- Daily
- Weekly
- Monthly
- Quarterly
- Twice a year
- Yearly
I’ve put together a checklist so you don’t have to worry about remembering what needs to be done when. I’ve tried that before I know how impossible that truly is!
My Kitchen Hasn’t Always Been Clean
My kitchen was a place for everything. Since our kitchen is the “central hub” for us all to gather it seems logical that the kitchen would be the place that the mail falls, homework hangs out, and my daughter’s phone with wheels end up (moms you get this).
My biggest frustration was that I needed an hour to clean my kitchen before I cooked dinner then I needed another hour and a half to clean up the mess from dinner, homework, and play time.
I couldn’t keep up.
Setting Up a Clean Kitchen System
To be honest, this wasn’t something that took overnight. It took a lot of practice from everyone. Setting up a system doesn’t just change what you do but it does affect your family too.
The first thing was no more non-kitchen stuff in the kitchen was allowed. This cut the clutter and cut the time it took me to clean the kitchen.
Then it was time to figure out what needed to be cleaned and then how often.
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How To Clean A Kitchen Daily
As much as you want to avoid daily cleaning it has to be done if you want to keep up.
Each day you should:
- Wash dishes (this will probably be more than once a day depending on your family size and how many meals you prepare at home)
- Wipe down counters
- Clean up spills as they happen (this save a ton of time in the long run)
- Sweep floor
- Disinfect the sink
- Clean out the coffee pot
- Switch out towels
- Switch out dish rag or disinfect the kitchen sponge (dishwasher or boiling water)
As a side note; in the morning I like to unload the dishwasher from the night before. I’m usually doing this while I’m making breakfast for everyone. Then I load the dishwasher wipe down the counters and I’m usually good until lunch.
How to Clean A Kitchen Weekly
The weekly cleaning is the semi-deep cleaning and sometimes can be the forgotten chores.
Weekly cleaning chores are:
- Mop floors
- Clean the microwave
(how often do you open the microwave and cringe?)
- Remove old food from the fridge
- Take fridge inventory (this helps with meal planning)
- Clean stove top
- Wipe down cabinets & appliance fronts
Clean Kitchen Tips
Clean from top to bottom this will help with crumbs, dust, and other weird stuff that falls. This will save you from having to clean back over areas. Which will save you time and get the job done.
How To Clean A Kitchen Monthly
The monthly cleaning list is a little long but these are things that need to be done just not that often. I like to call this my deep cleaning time.
Monthly cleaning tasks:
- Dust
cabinet and appliance tops
- Clean pantry
- Take inventory of fridge, freezer, and pantry
- Clean stove burner liners
(if applicable)
- Clean garbage disposal (if applicable)
- Vacuum
and wash all corners
- Dust light fixtures
- Clean out freezer
- Wash the window and window cill/sill
Remember, this doesn’t have to be done all at once, you can break this up. Doing a little every day will make the cleaning a little easier.
How To Clean A Kitchen Quarterly
Quarterly cleaning is something that I never did but I have found that it is really important for more than just keeping your kitchen clean. By doing some of this cleaning helps with clutter, and gives life to small appliances.
What to clean every 3 months:
- Mop under fridge and oven
- Wash light fixtures
- Wash oven/vent filter
- Polish stove top
- Polish appliance fronts
- Clean out small appliances
- Replace water filter
- Clean dishwasher filter
- Wash the dishwasher
- Clean faucet
- Clean spice jars and update spices as needed
- Wash out the garbage can
- Clean out kitchen cabinets
- Wipe down pantry jars (flour, sugar, etc. containers)
- Go through kitchen gadgets toss and replace if needed
- Clean fridge coils
- Clean fridge filter
- Dust and clean window blinds/curtains
- Go through canned foods and toss expired food
Okay, yes, I know this is a very long list. The good news is, these items only need to be done 4 times a year so every 3 months I make a date with my kitchen and do the thorough deep kitchen cleaning.
How To Clean A Kitchen Twice A Year
Thank goodness that the twice a year list and once a year list are small because the monthly and quarterly lists are quite overwhelming.
Clean these twice a year:
- Clean the oven
- Wash the walls
So with that being said twice a year, I like to clean the inside of the oven. Since I have a self-cleaning oven I just turn it on and let the oven do the work.
I don’t stop there though, I clean the oven racks. Throughout the months they turn yellow and brown from spills, grease, and other questionable things. So while they’re out because the oven is at 1 million degrees to clean I soak them in the tub in hot soapy water for about an hour.
I scrub and whatever didn’t come off from the first soak I take baking soda and vinegar to those areas. That combo works like a charm.
How To Clean A Kitchen Yearly
The yearly cleaning isn’t really cleaning but some maintenance that needs to be done.
- Calibrate the oven
That’s it. The oven takes a beating in our home. I use it almost every day so it needs to be calibrated so it stays at the temp I need it.
How To Clean A Kitchen By Following The Cleaning Checklist
Sometimes we download checklists and get overwhelmed with how to use them. Here are a few tips to help you clean your kitchen by following the cleaning checklist.
Clean throughout the day
Do your daily cleaning a little at a time. This will help you keep up with messes and it doesn’t feel like you spent the entire day cleaning.
Clean as you go
During the day, clean as you go. Put things away as soon as you’re done with them so you don’t have to do it later which seems like it takes longer. Or–not getting done at all.
Break up the cleaning
The weekly, monthly, and quarterly cleaning try to break them up so you’re not feeling like you are cleaning all of the time.
For example, Monday’s you might focus on the floors. Since my family has been home all weekend tracking in this and that and spilling this and that try scrubbing the floors. Tuesdays focus on the dust.
Create a clean routine
Setting up a clean routine is probably the one thing that has helped me the most. If you’d like a cleaning routine I’ve written a few blog posts on them. One for you and one for your family.
Setting up a cleaning routine you complete
Setting up a family cleaning routine
Delegate some of the cleaning tasks
Once you have created a cleaning routine for yourself it’s good to get the family involved. Since everyone makes the mess and lives in the house then why not have everyone help.
That’s why I like to delegate some of the cleanings so all of the cleanings hasn’t fallen on my shoulders.
Conclusion For Getting Your Kitchen Under Control
Being thorough with your kitchen cleaning takes a lot of work but if you have a plan it doesn’t have to be that overwhelming.
By doing a little bit every day you’re going to be able to keep up. Your kitchen will be cleaner and you’ll notice that your appliances will last longer.
The fear of looking at the back of the fridge will go away since you’re clearing out old food each week making your life that much better.
I did create the Kitchen Sparkle Blueprint. Inside the Kitchen Sparkle Blueprint, you’ll find everything that I talked about in this post.
The blueprint is broken into daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, twice a year, and a yearly job. This will help eliminate some of the overwhelm and you can know exactly what needs to be done when.
I want to thank you so much for stopping by.
Have an amazing day,
Jenn
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