How to Keep Your Kitchen Clean and Safe

If you’re like most people, the kitchen is one of the busiest rooms of your home. It’s probably not surprising, then, that the kitchen can also be one of the messiest. To keep your kitchen safe, healthy, and inviting, come up with a cleaning routine that helps you tackle and prevent grime. If you take care of a few chores a day, messes won’t pile up so cleanup is faster.

Take out the trash as soon as it’s full or smelly.

Putting the trash out keeps your kitchen fresh and prevents bacterial growth. If you don’t typically take out the trash until it’s full, you might not realize how smelly it’s making your kitchen, especially if there’s no lid on top. Start taking out the trash at the end of each day so your kitchen smells great and food in the trash can doesn’t begin to rot, which can grow maggots and fruit flies.[1]
Don’t forget to clean your trashcan—take the empty can outside and spray it with a disinfecting spray. Then, pop on a pair of gloves and scrub the inside and outside before you rinse it off.

Wipe up spills immediately.

Use a cloth to clean up spills before they stain or cause a sticky mess. Keep paper towels on the counter or cloths in a drawer so you can quickly grab one if there’s a spill. Wipe up the bulk of the mess with a paper towel. Then, dip a cloth in hot soapy water and wipe it over the counter so it’s not sticky or greasy.[2]
Getting rid of messes right away stops them from hardening or becoming stickier. This can prevent pests like flies from gathering in your kitchen.

Clean up after each meal.

You won’t have to spend as much time and your kitchen will stay cleaner. If you’re like most people, doing the dishes is a chore. However, if you let dirty dishes pile up, you’ll have to work hard to clean them and you won’t have clean working space in your kitchen. Get in the habit of clearing the table, washing the dishes, and wiping the counters after every meal.[3]
If you live with other people, ask them to help out, especially if you’re the one making the meals. You might ask your kids to load the dishwasher after dinner or get your roommate to take out the trash, for instance.

Clear the counters and wipe them clean.

Messy counters take up workspace and can be hazardous. If you stack dishes, pots, or knives, you’re losing out on valuable space in your kitchen and these could topple over and cause accidents. Clear off your countertops as you cook. Then, wipe the surfaces with a cloth soaked in hot soapy water or a multi-purpose kitchen cleaner that contains bleach.
If you hate wiping up crumbs with a wet cloth, get a small brush and dustpan or use a small vacuum. This can be useful cleaning up around a toaster.
Try to store large items or appliances you use in cabinets or your pantry so they’re not taking up space on your counters.

Scrub your sink every day.

Wash the inside of your sink and faucet every day to remove bacteria. A typical kitchen sink has more bacteria than a trash can! To clean your sink, wash the faucet and sink with hot, soapy water. To deep-clean it, wipe the surface with a diluted bleach mixture. You may want to do this once a week to keep your kitchen sanitized, especially if you cook a lot.[4]

Replace or clean your sponge often.

Grab a new cloth or boil your sponge for 5 minutes to kill bacteria. Unfortunately, that kitchen cloth or sponge that you reach for throughout the day grows bacteria really easily.