16 Tips to Keep Your Kitchen Clean and Organized
Everyone wants a clean and tidy kitchen. It is easier to work in, feels more comfortable, and makes you feel less stressed. Here are some great tips to keep your kitchen clean and organized!
It happens to all of us. Dirty dishes left in the sink overnight. Countertops get cluttered with small appliances that are supposed to make life easier. Your kitchen island becomes a dumping ground for homework papers and mail.
It happens to me and frustration and stress take over.
We can’t be perfect all the time and that’s okay.
The dishes won’t always get done after a meal and that’s okay.
Our kids will toss their backpacks on the island and walk away and that’s okay.
We don’t have to be perfect all the time, but building a few good habits to help keep your kitchen clean and organized will definitely make life easier.
Reasons to keep your kitchen clean and organized
- No worries about germs – no worrying that you could possibly make your family sick from your cooking due to germs that didn’t get cleaned up properly.
- A clean kitchen looks great – There is nothing better than an empty sink and clean countertops
- Less stress – a dirty kitchen is stressful and will often have you putting off cleaning for even longer.
- Less frustration – An organized kitchen keeps meal prep and cleanup running smoothly. Everything has a home and you can find what you need easily when you know where everything belongs.
Tips to keep your kitchen clean and organized
Keeping the kitchen clean is a combination of daily, weekly, and monthly routines and habits. These may sound overwhelming at first but with time, it gets easier and becomes an integral part of your life.
Do you need to implement ALL of these in one go? Nope. Start with one or two and as they become easier add on more. It is all a layering effect. As you layer habits over each other, they get easier and build into one big system.
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Create daily cleaning habits
Creating daily habits that help keep your kitchen clean is a great place to start.
One of the best tools you have to help to keep your kitchen clean is making cleaning your kitchen a daily routine and habit.
Here are a few healthy habits and routines you should learn to help maintain a clean and tidy kitchen.
1. Unload the dishwasher before you start cooking.
Unloading the dishwasher before you start cooking makes it easier to get the chore done. Putting away clean dishes gives you space to directly load the dirty dishes as you cook and at the end of your meal.
Bonus: This makes a great chore for the kids!
This makes cleaning the dishes easier. After a while this will become a habit and your family will start to load dishes while they cook without even thinking about it.
2. Wipe down counters or appliances
Wiping down the counters or appliances is a great thing to do as you are watching and stirring the food you are cooking.
This keeps you close to the food while cooking but allows you to make use of your time and keeps your kitchen cleaner rather than standing around waiting or playing on your phone.
It can be amazing how many surfaces you can wipe down in the time it takes for a dish to boil or simmer.
By the way, have you tried this cleaner? It is absolutely AMAZING!
3. Declutter and put away items
Another chore to take care of as you cook is to sort and organize any stray papers and items in your kitchen (hello, homework papers on the island!).
While you wait for that pot to boil, it’s the perfect time to sort and put away some of these items. Or, involve the kids or other members to help you take care of them.
4. Sweep/vacuum your kitchen floor each night.
A great time to clean the floors is after dinner, and after cleaning up the kitchen. There are a few advantages of doing this as the very last chore before heading to bed.
- any crumbs that fall while cooking and cleaning up will be taken care of.
- No one will walk over the floors or get them messy again.
- you will walk into a nice clean kitchen in the morning.
We love our robot vacuum for this. Once dinner is done, the counters are cleaned and the dishwasher is loaded and turned on, just before heading to bed, we turn on the vacuum so it cleans the kitchen while we are sleeping.
We have had this vacuum for almost 4 years now and it is going strong. I can’t recommend it enough.
Important weekly tasks to help maintain your kitchen
From taking out the trash to cleaning out your refrigerator on trash night there are some simple chores you can do that help make cleaning and maintaining your kitchen easier.
5. Gather leftovers
Leftovers can really build up in the refrigerator if you do not clear them out consistently. Designate a “leftovers day” in your weekly menu.
This is a great time to dig through the refrigerator and find leftovers that need to be used and turned into the next meal.
Cleaning out the leftovers from the refrigerator has many advantages:
- Helps reduce food waste
- Ensures the refrigerator stays clean and organized.
- Helps reduce how often the refrigerator needs to be deep cleaned.
6. Clean your appliances
Appliances in the kitchen need a little love and cleaning on a regular basis to continue to work efficiently.
Once a week, you can spend 30-60 minutes going over the appliances and giving them a quick clean. A few examples are –
- Run water and a bit of vinegar through the coffee maker to descale
- Wipe down the inside of your microwave
- Wipe down the front and inside of the refrigerator.
- Cleaning the stovetop.
Do a monthly deep clean
No one has time to do a deep clean every day or even every week. Setting aside a couple of hours at a time for a deep clean to tackle the really dirty jobs is a great way to keep things under control.
7. Deep clean the stovetop
You’ve been cleaning the stove weekly but there can still be some grime left behind in harder-to-reach spots. This is a great time to clean out drip pans and if your stovetop lifts up, clean under it too.
8. Deep clean the oven
The oven can get lots of grime and grease built up.
Running the self-clean feature on the oven is a great way to get the grease loose.
You can also use this cleaner which works absolutely wonders!
9. Wipe down your backsplash
The backsplash is typically made of tiles, or glass and can accumulate grease, grime, and food residue over time. Here is how you can clean your backsplash:
- start by wiping it down with a damp cloth or sponge to remove loose debris
- apply a cleaning solution that is suitable for the material and use a scrub brush or sponge to work the solution into the surface
- rinse the area thoroughly with water and dry with a clean towel to prevent streaks or water spots.
10. Clean your vent grates
The stove vent accumulates grease and dust and can quickly become a fire hazard. You can clean them in multiple ways –
- Wash in hot soapy water. This should help remove most of the grease and dirt.
- If the grease is very old and stubborn, place them in a bag with ammonia overnight. Be sure to place this outside the house. The next day, it should be easy to wash them off.
11. Deep clean your refrigerator
Deep cleaning a refrigerator is extremely important to ensure it remains hygenic and free of odors. If you have been cleaning it weekly, this will be a breeze. But if you are just starting out with the routine, no worries. Once you get through it one time, it will be easy to maintain. Here’s how to clean the refrigerator:
- Remove all the contents and dispose off any expired or spoiled food.
- Remove shelves, drawers, and other removable parts and wash them in warm, soapy water
- Wipe down the interior of the refrigerator. Just a damp cloth works but if you have tough spots, you can use a solution of equal parts water and vinegar.
- Dry all surfaces before putting back the contents.
12. Deep clean the dishwasher
Cleaning out the dishwasher helps to maintain the dishwasher and keep it running efficiently. Here are the basic steps to cleaning your dishwasher:
- Remove any food debris or large particles from the dishwasher and filters.
- Place a dishwasher-safe cup filled with white vinegar on the top rack and run a hot cycle. This will help remove any buildup of mineral deposits or grease. Most modern dishwashers have a clean cycle. You can run this with a dishwasher cleaner.
- Sprinkle baking soda in the bottom of the dishwasher and run another hot cycle. This will help deodorize and remove any remaining stains.
- Wipe down the interior and exterior of the dishwasher with a damp cloth and dry thoroughly
This will help your dishwasher work at its best efficiency.
13. Clean the garbage disposal
Over time the garbage disposal can build up food particles, grease, and grime causing unpleasant odors and can also lead to clogs. Plus, bacteria love to thrive in a damp environment.
To clean the garbage disposal:
- Pour a cup of baking soda followed by a cup of vinegar down the drain. This will help break down any built up food residue and grease.
- After a few minutes pour hot water down the drain to flush out any remaining debris.
- Run cold water to ensure it is clean and clear.
- You can also run a few orange peels in the garbage disposal to make it smell great
Organization and storage
An organized kitchen is both easier to clean and appears more tidy and clean between cleanings. Here are a few quick tips to help you keep it organized.
14. Clear off countertops.
One of the best things you can do for making cleaning your home easier is to take the time to make sure your counters are clear. This is a great task to take care of every day. Don’t let that pile build up.
15. Keep as little on your counters as possible.
Keeping as little on the counters as possible will make them easy to wipe down and your kitchen will appear less cluttered. Use a peg board or a pressure bar with S hooks for hanging things you use often instead of keeping them in a container on the counter.
16. Take advantage of kitchen organizers
Kitchen organizers like risers allow you to use more cabinet space. Use utensil organizers for your drawers to help reduce the amount of clutter in your space.
The kitchen is the heart of the home. When you keep your kitchen clean and organized you won’t dislike spending time in there. These tips will help you make it a place the whole family will enjoy.
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