At least once a quarter, I thoroughly clean the kitchen.

In my household, kids make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and don’t wipe down the jelly running down the side of the jar or the counter, where it landed. They make sandwiches directly on the counter, instead of a plate, and leave the breadcrumbs alongside the jelly. The pot boils over while they’re making themselves macaroni and cheese, and they leave the oily water residue stuck to the stovetop. The spice cabinet always has a sugary layer of spices coating the shelves. And don’t get me started on the inside of the microwave.

It’s not for lack of training or being led by example. They’ve had sixteen years of it, on average. And they do their chores. They just don’t clean like I do.

Here is a list of how to efficiently but thoroughly clean your kitchen. You can either attack it and do it in one day, or you can break the tasks into a week’s worth.

1. The Refrigerator

a. Throw away all expired or rotten food.

b. Move all containers to the countertop while you clean the shelves and inside of fridge with hot water and dish soap and rinse it clean.

c. Pull out drawers and wash with hot, soapy water in sink. Rinse. Return to fridge.

d. Wipe down all sticky containers before returning to fridge. Small items fit well on shelves on door. Some fridges have room for milk and juice containers on door. I use the small drawers for butter, cheese, and sandwich meat. You can use a small Tupperware container for holding unused packets of sauce, dressings, etc. that you may collect from fast food restaurants. Vegetables always go in the larger drawers at the bottom of the fridge at my house.

e. Wipe outside of fridge, including the top and the grid at bottom.

2. Cupboards and Drawers

a. Pick a side of the kitchen to start with and work your way around, top to bottom, one at a time.

b. Clear out the cupboard or drawer.
– If it’s a food cupboard, throw away expired items.
– If it holds containers, be sure you aren’t hoarding things you don’t need. For example, toss plastic that came with food in it but keep regular, purchased Tupperware.
– If it’s full of dishes, do you need that many? My mom was a teacher, and kids always gave her coffee mugs for gifts. Keep the favorites and sets, but box up the rest for the thrift shop or a yard sale.

c. Wipe down the shelves and inside the drawers before returning items in an organized fashion.

d. Wipe down the surfaces of the cupboards and drawers, including the top, doors, handles, etc. When you’re working on the bottom cupboards, you may want to clean the floors directly below them too. An old-fashioned hand-held brush scrubbing gets all the caked-up food drizzle and crumbs cleaned well.

NOTE: If you have too many items to fit into your cupboards, consider purging the items or purchasing a rack or shelving to put them on, if your kitchen has space for more furniture. Everything should fit in a space. Your counters should not be so full of items you have no counter space. Maybe a few small appliances, such as a toaster, coffee pot, or Instapot tucked under the overhanging top cabinets. That counter space is for food prep and layout. It’s for having a cup of coffee with a friend while catching up. It’s not meant to collect piles of stuff.

3. Stove/Microwave

This is my least favorite part of cleaning the kitchen.

a. Wipe down all surfaces and the oven door and drawer underneath.

b. Clean the oven (use the self-cleaning feature OR oven spray).

c. Clean out the drawer or broiler underneath the oven.

d. Clean any hood over the stovetop.

e. Clean out the microwave over the stove or on your counter. Clean the front of it (and the sides, if you can reach them). Wash the glass plate and return it to the microwave.

4. Sink

a. Do the dishes until they’re completely finished.

b. Clean out the sink basin and the back and backsplash with something that will scrub it clean. I like to use a Scotch pad with dish soap and hot water OR an S.O.S. pad OR Clorox Clean-up and a Scotch pad and sponge or dishcloth.

Note that there tends to be a lot of buildup on the back of the sink faucet base. Pay extra special attention to cleaning there and in the drains.

5. Countertops and Backsplashes

a. Clear the countertops of anything that doesn’t have to take up that space. Granted, we all have small appliances we like to keep handy, maybe some cookbooks, a dish drainer. Those are fine, as they usually tuck under the overhanging top cupboards. The object here is to clear the items so we can wash the backsplash and countertops before we return the necessary items to the counters.

b. Use warm soapy water or a multi-purpose spray like Clorox Clean-up to wipe down/wash the backsplash around the kitchen. Do the same for the countertops, remembering to hit the lip of the counter that meets your backsplash.

c. Dry the countertops (or let them air dry).

d. Clean the small appliances before you return them to the countertop.
– Note that toasters come with trap doors on the bottom to release the built-up crumbs from within the toaster.
– You can use white or cider vinegar to clean your coffee pot. After removing all filters and grounds, pour one part vinegar to one part water (i.e. for a 12-cup pot, use 6 cups vinegar and 6 cups water) into the water container of the coffee machine. Run it like you are making a cup of coffee. Dump the pot and wash with hot, soapy water.

6. Garbage Can

a. Remove the trash.

b. Use hot, soapy water to clean out your garbage can. Inside and out.

c. Dry the can.

d. Spray the inside with Lysol. I recommend doing this step each time you change the garbage bag.

e. Insert new garbage bag.

7. Floors

Clean the floors last. Sweep and mop. Be careful to get all stuck-on nastiness off.

If you’re feeling adventurous, pull out the refrigerator and stove and clean the floor under them, as well. I always do this once a year. You’d be amazed at how much gets trapped under these two appliances in that time. I also take that time to clean the sides of the cabinets and the wall that surround the appliances.

Now you’ve got a sparkling clean and organized kitchen! Congratulations!

For a FREE Printable Version of this list, click here.

Do you have any favorite kitchen cleaning tips? We’d love to hear them in the comments below!