Cleaning a kitchen is not a difficult task, but you can go about it all wrong, which means that it still takes a lot of time and effort. However, if you have the right tools and follow the right steps, you can do it in no time.
You should clean your kitchen every week. This is not about thoroughly cleaning every cabinet or device, but about keeping the space where you prepare your food neat and fresh. Clean the countertop, stove, sink and wall tiles with soapy water.
With this handy step-by-step plan, cleaning the kitchen is done in no time. The photos help you through the process so that you can work easily and quickly. Also read the useful tips later in the article!
Kitchen cleaning step-by-step plan in 15 minutes
Always work from the cleanest surface to the dirtiest surface and from top to bottom. If you work the other way around, your cloth will get dirty quickly and you will make the cleaner parts of your kitchen dirtier instead of cleaner.
That is why I say in the step-by-step plan below that you should first remove the cupboards, then the countertop and only then the stove.
This is what you need:
- Kitchen degreaser in a spray
- Abrasive
- Dish brush (for cleaning, not the one you wash dishes with) or scouring pad
- Microfiber cloth
- Time required: 15 minutes.
A handy step-by-step plan for cleaning the kitchen in just fifteen minutes. If you do this neatly every week, you prevent stubborn dirt and mice or other vermin.
Tidy up the kitchen
Make sure there are as few items as possible on the counter and stove. Discard leftover food from pans and plates. If you have a dishwasher, put all the dishes in it. You wash pans and kitchen knives. If you don’t have a dishwasher, you also wash the dishes.
do the dishes
Vacuum the kitchen
Vacuum the kitchen. Remove the wand of the vacuum cleaner so that you can use the head to suck up all the crumbs, coffee grounds and other messes on the counter. It is better not to vacuum up wet food residues with the vacuum cleaner because they can then stick to the hose. Not very fresh. Also vacuum the kitchen floor.
Vacuum countertops
Clean the cupboard doors and handles
Spray a damp microfiber cloth with kitchen degreaser spray and wipe the cupboard doors. Also polish all the handles, because these also tend to get dirtier than you might expect.
Disinfect cabinet handle
Clean the countertop
I myself like to work with kitchen degreaser spray. Spray a damp cloth and wipe the countertop. Lift up kitchen appliances to clean underneath as well. Even better is to put the devices on the kitchen table for a while. This way the countertop can dry spotlessly after cleaning.
kitchen
Polish the wall tiles
Spray a damp microfiber cloth with kitchen degreaser spray and wipe the wall tiles. Brush the tiles near the stove and the sink extra well, because the tiles are often the dirtiest there. You can spray extra grease splashes if necessary.
Clean the cooker
If you have a stove with gas burners, remove the pan supports and put them in the dishwasher. If you don’t have a dishwasher, wash them with hot water and detergent. Remove the pits and place them in soapy water with washing-up liquid and warm water. Then spray a damp cloth with degreaser spray and wipe the stove. If you have a hob, you only do the latter.
Clean the kitchen sink
Remove the sieve from the sink and empty it in the trash. Put a little abrasive cleaner in the sink and scrub the sink and strainer with the washing-up brush. Rinse well so that no detergent remains in the sink. Also remove the tap. If there is limescale at the tap, spray it with a descaler and let it work for 5 minutes. After this you can easily wipe off the limescale with a cloth.Clean sink with liquid scouring agent
Mop the kitchen floor
Make a new solution of warm water and a suitable detergent. For tiles you use all-purpose cleaner, for PVC it is best to use a real PVC cleaner and for laminate a laminate cleaner. Mop the floor thoroughly and rinse the mop regularly. Cleaning PVC floor
Check off cleaning tasks
When you check off your cleaning tasks in a checklist, cleaning is a lot more satisfying and you have a better overview.
That’s why I’ve created a free cleaning checklist, with daily, weekly and periodic chores.
Start each day off right with the daily checklist and tips.
Enjoy a clean house and a feeling of satisfaction by checking off completed tasks.
Get a better grip on the household with the handy overview of periodic cleaning tasks.
You can now download the cleaning checklist for free. Personally, I find it useful to print out the PDF, but of course you can also keep it on your computer or phone!
Clean sticky countertops
Your counter is probably sticky from grease or from spilling something high in sugar, like syrup, lemonade, or honey.
Spray your counter top with degreaser spray and let it take effect. Then scrub the countertop with a clean, slightly damp cloth.
Clean gas stove or hob
Do you suffer from caked-on grease residue around the burners of the gas stove? Then clean it with cleaning soda and cleaning vinegar. Let the combination of the agents take effect for a while and then scrub with a scratch-free scouring pad.
For an extensive step-by-step plan on how to get the gas stove nice and clean, see cleaning the gas stove.
If you don’t have a gas stove but a hob, for example induction, electric or ceramic, you can clean it with a little kitchen degreaser spray and a damp cloth.
However, if you suffer from cooking circles, those white circles on the heat sources, then you need a special cleaning agent: hob intensive cleaner.
Cleaning kitchen sink
The kitchen sink is often skipped. However, it is very important to keep it clean. The drain may otherwise smell or clog.
It is important not to flush any leftover food down the drain. Everything that cannot pass through the strainer must be thrown away in the trash. Never invert the sieve in the sink to rinse away the larger pieces.
Clean the sink by putting a few drops of abrasive cleaner in the sink and then scrubbing with a washing-up brush.
I have a separate washing-up brush for cleaning the sink (so don’t use the same one you use to clean the dishes!). By using a washing-up brush, you do not have to put your hands in the detergent and you can easily reach everything.
Clean exhaust grille
Cleaning stainless steel extractor hood
You can use my ecological degreaser for the outside of the extractor hood. It is also suitable for streak-free cleaning of stainless steel. Spray a microfiber cloth with the degreaser spray and wipe the surface.
Clean extractor hood filters
To clean the extractor hood in the kitchen, you can use HG extractor hood filter degreaser. It is a concentrated agent that thoroughly cleans the filters of your extractor hood. Put 250ml of the product in a bucket with 5 liters of warm water. You can easily order the product online.
Remove the filters from the hood and place them in the bucket. Make sure the filters are completely submerged. If your bucket is too small, you can also soak one side first and then invert the filters to soak the other side.
Soaking time is about 30 minutes. Rinse the filters well and let them dry. You can then place them back in the extractor hood.
High gloss kitchen cleaning
I once had a cleaning address with a black high-gloss kitchen. No matter what I did, ugly streaks kept appearing on the surface. But there is a bright spot on the horizon: after trying a few things, I know what to do.
In principle, you follow the same step-by-step plan as at the top of the page. The only difference is that your cabinet doors and the outside of drawers are high-gloss and it is better to use glass cleaner instead of degreaser spray.
In the webshop you will find ecological all-purpose cleaner and glass cleaner in one. It is a light degreasing agent that dries streak-free. Extremely suitable for high-gloss kitchen doors.
The set contains a reusable spray bottle and 3 capsules of concentrated all-purpose cleaner. Put a capsule in the bottle and top up with 500 ml of water. Just shake and the spray is ready for use.
Cleaning matte kitchen and matte black kitchen
Follow the aforementioned 8-step plan, but clean the matt surface with green soap. You make soapy water with a small dash of green soap and lukewarm water.
Do not use too much soap, because this can stain! Do not work with a microfiber cloth, but with the soft side of a scouring sponge, natural chamois leather or linen cloth. This prevents dust fluff from settling in the grooves of the matte surface.
Dip the cloth in the soapy water, wring it out and wipe off the matte surface. Stains can be brushed off with a little extra force.
When you’re done with the soap, rinse the cloth well and wipe the surface again to remove all soap residue. Make sure you wring out your cloth well after rinsing so that you do not work too wet, this can also cause stains.
Tips to keep your kitchen clean
In fact, the only real golden rule is that you always clean up your kitchen immediately after you’ve cooked. Make sure you don’t hoard your dishes or give mice a chance to come and eat the leftover food from your counter. Wash dishes immediately. Don’t leave dirty pans on your stove or dishes on the counter, but clean it immediately and tidy it up.
After cooking, immediately take a cloth over the counter and the stove. This means that grease and other dirt does not get a chance to stick and become stubborn.
Empty the sink strainer after each wash.
Wipe up crumbs right away. I myself have a separate dustpan to clean the sandwich maker with, so that I never have crumbs on the counter.If something has leaked into your oven or refrigerator, clean it immediately. If you do this right away, you can often get by with a paper towel or a dishcloth with some cleaning agent.
Final Thought:
keeping a clean and organized kitchen is an essential part of a healthy home. With these simple kitchen cleaning ideas, you can easily have your kitchen looking spick and span in no time! Make sure to break up the tasks into smaller chunks so that it doesn’t get overwhelming and take the necessary precautions when using any products or chemicals. Your family will thank you for having a neat and clean place to gather around for meals, laughter, and good times.