Posted on March 10th, 2021
There are some areas of the home where you can occasionally get away with cutting corners while cleaning, but the kitchen isn’t one of them. Kitchens are frequently exposed to dangerous food-borne bacteria (like salmonella and e. Coli) and they provide a lot of damp, dark spaces for these bacteria to grow and thrive. Without regular cleaning and sanitizing, your kitchen can quickly become less hygienic than your bathroom, with surfaces used during food preparation being at the highest risk of contamination. According to Dr. Charles Gerba, in many homes it’s “Safer to make a salad on a toilet seat than it is to make one on a cutting board, [because] people disinfect their toilet seats all the time, but they don’t realize that they really need to pay attention in the kitchen too.”
To protect your family from harmful pathogens – and keep your kitchen looking and smelling fresh – it’s crucial to know which kitchen cleaning tasks need to be done daily, weekly, and monthly. To make staying on track easier, we’ve prepared a printable checklist of kitchen cleaning duties, organized by priority level. Or, if you’re looking for an even more convenient way to keep your kitchen safe and beautiful, you can contact our professional cleaning teams in Carmel, Indiana for affordable cleaning help.
Daily Kitchen Cleaning Duties
- Wash dirty dishes and empty the dishwasher. Never leave dirty dishes out overnight, as they can attract pests. If you don’t have space in your dishwasher for all of the dishes you’ve used, wash the remaining dishes by hand. (You can also use our guide to making the most of your dishwasher to better optimize your dishwasher space.)
- Wash out the sink. To prevent foul sink odors, mix 1 teaspoon of baking soda into 1/4 of a cup of lemon juice and use a cleaning sponge to distribute the mixture around your sink. Let it sit for ten minutes, then rinse with boiling water to kill odor-causing bacteria. (Pour the water slowly to avoid steam burns.)
- Wipe up spills. (Ideally, this should be done immediately after a spill happens.)
- Sweep or vacuum the floor.
- Empty the kitchen garbage, if necessary.
- Sanitize counter tops and cutting boards. Make sure you use a disinfectant cleaner to keep these high-use surfaces germ-free. If you aren’t comfortable cleaning with bleach, you can use a commercial disinfectant spray or create your own disinfectant spray using equal parts isopropyl alcohol and water.
Weekly Kitchen Cleaning Duties
- Wash cleaning sponges, dish cloths, and hand towels in hot water. Research shows that cleaning sponges and cloths frequently harbor dangerous bacteria because they come into contact with food waste and remain moist for long periods. To keep your family safe, machine wash dish cloths and hand towels on a hot cycle at least once a week. Toss cleaning sponges in the dishwasher or wet them thoroughly and microwave them on high for one minute.
- Organize your fridge. Throw out any leftovers that are more than three days old.
- Clean kitchen appliances, including the microwave, toaster, and coffee maker.
- Wash out the inside of the kitchen garbage can.
- Scour and polish the sink.
- Mop the floor.
- Clean tile grout using a grout brush (or old toothbrush) and baking soda paste. (For stubborn grout stains, try using oxygen bleach powder instead.)
- Keep on top of clutter by removing items that don’t belong in your kitchen.
- Wipe down all of the hard surfaces in your kitchen, including counter tops, table tops, cabinets, chairs, and faucets. Add a few drops of mild dish soap to a bucket of warm water, then gently scrub hard surfaces with a microfiber cloth. This cleaning method is gentle enough for use on multiple surfaces, including wood and granite.
Monthly Kitchen Cleaning Duties
- Deep clean the refrigerator. Completely remove its contents, then remove the shelves and drawers inside. Let them soak in hot, soapy water while you scrub the non-removable parts of your fridge with an all-purpose cleaner. When you’re done, thoroughly rinse and dry every part of your fridge before reassembling it.
- Clean out your freezer. Start by turning off the freezer and emptying it of food. Then, spray the inside of the freezer with a mixture of equal parts water and white vinegar and scrub it vigorously. Dry the inside of the freezer thoroughly with a dish towel before replacing its contents.
- Clean out the inside of your dishwasher. To do this, empty your dishwasher and clear the drain, then place a cup of white vinegar in a dishwasher-safe container on the top rack. Run the dishwasher through one normal cycle, then wipe down the inside with a microfiber cloth. If your dishwasher still smells less than fresh, dust the bottom of it with one cup of baking soda and run it through another cycle.
- Organize your cupboards and kitchen drawers, making sure everything is in the correct location. Get rid of broken and rarely-used items.
- Clean under the stove and fridge.
- Unclog the drain in the kitchen sink. To do this, use either a commercial drain cleaner or a mixture of baking soda and white vinegar. Add a tablespoon of baking soda to the drain, then pour down a cup of white vinegar. Let the mixture “fizz” for ten minutes before carefully pouring boiling water down the drain.
- Clean refrigerator coils with your vacuum’s crevice attachment (make sure you unplug the fridge first).
Need Help With Kitchen Cleaning? Contact DeluxeMaid
Life is full of unexpected changes. Having a baby, adopting a pet, or taking on extra shifts at work can all interfere with our normal housekeeping schedule, no matter how organized we are. If you’re finding it difficult to keep on top of the kitchen cleaning tasks outlined above, why not let our team of insured, bonded housecleaners in Indianapolis take over for you? With the help of a professional cleaner, you’ll have more time to enjoy what your kitchen is really meant for: Sharing love, laughter, and delicious food with your family. Contact us today to book your first appointment and instead spending your day enjoying the sun at Hazel Landing Park.