The Ultimate Guide to Cleaning your Kitchen

Clean Queen: 10/24/2019

Your kitchen is on the front lines in the battle against dirt. No other room in your house is at a higher risk of succumbing to the forces of grime, with the possible exception of your bathroom. Food splatter, dirty crockery, and even the steam from your oven can all be harbingers of mess. It’s a good idea, therefore, to learn how to clean a kitchen thoroughly, especially if it is a busy place in your home. Here’s an ultimate guide to cleaning your kitchen.

Collect Your Tools

Before you even begin the task of cleaning, you need to assemble the tools for the job.

If you’re planning on cleaning your kitchen to a high standard you’ll need the following equipment:

Extendable or long brush pole
Mop for the floor
Bucket with handle
Sponges
Cleaning cloths
A selection of cleaners (either manufacturers, home-made, or both)
Special-purpose oven cleaners
Liners for drawers
A vacuum cleaner with all the necessary attachments

Once you’ve collected the tools for the job, you’re ready to get on with the sometimes tricky task of cleaning your kitchen.

Clean Your Window Treatments

Drapes and blinds in your kitchen accumulate dirt like there’s no tomorrow. The reason this happens is a combination of cooking methods and general dust and food particles in the air. Oil droplets caught in steam can accumulate on window treatments, creating a sticky layer that’s difficult to clean and attracts more dust particles.

The best solution is to take window treatments down from the windows and wash them according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Most curtains and blinds are machine-washable.

Scrub Your Kitchen Cabinets

Kitchen cabinets, like window treatments, are a magnet for dirt and grime. The worst spot is the flat surface on top, between the roof of the cupboard and the ceiling. Oil droplets released into the air by frying condense on these surfaces, leaving a sticky, unsightly residue that smells awful.

Cleaning your kitchen cabinets involves several steps.

First, remove all of the drawers and their contents and give the interiors a good wipe down. If there are food stains, lift them off with a stiff sponge and soapy water.

Next, wipe down the insides of the cabinet, paying particular attention to the base where the majority of dirt accumulates. Use your favorite cleaner and sponge for this job, and then wipe up any residue with a microfiber cloth.

Third, tackle the tops of the cabinet. Wrap a damp cloth around the end of your extendable pole and drag it back and forth until the dirt lifts. You should notice a buildup of a thick, dark residue on the cloth.

Finally, polish the handles with using your cleaning cloths. Hopefully, by the end of the process, the cabinets should look like new.

Scrub Your Appliances

Kitchen appliances, like the oven, microwaves, and refrigerator, all have a habit of attracting dirt and grime, especially from food.

Apply oven cleaner to your oven regularly. Carbonized particles on the inside of your oven can cause it to smell whenever you switch it on. Try applying oven cleaner to cavity periodically to help lift the grime and leave your oven fresh every time you switch it on.
Soak your fridge shelves. Just like kitchen countertops, fridge shelves are a magnet for food debris and particles. Every so often, remove the trays from your refrigerator and leave them to soak in warm, soapy water. Then, wipe the dirt off, dry them thoroughly, and replace them.
Scrub your stovetop. Food cooking in pans has a nasty habit of splattering all over your stovetops. To clean baked-on stains, spray your stovetop with cleaner and then leave it to work its magic for 30 minutes. Afterward, wipe it, and the food residues off with a sponge or cloth.
Deep clean your microwave. Microwaves can accumulate a lot of dirt during regular operation, causing them to smell. Switch it off at the mains, remove the plate, and put it in the dishwasher. Then get a sponge and your favorite cleaner and start working your way around the interior of the unit, including the roof.

Mop Your Floor

Finally, sweep the floor and then use a mop to remove any baked-on stains, grease residues, or fine particles. If you have tiles or stones in your kitchen, you may want to use specialized cleaning products, designed to keep these covering looking their best over the long term.

So, there you have it: the ultimate guide to keeping your kitchen clean. How will you keep yours looking spotless?