Kitchens are more than just a place to cook meals—they’re the hub of the house. That’s why knowing how to clean a kitchen shouldn’t fall off your radar. “At the end of the day, the kitchen is the heart of a home, where everyone spends time,” says Yohann Dieul of Frenchy Home Cleaning in London. “It needs to be a clean, warm, and cozy area where you can enjoy lovely meals and chats with your family.”
Here we created the ultimate step-by-step guide to a foolproof kitchen cleaning routine that will have you saying goodbye to backsplash buildup, cabinet grime, and splotchy countertops. We also asked experts to share kitchen cleaning tips that will have the space looking more spotless than ever before. All you need is trusty household items like baking soda, white vinegar, and good old dish soap to get started.
What is the proper way to clean your kitchen?
The best way to get started on kitchen cleaning is to go in with a strategy. A kitchen with splatters, fingerprints on appliances, and countertops that look like something akin to a yard sale can feel overwhelming. To make this daunting chore more manageable, map out a methodic kitchen cleaning routine.
Don’t overcomplicate it, emphasizes Carol Mehas, founder of Arbour Cleaning and Laundry products. “Think about the areas that you use the most often and pace out your cleaning so that you are not so overwhelmed,” she says.
How can you keep a kitchen clean daily?
The number one tip all experts can agree on: Clean as you go. Tempting as it may be to put off wiping down the stove, neglecting splatters on a backsplash, or pretending that the crumbs under the kitchen table aren’t there after dinner, you need to spruce up after you make or eat a meal.
Mehas suggests wiping down anywhere food touches a surface, including your countertops and stovetop, as part of your daily cleaning routine. Washing dishes and loading them into your dishwasher either right away or at the end of the day is another way to keep your space feeling fresh.
Plus, a clean kitchen will make you feel better, Mehas says. “It makes you feel less overwhelmed if you complete the whole dish situation once and for all and can move on. It just clears your mind.”
The mother of three also vacuums her kitchen once or twice a day and mops every night before going to sleep. “You just feel so healthy and clean, and [then] you can relax for the rest of the night,” she adds.
What cleaning supplies should be used to clean a kitchen?
Typically, a damp cloth with a cleanser or soapy water will remove residual splatter. But you might want to invest in specialty cleaners for quartz countertops, marble countertops, and stainless steel, Dieul says. Be careful with bleach and ammonia, as these chemicals can damage various materials, including marble. For hardened food debris, he suggests mixing baking soda with soap and scrubbing away. You can even put your own DIY solution into a spray bottle.
Dieul leans toward eco-friendly kitchen cleaning products for his worktop. “You have to be careful with the products you use in the kitchen, especially the surfaces where you prepare your meals,” Dieul says. “They need to be clean, but at the same time, don’t use products that can be harmful to the the food you prepare.”
Mehas agrees that often all you need is soapy water and a microfiber cloth to get started on cleaning your kitchen.
What are the six important areas to look into when cleaning your kitchen?
If you’re embarking on a deep clean, there are six important areas to pay attention to: the sink, countertops, large appliances, small appliances, refrigerator, and floors.
Cleaning a kitchen: Your step-by-step guide
Below, we’ll walk you through how to tackle each of these areas in our step-by-step guide on how to clean a kitchen.
The first step to kitchen cleaning is to shift your mentality. If you walk into your kitchen with a sense of dread, it’s going to be harder to clean, Mehas says. “You got to get that out of your mind.”
“Put on good music and get yourself in a mindset that you’re going to get it done.” Often people overlook this mental step before getting started on kitchen cleaning, she adds.
Begin cleanup by decluttering your kitchen space. “The more clutter you have around you, the less effective your cleaning will be,” Dieul says. Load dirty dishes into the dishwasher and clear countertop clutter. Organize any cookware, throw away or recycle empty jars, replace the paper towel roll, put out a laundered dish rag and kitchen towels, and refill the handwashing soap on the kitchen sink. Once you remove unnecessary items, you’ll actually be able to see the debris that needs to go.
If you’re finding that you don’t have a place for everything that’s currently sitting out in your kitchen, Mehas says it might be time to throw it away. “Everything has a place, and if it doesn’t have a place, it goes in the trash,” she says of her own home. Items that are used only on occasions, such as a roasting pan for Thanksgiving, can be tucked away outside of the kitchen if needed.
A successful deep clean involves some forward-thinking. Mehas suggests pulling out oven racks, metal grills, and air vent filters, and soaking them in the sink while you’re cleaning other areas of the kitchen. Metal stove grates in particular tend to get grubby quickly. This will soften any debris or buildup so you won’t need to do as much heavy-duty scrubbing later. “You can fill up your kitchen sink with some warm soapy water and stick whatever you need in there and let it soak while you clean everything,” she explains.
While pots and pans don’t necessarily need to be included in your deep clean, this could be a good time to tackle any that are coated in stubborn grime as well.
Another way to set yourself up for success while you clean is to do a spot test with any cleaning products you’re using for the first time, according to Mehas. Pick a small spot, about three to four inches square that doesn’t get funky lighting, and rub your cleaner on it. Wait 15–20 minutes, then check back to see if it stained or made any marks.
“It’s very important to always clean from top to bottom,” Dieul says. “Whatever falls can be picked up at the end of your cleaning.” This kitchen cleaning strategy ensures that you won’t have to worry about making the space dirtier as you go.
Pull everything out of your cupboards and pantries and wipe down the interior shelves with a gentle cleaning solution or warm soapy water. Remember to let your shelf liners dry thoroughly before putting the food back, Mehas says—you don’t want to end up with damp food boxes. While the cabinet doors are open, she suggests cleaning them inside and out and wiping down any handles that are prone to fingerprints.
This is also a good time to think about unseen higher-up surfaces. If your kitchen cabinets don’t reach the ceiling, there’s likely dust collecting above them. Use a duster extension to remove any debris. Do the same for any light fixtures.
Once the shelves are dry, you can start putting food back into the pantry and dishes back into the kitchen cabinets. Instead of just trying to fit everything you’ve pulled out, Mehas suggests paying attention to what is going back into the space. Try to eliminate any food items that are past their expiration date or that you know your family won’t eat. Make sure to put any dishes and glassware back in an organized manner, tackling spaces that might have been overflowing or disorderly previously. Refining any organizational strategies will ensure your kitchen stays clean for longer.
These areas can be the biggest challenges to clean, so you’ll want to get to them early on in your cleaning process. Cleaning a stove also requires you to move carefully. Pull your burners off if you have a gas stove and make sure to mind any knobs or buttons. If you have an electric stove, it’s easy to press the wrong button while scrubbing and accidentally reset it, Mehas notes.
“You do have to choose oven and stovetop cleaning products pretty wisely because, depending on what surface you have, you could really ruin something,” Mehas says. “Always use soft cloths and go slowly because anything abrasive, even with a soft scrub, can scratch. It’s really hard to get a scratch out of the stainless steel beautiful surface or one of those electric surfaces,” she adds.
You’ll also want to make sure to choose an oven-safe product and follow the directions closely. Overusing an oven cleaner can lead to burn-off, which can smell and release chemicals into the air, Mehas notes.
“If you forget the last time you cleaned out your dishwasher, chances are it’s time,” Mehas says. “The sanitation cycles that are on today’s dishwashers are usually pretty great,” she continues. However, you’ll want to pull out any utensil trays to give them a deeper clean. The dishwasher drain is also often skipped over but needs to be cleaned. Mehas recommends using salt and avoiding too harsh water to help with any tarnishing.
For daily cleaning, Mehas says to skip dishwasher pods, although they have become more popular recently. “The good old-fashioned powder detergents work a lot better when they mix with the water,” she explains. “They’re combusting and foaming; otherwise you get blotches of whatever is in the pod.”
To clean your microwave, pull out the rotating tray located on the bottom, and scrub it down. Clean any grime and food buildup off the bottom and walls of your microwave. Make sure to wipe down the microwave door, inside and out.
“You also want to be careful with the products that you use to wipe down because you don’t want them to blow up later, or smell,” Mehas says. Skip a strong bleach that could release gases into your house. “You do not want to use those products with appliances at all,” she says. Instead, opt for something more gentle and water-based such as a stainless steel cleaner or dish soap.
To ensure your microwave stays clean, Mehas recommends getting a rack to put dishes on instead of placing them directly on the built-in tray. If you place a paper towel on top of the rack, it’ll catch any splatters, so you won’t have as much to clean up from the top of your microwave in the future.
Since the fridge is often the utilitarian centerpiece of a kitchen, it gets a lot of play, both inside and out. During a deep clean, you’ll want to clear the shelves off and scrub them all down before putting food back. Make sure to sanitize the door of your refrigerator as well.
Additionally, weekly inventory can also help your kitchen cleaning go more smoothly. Take a moment at the same time each week to clean out the inside of the fridge and freezer, ideally right before garbage day. Clearing out the leftovers and clutter will make it easier to maintain. Donate your grocery shopping regrets to a homeless shelter or a local food bank.
After cleaning your bigger appliances, move on to the smaller kitchen items, such as your toaster. Empty out the crumb drawer, wipe it down on all sides with a damp cloth, and use a toothbrush for hard-to-reach spots.
Coffee makers can also be a source of food spillover, Mehas says. Make sure to move your appliances and clean underneath them. Depending on your coffee maker, it might have a self-cleaning cycle, or you could use white vinegar for a deep clean (be sure to check the instructions). This is also a good time to wipe down items such as your paper towel holder.
By this time, anything soaking in the sink should be ready to remove. Take a steel wool pad or something a little bit stronger than a regular kitchen brush and wipe down the oven racks and grates. If you’re dealing with stubborn grime or crusted food build-up, use baking soda for a thorough clean.
Once the sink is emptied out, give it another wipe-down so that it’s sparkling clean. Make sure to tackle the faucet and handles as well.
This step is important, but it is too often forgotten. Clean out the unseen kitchen accessories like a dishwasher filter (to prevent a dish rinse in icky water), the inside of your trash can (to prevent fruit flies), and the gunk off the blades of a garbage disposal (to prevent a smelly kitchen sink). The cleanup can be as easy as pouring the excess hot water down your drain, soaking the dishwasher filter in a vinegar bath, and wiping down the garbage can with disinfecting wipes.
Many people keep their cleaning supplies underneath their kitchen sink—and yet, it’s another spot that’s often skipped over during a deep clean, Mehas says. Use this time to pull out all of your products and throw out any empty bottles. Wipe down the insides of the cabinets and let them dry (similarly to how you cleaned the cupboards) before placing anything back in an organized method.
Mehas likes to give any surfaces that are handled more often a final wipe-down. Think handles and knobs that you touch every day, such as the handle of the refrigerator, microwave, and drawers. “There’s something everybody in your space is handling, so oftentimes those need to have a little extra wipe during the cleaning up time,” she says.
Your pup isn’t going to care if he spills food all over the floor, so make sure you work pet spaces into your kitchen cleaning rotation as well. You’ll want to use warm water and soap to spot-clean but also take time to disinfect the food bowls. Hot water and dish soap are your best bet. Invest in an easy-to-wipe silicone pet placemat and have a mini dustpan and brush set nearby.
Now that you’ve cleaned the rest of your kitchen, your counters are probably covered in more debris and crumbs than when you started. Scrubbing them down is one of the most vital and satisfying steps of cleaning a kitchen.
However, there are many different kinds of countertops, so it’s important to make sure you are using the right product for your material. “When in doubt, don’t use a product,” Mehas says. “Because it’s the higher-end marbles and the poorest materials that obviously can stain the most.”
Mehas advises staying away from using harsh bathroom cleaners in your kitchen, including title and grout cleaners. “It’s not worth ruining your countertops over.”
Get down to the nitty-gritty of kitchen cleaning: Sweep and mop the kitchen floor to clear crumbs, dust, and other things you’ve dropped. For built-up grime in nooks and crannies, you might need to get down on all fours and peek under the cabinets. Use a steam mop to deep clean the grout.
“Dyson is my best friend these days,” Mehas says of her kitchen floor-cleaning method: vacuuming and then mopping with a Swiffer.
It might also be time to replace or clean the kitchen mat by your kitchen sink. Not only do you stand on it while doing dishes, but you probably have also spilled more dirty water on it than you realize.
How do you clean a kitchen that hasn’t been cleaned in a month?
If you haven’t kept up with routine maintenance, cleaning your kitchen might feel extra daunting. This is why Mehas always recommends starting with a can-do mindset. “Put on some good music and start from the top,” she says.
She suggests first tackling your food storage areas and sink, then moving through the rest of our checklist to give your space a deep clean. Once you organize your pantry items, you’ll have a really clear vision of what you use the most often and what you don’t.
“But don’t be scared to just start,” Mehas adds. “It’s something everyone has to do. I don’t care if you’re 85 or 8, it doesn’t matter. Everyone has to clean their kitchen. It’s not a punishment. It can be a real wellness helper, I think, frankly, to make sure that you live in a clean environment.”
How often should you deep clean your kitchen?
Once a month is a good rule of thumb to go by—and makes it easy to keep track of your kitchen cleaning schedule. However, as long as you are keeping up with daily cleaning, you can wait up to six weeks between deep cleans, Mehas says.
Now that you’ve worked hard to secure yourself a spotless kitchen, it’s time to enjoy the space.
