How to Keep Your Kitchen Clean? 4 Tips to Follow

Are you looking for kitchen cleaning tips?

If yes, you’re in the right place.

The kitchen is the haven of your home. It’s where your food is prepared and the most popular room in your house. 

The need for a clean kitchen goes without saying. A clean kitchen is safe and appealing to the entire family, including your friends and guests. The latter is true if you own a large kitchen where you entertain your guests. 

Make sure messes don’t accumulate and develop the habit of cleaning as you prepare food in your kitchen to keep it clean. It also takes safe food handling practices, good hygiene habits, and safety measures when cooking and making use of kitchen tools to keep a clean kitchen.

According to a medical study, cleaning the kitchen keeps it germ-free. Bacteria can easily spread in the kitchen from surface to surface.

But…

Learning how to clean your kitchen can prevent infections from spreading. Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and tools in the kitchen can help you maintain a germ-free environment in your cooking area.

Other benefits of keeping your kitchen clean include:

• Prevents the spread of germs and bacteria to keep your kitchen hygienic 
• Prevents infestation of pests such as ants, mice, and cockroaches
• Working in the kitchen becomes easier
• Gives your kitchen an appealing, clean look with a fresh touch
• Reduces maintenance repairs of your cupboards, appliances, and floors
• Promotes efficient food management and saves on costs

4 Kitchen Clean-Up Tips for Increased Hygiene

Here’s how to clean kitchen interiors for better food preparation and cooking experience:

1. Clean and organize your kitchen

• Clean your kitchen after every meal 

Preparing food and eating leaves a mess in the kitchen. Clean all your dishes and clear food remains after having a meal. It prevents messes from accumulating and makes your kitchen ready for the next meal preparation. 

Do the following after every meal:

• Remove everything from the dining table
• Store leftover in airtight containers for refrigeration
• Wash all the dirty dishes and dry them for storage
• Fill the dishwasher and run it
• Clear the table, stove, countertops, and floors of crumbs, spills, and messes
• Clean the sink and dry it

• Clean spills immediately they occur 

This prevents mold, stains, and other issues from arising. Use a clean cloth to wipe off sauces and liquid spills. Spray an all-purpose cleaner on the surface with spillage and wipe dry.

Use a disinfecting spray to clean raw meat spills. This clears the mess and prevents bacteria from spreading in the kitchen. 

Clean spills on the floor and keep it dry for safety reasons; it prevents slips.

• Empty and drain the dishwasher at the end of the cleaning cycle

Keeping the dishwasher full leads to the piling of dishes in the sink and thus creating a mess. Make sure that your dishwasher is empty after each cycle and store the dishes.

An empty dishwasher has space for dirty dishes, leaving your sink empty to keep your kitchen clean and organized. 

• Clear your kitchen countertops 

A kitchen with empty countertops looks organized and neat. It also creates room for food preparation and the space you need to work on other kitchen jobs. 

Do the following to declutter your kitchen countertops:

• Hide small appliances such as coffee-makers and toasters away in cupboards
• Display non-refrigerated foods such as fruits in a bowl on the kitchen table
• Keep random items such as paper, pens, and mail in a specific drawer
• Store all the pans, pots and other kitchenware hidden in a cupboard
• Keep all cereals and other dry food ingredients in the pantry

• Dispose of your garbage regularly 

Garbage can harbor bad odors and harmful microorganisms. Dispose of it regularly and use baking soda and vinegar to clean it.

• Clean your water softener system and run regular maintenance 

Perform regular maintenance on your water softener to keep it working and your kitchen water soft. If you want to learn more about water softener maintenance, read more here. Soft water reduces soap wastage in your kitchen. 

• Use shelf liners in drawers and cupboards 

Shelf liners keep your kitchen clean atop being easy to clean and replace. They also protect your pantries and cupboards from scratches and food stains. 

Empty shelves to clean your liners. Use an all-purpose cleaner and a clean cloth to wipe the liner. Let the shelf liner dry and place it back on the shelf. 

• Clean your freezer or refrigerator 

Keep the refrigerator clean and safe because it’s where you keep most of your food. Clean spills as they occur. Empty the fridge and use an all-purpose cleaner with a soft cloth to wipe all the inside surfaces at least once a month. 

Let the surfaces dry before returning food into the refrigerator. Place a bowl of coffee beans or baking soda in the fridge to absorb bad odors and keep it smelling fresh. 

• Sweep your kitchen floor daily 

Sweeping daily eliminates dust, dirt and other allergens.

• Wash or mop the floor on a weekly basis 

Mopping the floor weekly removes dirt, spills, stains and other stubborn messes. Let it dry to prevent foot marks and slips.

2. Keep your garbage and other trash in check

• Buy a garbage or recycling container of the right size based on the number of people in your household. This ensures that your garbage doesn’t overflow.
• Tie a full recycling bag or garbage and take it out in an open area to keep your kitchen odor- and bug-free. Use an all-purpose cleaner to dry the inside and outside of the garbage container and let it dry before bringing it back indoors.
• Clean your garbage can on a monthly basis and make sure you disinfect it. Wear gloves when cleaning the can and rinse it with lots of water.

3. Adopt safe food preparation and handling practices

• Keep all raw fish, meats and dairy products refrigerated – use freezer bags or air-tight containers for storage. The foods are sensitive to temperature and prone to spoiling and harmful microorganisms. 
• Wash your hands with an antibacterial soap under running water before and after preparing food. This prevents germs from getting to your food and other surfaces in the house.
• Disinfect all your kitchen surfaces, including sinks and countertops after cleaning to kill any germs present. Dry the surfaces when done. Use hot soapy water to clean your cutting tools and chopping boards.
• Keep leftovers in air-tight containers and refrigerate the food immediately to prevent it from spoiling. 
• Before eating leftovers, reheat them properly to prevent food poisoning. If possible, use a food thermometer to ensure the heating occurs at the right temperature (at least 740C). 
• Defrost or thaw food safely in a microwave, the refrigerator or a bowl of cold water. This prevents bacterial growth in the food.
• Use different cutting boards to prevent cross-contamination from meats to veggies.

4. Keep the kitchen safe

• Use splatter screens when deep frying to prevent burns.
• Wash and change all the kitchen cloths and towels every day – disinfect sponges that can’t be washed.
• Keep all sharp items such as scissors, knives, vegetable peelers, etc. tucked away in drawers for safety. Use knife blocks to store knives for safety and to keep them sharp. 
• Let the handles of pots face the back-side of your stove to prevent accidents, especially when having kids in the house.
• Never leave food unattended to prevent accidental fires and keep a fire extinguisher near the stove.
• Use child-proof locks on the kitchen door, drawers, cabinet, appliances, etc.
• Perform routine maintenance on all your kitchen electrical items.

Conclusion

Whether you’re a professional chef or just love cooking delicious meals for your friends and family, the need to keep a clean kitchen goes without saying. We hope that you found these kitchen clean up tips useful and now know how to clean your kitchen.