How to Deep Clean Your Kitchen

How to Deep Clean Your Kitchen

When it comes to spring cleaning our kitchens, there are two schools of thought. Some people just intend to do a surface cleaning. A surface cleaning is when you just wipe down all the surfaces that you can see.

But, die-hard spring cleaning enthusiasts go well beyond that.

They want to give their kitchen a deep clean, covering every nook and cranny. If you want to know how it’s done, we’ll show you how to give your kitchen a deep clean from the inside out, and top to bottom.

Why Deep Clean Your Kitchen?

For one thing, every time you cook, grease and grime accumulate all over your kitchen surfaces. We also tend to allow our cabinets and countertops to get more cluttered than we would like. This causes us to work less efficiently when we’re in the kitchen.

How often do most of us spend extra time looking for something in the kitchen, only to realize we don’t use half of what’s in there?

It’s time to deep clean the kitchen!

I’ll share with you how to get it done. I like to approach each task as a separate one, and use a clean towel for each. Let’s get started!

1. First things first! Let’s get organized!

The first thing I like to do is wipe down my countertops and the breakfast or dining table if it’s close by. You’ll also want to grab a couple of totes or boxes. The idea is to have places to put things in as you go through them.

The first job we’re going to tackle is the kitchen cabinets and drawers.

Go through them, one by one, and pull everything out. Place the items on your clean countertop or table and as you do, anything that you don’t need or use, place it in a tote or box. You can donate those unwanted items to a shelter or some place that can use them.

If you’re bored while cleaning, put some music on to make the job more enjoyable.

As you go through the items in the cabinets, it’ll be your chance to place matching sets back together that may have gotten separated.

Then, wipe down the insides and outsides of the cabinets, drying them after with a clean, dry towel.

Replace everything back in a more organized fashion. For me, this is the chore I want to spend the most time with.

Don’t forget to clean out the pantry when doing this first step. Throw out any expired food and organize everything back in place.

Finally, go through your kitchen drawers and pull everything out. Apply the same method as you did for the cabinets.

I love an organized kitchen! Don’t you?

2. Clean any window treatments!

If you have curtains, take them down and wash them according to manufacturer instructions. If you have blinds, you can wipe those clean with a slightly damp towel.

Also, wipe down window sills and then clean the windows with a good window cleaner or a vinegar and water mix.

3. Next, it’s time to wipe down the walls!

How often do we prepare a meal, only to notice unsightly cobwebs in the corner of the room? Or, sauce or other soiled areas on the walls?

Here’s your chance to get rid of them!

The first thing you’ll want to do here is to grab a duster with an extended handle. Dust from the ceiling down in the corners of the room. That should catch those cobwebs and do a fine job of dusting the corners.

Next, it’s time to wash the walls clean. Your kitchen walls are probably the dirtiest in the house just because of all the food preparation that goes on. Grease and steam from your stove don’t help things either.

Use a good all-purpose solution, grab a bucket of water with a sponge, and start wiping down the walls. While you’re at it, don’t forget doorknobs, light switch plates, air conditioning vents, etc.

You also will want to dust and clean anything on the walls, such as pictures, art, nic-nacs, etc.

Don’t use a really wet towel to clean anything that’s framed. A separate clean and slightly damp cloth works best for that.

Finally, give your light covers or ceiling fans some attention at this time. Gently clean them by wiping them clean.

Now things should be looking brighter!

4 & 5.  It’s time to clean the oven while sorting and cleaning the refrigerator!

Don’t you love multitasking?

The first thing you want to do is open the kitchen window as you self-clean the oven. Put the oven cleaner in the oven and clean your oven according to the directions.

While your oven is cleaning, pull everything out of your refrigerator, shelf by shelf. Start on the top shelf. Throw out anything that’s expired. You can place anything you plan on keeping on the countertop.

Wipe down the items from the refrigerator and wash or wipe down the refrigerator and freezer shelves. You can also wipe the sides of the refrigerator down.

Replace everything in an organized manner. It’s your chance to get your fridge the way you always want it to be.

You also want to vacuum or clean the coils of your refrigerator, but don’t forget to unplug it first.

If you have someone that can help you move things, you can clean under and around the refrigerator as well.

Don’t forget to plug the refrigerator back in!

You may also want to place fresh boxes of baking soda in both the refrigerator and freezer.

Finally, wipe your oven down and clean it as instructed on the label of the bottle of the oven cleaner.

We’re nearly done!

6. Wipe down the surfaces one more time!

Wipe down any surfaces that you haven’t already.

I’d start with your small appliances (toaster, blender, juicer, crockpot, etc.). Don’t forget to clean your microwave inside and out, as well.

Again, unplug any appliances before you clean them.

If you haven’t already, you’ll also want to clean the outside of your stove and refrigerator.

Just wipe down all those surfaces to a spic and span shine.

You also want to clean your kitchen sink with an appropriate cleaner. You might also consider freshening those kitchen drains by pouring some baking soda and a squeeze of some lemon juice, along with running water.

Finally, wipe all of your countertops one last time.

7. The final countdown! Sweep and mop the kitchen floors!

If you didn’t already do so when you cleaned the walls, be sure your baseboards are clean. Then sweep and mop the floors as you normally do.

By now, your kitchen should be shiny clean and organized. It’s a great feeling isn’t it?

Deep cleaning your kitchen is a big chore to tackle. It can be difficult to actually find the time to do it in today’s busy world.

If you are having a tough time setting aside the hours to do it, consider hiring a cleaning agency to do it for you.

Whether you do it yourself or hire someone to do it for you, you’ll be glad you did it!