We’ve all had days when the kitchen is just an absolute disaster. And it happens so quickly, too. One moment, you’re having a nice, quiet breakfast, and the next moment you’re suddenly faced with the giant task of cleaning up the kitchen.
Or is it giant?
Tidying up a messy kitchen is so easy once you know where to start. Simply divide the chore into smaller steps, and the whole ordeal will suddenly become much more manageable.
Put away food
You should always start by putting away any food that is left out. Store leftovers from meals and any reusable food items on the counter that were used to prepare the meal.
At this point, you can also store groceries that have not been set aside yet. Putting them all away clears the space and makes the next step much easier.
Throw out trash
Next, gather up all of the trash and non-reusable food scraps lying around the kitchen, and throw them in the bin.
Go through all areas of the kitchen to make sure there’s no waste left. Food waste that’s left exposed attracts house pests that are hard to get rid of.
When the garbage bin is full, make sure to take it out of the house promptly.
Wash dirty dishes
Now it’s time to clear all the dirty dishes off the table and other counters, and bring them over to the sink for washing. Put rubber gloves on before washing dishes so your hands won’t dry out.
If you have a dishwasher, you can simply put the dirty dishes into it. It’s a good idea to rinse off some of the really dirty dishes before loading them into the dishwasher. Otherwise, the food particles might compromise the cleaning process or damage the dishwasher.
Put away clean dishes
The next thing to do is put away and arrange all the clean dishes into the proper container.
Take them out of the dishwasher so that the appliance is ready for the next batch of dirty dishes.
Wipe surfaces clean
Now you can move on to wiping off the table and all of the countertops.
Put special attention on countertops that tend to collect lots of things. Clear those off first so you can wipe them down.
For regular tidying up, it’s enough to just get the kitchen clean enough so you can relax. But on deep-cleaning days, you can scrub everything down really well and even wipe the appliances down.
Water tends to collect on the countertop around the faucet, so you have to dry it off. That way, it won’t get water spots.
Sweep floor
Give the kitchen and dining area a quick sweep to get the crumbs off the floor. Focus on the main areas where you were eating and preparing food. Those spots really need it.
Enjoy
Now that the kitchen is clean, you can sit back, relax, and enjoy the rest of the day with family or friends. We hope this step-by-step guide motivates you for next time when you have a messy kitchen.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed with the mess that you don’t know where to start. But it’s just as easy to take that first step to a clean, polished, and spotless kitchen.
