Your kitchen may be beautiful, but keeping it clean can be challenging. With all the food storage, preparation, and eating, messes are a constant factor in this part of the house. People spend money on cleaner solutions, such as brushes and towels for maintenance.
If there was the best way to clean a house, what would that be? If you come from an active or busy household, as a family with kids, you are probably looking for the easiest.
The key is not just doing these tasks but doing them in THIS ORDER so that you are not repeating them. There’s nothing more frustrating than cleaning something and immediately having to do it again.
8 Steps to Clean Your Kitchen the Easy Way
Here are some tips for the easiest way to clean different kitchen surfaces.
First, play “Which of these things don’t belong?”
Just from living, you will likely have items that don’t belong in your kitchen end up there by circumstance. Very few people think about cleaning up the items that don’t belong in the kitchen.
However, people doing minor tasks, such as putting individual items away, can get distracted. The fastest way to clean is to put items that don’t belong in a bin and deal with them later.
The temptation to unload that bin of unplaced items is high. However, if you start moving items out of the kitchen to their places, your chances of finishing the kitchen are greatly reduced.
1. Start with the kitchen sink
A saying goes, “If you start cleaning the kitchen sink first, you’ll end up cleaning the rest of it.” The sink is the most used active appliance in the room and is often the dirtiest and most exposed.
When cleaning the sink, dampen it first. If you have a ceramic sink, use bleach to disinfect, let sit for five minutes, and rinse with warm water.
If you have a stainless steel sink, cover the sink with baking soda, then scrub with a brush. Many places also recommend a cleaner called “Bar Keepers Friend” for stubborn stains that are persistent in your sink.
2. Dust busting
If you are prone to allergies or have open shelving, you should include this step before getting into other cleanings. Otherwise, you will wipe down your countertops, get dust on them, and need to perform that task again.
Start from the top shelving, including cabinet tops, where dust collects if it does not reach the ceiling. While a hand duster can do the job, a long brush with an extension makes this job easier.
Don’t forget the tops of light fixtures, corners and anything that is generally out of reach.
3. Spray and wipe down countertops
This sounds pretty easy: wipe and spray down, but there are ways to make this easier.
First, liberally apply an all-purpose cleaner to the countertop unless the surface requires a cleaner like granite. Let the cleaner do all the work, and then wipe down with a cloth.
Some people tend to wipe and catch dust and crumbs in their hands. However, letting them fall to the floor and sweep up collectively is easier than keeping your hands tidy.
4. Cleaning your stove
The best way to clean a stove depends on its type. If you have a glass range stovetop, use a non-abrasive cleaner, let it sit, and wipe it down with a microfiber towel.
With an electric stove, remove the hotplates and clean with a strong cleaner and brillo pad. If you have a gas stove, wash the burners with detergent and water and scrub the stains with a toothbrush.
5. Cleaning out the refrigerator
While you can empty the refrigerator by eating everything in it, you should start by tossing the expired food first. Take any drawers or storage containers in the refrigerator and wash them with soapy water in the sink.
Spray with an antibacterial cleaner and wipe down the shelves with a damp cloth. Keep a box of open baking soda to eliminate any foul odors.
6. Wiping down vertical surfaces, including cabinets
If you want to do a quick job, warm, soapy water and a terry cloth or microfiber rag are sufficient.
But special cabinet cleaners are available if you want to make your kitchen look impressive for the company coming over. Cleaners like Magic Cabinet and Wood Cleaner clean dirt and create a coating that is resistant to further soiling.
7. Sweeping up or cleaning the floor
After the dust, dirt and other particles have fallen from the tops of other surfaces, time to sweep or mop. When sweeping, start from the corners or areas furthest from the entrance.
If your kitchen door leads outside, dirt can be swept outside. If mopping, use a bucket, and when disposing of dirty water, dump it into a toilet rather than the kitchen sink.
8. Take out the trash
Because taking out the trash is easy to do to make things clean, people tend to do this first. However, this should be your final step if you want to remove all the debris at once.
Wipe down the trash bin with an antibacterial cleaner and paper towel, then line it with a trash bag.
Is there an easier or more efficient way to clean your kitchen? Is there a critical step missing from this process? Leave your kitchen cleaning tips below!
