The kitchen is one of the most used places in a home, don’t you think so? with meal preparations, cooking, washing dishes, moving things in and out of the fridge and of course, it’s also home to the pantry, which makes it one of the places that gets dirty quickly no matter how often you clean it.
There is buildup formation, grime and oil and of course, bacteria formation if it isn’t cleaned properly and on a regular basis.
While you clean your kitchen on a daily basis, a deep cleaning is required to be done every now and then.
In this article, I will talk about my daily, weekly and monthly kitchen cleaning plans so you can use them to clean your kitchen too.
Daily Kitchen Cleaning Plan –
On a daily basis there is just the basic cleaning you will need to do and here are a few pointers that could help you:
- Wash the dishes
- Wipe out and clean the sink
- Empty dishwasher
- Clean and sanitize countertop: Since your countertop is the place most used, make sure to spray some all-purpose cleaning liquid over the countertop and wipe it clean with a damp cloth. You can use the same method to clean your stovetop as well.
- Clean Stovetop – Mix a few drops of dishwashing liquid — preferably a brand known for cutting grease — with your hot water. Dampen a fresh microfiber cloth with hot soapy water, and wipe down the stovetop. You can sprinkle some baking soda mixed in dish soap on the stove top and let it sit for 15 mins. Next spray vinegar on the stove top and wipe it off.
- Sweep floor – This is something that needs to be done every day or at least once every two days, as food scraps often fall and dirty the floor. Sweep the floor with a broom or vacuum it.
- Tidy up stray items and countertop clutter : Make sure to declutter the kitchen. Remove any unused items (like those you do not use on a daily basis) and set them aside or back in their places before beginning the cleaning process.
- Empty Trash: Well, this is the last part of your daily kitchen cleaning, garbage disposal. Clear the trash and clean the garbage bin if need be, before putting on a new garbage bag.
Weekly Kitchen Cleaning Plan –
For a weekly clean up, you can simply choose any one day in the week to do a semi deep-clean of frequently used areas of your kitchen and follow the same practice every week. Here are some tips you could follow for a weekly clean up:
- Take any leftovers from fridge or any expired inventory from the pantry.
- Clean your appliances: Once every week, you will need to clean the inside of your appliances by wiping them down with some soapy warm water and then with a damp clean towel. This can help get rid of any dirt and food debris. Your appliances will be all the exterior surfaces of your stovetop, microwave, dishwasher, oven, refrigerator, toaster, grinder, blender, griller, waffle/pancake maker etc. Spray equal parts of vinegar and water on the appliance. Next dab a little olive oil on a cloth and wipe down the appliances to add shine.
- Clean microwave – Microwave a cup of white vinegar or lemon juice on high until it boils, steam cleaning the interior of your microwave and loosening caked-on gunk and grime. Wipe clean with a soapy sponge, then wipe out soap residue with a clean rag. Leave the microwave door open to air dry.
- Cleaning the sink and drain: While this is something you would have done every day maybe, a deep clean of the sink and drain is necessary at least once a week. This will also include your water taps, faucets, drain board etc. Make a mixture of warm water, baking soda, white vinegar and liquid detergent. Use this mixture to scrub your sink with a brush and thereafter, pour it down the drain, to clean your drain.
- Sanitize kitchen sponge – Microwave your damp sponge on high for one minute to kill bacteria.
- Sweep and mop your floor You can either vacuum or sweep your floor to get rid of dust, dirt and food debris, while mopping your floor can be done with warm soapy/mild detergent-mixed water for the first round and plain water for the second round.
- Launder dish towels.
- Take out recycling – rinse out your recycling bin occasionally with dish soap and warm water, leaving the lid off to allow it to air dry afterward. All of those soda and beer droplets can create a sticky, smelly situation at the bottom of the bin.
- Clean garbage disposal – Toss some ice cubes. 1 tbsp baking soda and 1 lemon wedge down the disposal, and run it to knock loose any built-up grime from the blades. Pour boiling water down the disposal to flush it out. Run the disposal with some fresh citrus peels in it to generate a fresh smell.
Monthly Kitchen Cleaning Plan
As for the monthly cleaning plan, I’d like to call this a “deep cleaning plan”, because it involves deep cleaning of all parts of your kitchen like inside of your oven, refrigerator, cabinets, drawers etc. So, this can even be done over a span of two to three days.
Here is the deep cleaning plan once a month:
- Cleaning the drawers and cabinets – Once every month, you could remove the contents from the cabinets and drawers and spray it down with an all-purpose liquid cleaner, thereafter wiping it with a damp cloth. Wait for the cabinets and drawers to dry completely before putting back the items into its respective places.
- Clean the cobwebs and windows – Use a long broom or duster to take down any cobwebs from the ceiling, on the top of kitchen fixtures etc., and then with a damp cloth, wipe your windows to get rid of any dust or dirt.
- Cleaning the insides of your appliances and kitchen equipment: This cleaning will involve cleaning the inside of your refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave, oven, waffle maker, griller, coffee maker, toaster etc. You will first need to remove all the items in any of this equipment (like food stuff, removable shelves, oven racks, the microwave plate, etc) and then wipe it clean using a damp cloth and some all-purpose cleaning liquid, before placing the items back. To clean coffee or tea pots, add vinager in the water chamber and let it sit for an hour. Next turn on the coffee maker to finish the cycle.
- Scrub your garbage bins – Once you dispose your garbage and before you put in a new garbage bag, make sure to scrub your garbage bins with a brush, using some mild detergent and dry them well before putting in the new bag. This will help prevent bacterial formation and will help get rid of dirt and grime.
- Clean tile grout – Baking soda paste is perfect for smearing onto stained grout. Mix a paste with baking soda and hydrogen peroxide in a 3:1 ratio, and little dish soap, brush it on the grout and let it set for about 30 minutes, then scrub it with a soft bristle brush. Wipe clean with a damp rag.
- Wash kitchen rugs
- Dust light fixtures
Quarterly (or Seasonal) Kitchen Cleaning Plan
- Clean refrigerator coils (make sure to unplug your fridge first).
- Clean under the refrigerator.
- Sort through and organize cooking tools, like utensils and pans; declutter duplicates and anything you haven’t used.
- Take an inventory of spices and supplements; toss ones that are too old and make a note of what needs replenishing.