After cooking a meal or hosting guests, it’s likely that the last thing you want to do is clean your kitchen. However, since a kitchen is such a central part of most homes, it’s especially important that it remains tidy. Many of us spend a lot of time in our kitchens, and if you’re living in an apartment or small home, you probably see your cooking space from your living room or entryway, too.
Having clean countertops, a sparkling stove, and a fingerprint-free fridge not only looks more polished, but it will help you feel more at ease when you’re lounging at home. There’s just something about having a clean space that makes for a welcoming and relaxing atmosphere.
If you’re not sure how you should be cleaning your kitchen, we put together this handy guide to walk you through daily, weekly, and monthly tasks. We also added some often forgotten about tasks that are just as important for keeping your kitchen clean. These checklists will help you feel more confident when tackling tough messes and will encourage you to keep up with your chores before things get out of hand.
Daily kitchen cleaning checklist
Before you roll your eyes at the thought of daily cleaning, keep in mind that small tasks add up and will ultimately make your deep cleaning days easier. Plus, these little to-dos make a great addition to a nightly wind-down routine.
- Wipe countertops with a multipurpose spray
- Load/unload the dishwasher and hand wash any other dishes
- Scrub and disinfect your sink
- Wipe fronts of appliances
- Wipe stovetop, if used that day
- Disinfect your faucet and any light switches
- Run your garbage disposal
- Clean appliance fronts to remove any smudges or splatters
- Pick up any clutter that accumulated on your countertops
Weekly kitchen cleaning checklist
Take some time each week to tackle these duties. While they’re a bit more hands-on than daily tasks, they’ll ensure that your kitchen stays functional and clean. Plus, they shouldn’t take you more than 30 minutes to complete.
- Vacuum or mop floors
- Launder your dish towel and replace it with a fresh towel
- Toss anything that’s expired from your refrigerator
- Clean the inside of your microwave with a multipurpose spray
- Toss fresh citrus into your garbage disposal before running it — it creates a fresh scent and sharpens the blades
- Wash the inside of any fruit bowls with warm water and soap
- Empty trash and recycling (frequency varies)
Monthly cleaning checklist
Deep cleaning can be intimidating and time-consuming, but it’s essential for having a spotless, germ-free kitchen. This monthly kitchen cleaning checklist will empower you to take on stubborn messes, without the stress.
- Wipe the baseboards in your kitchen (which can be prone to splashes from cooking!)
- Clean the oven and any other appliances that need a refresh
- Wipe the inside and outside of your refrigerator and freezer
- Run the clean/sanitize cycle on your dishwasher and clean the filter
- Run the clean cycle on your coffee machine
- Clean and polish stove top burners
- Dust the top of cabinets and refrigerator
- Clean and disinfect trash bins
- Clean backsplash or tile with a multipurpose cleaner or scrub
- Wash any kitchen runners or rugs
- Clean the inside of drawers and cabinets with a multipurpose cleaner
- Dust light fixtures
Other kitchen cleaning tasks
Don’t forget to clean these things! These small tasks can be completed on an as-needed basis, so use your best judgment to decide on the frequency.
- Replace water filters in your fridge
- Move your oven and refrigerator to vacuum any crumbs or debris
- Take stock of your cleaning supplies, replace as needed
- Discard of any expired items in your pantry, fridge, or freezer (be sure to check condiments)
- Replace sponges or scrub brushes
- Launder placemats and napkins
- Empty crumbs from toaster as they accumulate
- Wash any bar cart glassware that may have become dusty