On average, you’re likely to spend two hours a day cleaning your home. But how much of those two hours are you devoting to one of the germiest, messiest rooms of your house? We’re talking about a place that easily racks up dirt, grime, and germs — your kitchen. From your sink to your sponge, from your utensils to even the fruit and vegetables, harmful bacteria and chemicals are everywhere. Make sure you’re doing the job right and effectively wiping out all of the nasty bugs that are sitting on your surfaces. Here are eight kitchen cleaning tips to make your home sparkle.
1. Decontaminate Surfaces
Out of all of our kitchen cleaning tips and tricks, this is the one you need to do every day. Your surfaces can be teaming with harmful bacteria that can make you and your loved ones sick.
Think about all of the contaminated surfaces you might touch or place food on and then spread everywhere else. Keep some cleaning wipes or all-natural cleaning spray, like half water and half white vinegar, handy to wipe down all surfaces at the end of the night.
2. Keep it Clutter-Free
Clutter build-up, like random containers or take out menus, will attract more dust and dirt. Plus it will make it harder to use your kitchen counters and keep things sanitized.
Nip clutter in the bud and never let it build up until it becomes unmanageable. Use a laundry basket and a timer to quickly get everything off of your counters, then sort it out and find the right place for everything.
3. Start Top Down
When organizing your kitchen cleaning checklist, start from the top down. That way all of the dirt and grime fall to the floor and you won’t have to go over the same areas twice.
Dust the tops of your cabinets or appliances first. You can put parchment or wax paper on top of them and then just change it out after they get too dirty to make dusting even easier.
Next, move on to your kitchen countertops and your sink and stove. Finally, sweep and mop your floors.
This technique ensures you will only have to do a deep clean one time. There’s no need to go back over the same areas or work with cross-contamination.
4. Deep Clean Your Sink
Don’t wait until your garbage disposal starts stinking up the rest of the house. Give your sink a deep clean at least once a week to keep it fresh.
Throw a few lemon peels into the disposal, turn on the faucet, and run the water. You’ll give those gunky blades a nice citrus-scented scrub.
Next, clean the sink with soap and water first and allow it to dry. Sprinkle some flour in your sink and buff with a dry cloth to get it to shine.
5. Cleaning Small Appliances
Your appliances do a lot of heavy lifting in the kitchen. When you’re preparing or storing your food, you need them to be clean to prevent contamination.
Take the time to clean them out once a week so that food and dirt don’t build up in or on them. Start with the smaller ones and work your way to the larger ones.
Run some vinegar and water through a dirty coffee maker. Steam a bowl of water and lemons in your microwave for a few minutes so that old food bits wipe off easily.
6. Cleaning Large Appliances
Now it’s time to show your stove, fridge, and dishwasher some TLC. Start by cleaning out the fridge of any old and expired food and condiments.
Give it a good wipe down with your vinegar and water solution. Think about adding liners so that you can make clean up even easier next time.
Place a mug of white vinegar in your dishwasher’s top rack and run a hot water cycle. Don’t forget to clean out the drain every few weeks, too.
Prevention is key with your oven so that you don’t have to run the self-cleaning cycle too often. Get an oven-safe liner if possible and make sure there’s a cookie sheet to catch any spills from whatever you bake.
7. Upgrade Your Garbage Can
Cleaning your kitchen trash can should always be an item on your deep clean checklist. Your humble garbage can takes some abuse but there’s a way to keep it smelling fresh and looking nice.
First, give it a good scrub with hot soapy water. After it dries for a while, dilute 1/8 cup of bleach in a liter of hot water and use a scrub brush with a long handle to sanitize the inside of your can.
Wipe up excess water with paper towels. Remember to use rubber gloves because of the bleach.
Allow to fully dry in a well-ventilated area. Add a cotton ball soaked in essential oils or place some dryer sheets at the bottom for a nice scent every time you use it.
8. Use the Right Tools
Keeping the best tools handy for kitchen cleaning is essential to keeping up with your new habit. As you can see, you can get great kitchen cleaning supplies at the store but you can make your own, too.
Vinegar, baking soda, and lemon juice, when properly diluted, make fantastic all-natural cleaners. Plus, they’re usually found in kitchens, anyways, so you most likely have them on hand.
Replace old brushes and sponges often since they harbor bacteria. Cut the corner off of the sponge you use for cleaning to keep it separate from the one you use for doing dishes.
The Best Kitchen Cleaning Tips
The most valuable trick out of all of our kitchen cleaning tips? Give your kitchen a good wipe down once a day so that you don’t have to do a deep clean every time.
Sticking with your cleaning habit ensures you won’t have to work harder in the future. Plus, your kitchen will sparkle and you’ll be sure you’re not passing on harmful bacteria to your loved ones.
Want to clean more but you don’t have the time? We’ve got a professional kitchen cleaner on standby for you!
Reach out to us any time and schedule your appointment with one of our cleaning specialists today!
