Plus, a clean kitchen will make you feel better, Mehas says. “If you can complete every cooking situation once and for all and move on, you feel less overwhelmed. It just clears your mind.”
The mother of three vacuums the kitchen once or twice a day and mops it every night before bed. She said, “You feel so healthy and clean, and [then] You can spend the rest of the night relaxing,” she added.
What kind of cleaning products should I use to clean the kitchen?
A cloth dampened with a cleanser or soapy water will usually remove any remaining splatter. But you may want to invest in a specialty cleaner for quartz countertops, marble countertops, and stainless steel, says Diehl. Be careful with bleach and ammonia, as they can damage a variety of materials, including marble. For hardened food debris, he suggests using a mixture of baking soda and soap to scrub away. You can also put your own DIY solution in a spray bottle.
Dieul uses eco-friendly kitchen cleaners on her worktops. “You need to be careful about the products you use in the kitchen, especially the surfaces you prepare your meals on,” Diehl says. “It needs to be clean, but at the same time, you don't want to use products that could be harmful to the food you're preparing.”
Mehas agrees that often all you need to start cleaning your kitchen is soapy water and a microfiber cloth.
What are the six important areas to pay attention to when cleaning your kitchen?
When embarking on a deep clean, you should pay attention to six important areas: the sink, countertops, large appliances, small appliances, the refrigerator, and floors.
Cleaning the kitchen: a step-by-step guide
Below, we'll explain how to tackle each of these areas in our step-by-step guide on how to clean your kitchen.
Step 1: Get the right mindset for kitchen cleaning
The first step to cleaning your kitchen is changing your mindset. Entering the kitchen with fear makes cleaning more difficult, Mehas says. “I have to get that out of my head.”
“Put on some good music and be determined to get it done.” Many people tend to overlook this mental step before they start cleaning their kitchen, she adds.
Step 2: Clean up or find a place to put something you forgot
Start tidying up by decluttering your kitchen space. “The more clutter your surroundings are, the less effective your cleaning will be,” Diehl says. Put dirty dishes in the dishwasher and clean up clutter on counters. Organize your utensils, throw away or recycle empty bottles, replace paper towel rolls, take out laundered dish towels and kitchen towels, and restock your kitchen sink with hand soap. Once you remove the unnecessary items, you will be able to see the junk that actually needs to be removed.
If you find that you don't have a place for everything that's currently sitting in your kitchen, it might be time to toss it, Mehas says. “Everything has a place, and if it doesn't have a place, it goes in the trash,” she says of her home. Items that are only used for special occasions, such as a roasting pan for Thanksgiving, can be hidden outside the kitchen if desired.
Step 3: Remove everything that needs to be soaked
A successful spring cleaning requires some positive thinking. Mihas suggests pulling out oven racks, metal grills, and vent filters and soaking them in the sink while you clean other areas of the kitchen. In particular, metal stove grates tend to get dirty quickly. This will soften the dirt and buildup so you don't have to scrub too hard later. “Fill your kitchen sink with warm, soapy water, put whatever you need in there, and let it soak while you clean everything,” she explains.
