom or vacuum and mop, and various other cleaners, depending on your needs. It’s much easier to clean if you don’t have to hunt for the right tools to get the job done.
Proper Kitchen Hygiene & Sanitation
Part of keeping your kitchen clean involves proper sanitation procedures and practices. In Canada, there are an estimated 11 million cases of foodborne illnesses each year. Preparing a single meal can potentially contaminate 90% of the surfaces you touch without you realizing it. Adhering to proper food storage and hygiene during food preparation and cooking will help prevent foodborne illness. Follow these guidelines to keep your kitchen sanitary.
- Wash your hands before touching food, preparing food, or eating food.
- Replace your kitchen linens with clean ones every day – or more often if you prepare a lot of food multiple times a day.
- If you must use kitchen sponges, sanitize and replace them often.
- Use separate cutting boards for meats/poultry and fruits/vegetables.
- Cook your meat and poultry to the recommended safe internal temperatures.
- Wash your fresh produce before consuming.
- Don’t put wet dishes away into your cupboards.
- Defrost frozen foods safely. Don’t leave it on the counter overnight or all day.
- Never “sip and save”. Don’t drink out of the carton or bottle and put it back in the fridge.
- Promptly remove expired or rotting food from your fridge.
One last tip: Regularly sanitize your phone and any other device you use in the kitchen to read recipes, listen to music, or watch shows.
Your Clean Kitchen Checklist
To help you keep your kitchen clean, we’ve created this free printable Clean Kitchen Checklist. You can use this kitchen cleaning guide to help you remember your Daily Kitchen Cleaning Routine, or as a reference for family members who help with that task. The Kitchen Deep Clean checklist can help you keep track of the tougher jobs as you go. Enjoy your clean kitchen!
