Learn how to get your kitchen super clean with this kitchen cleaning checklist. Whether you need ideas for daily kitchen cleaning jobs or deep cleaning jobs, these free printable cleaning checklists can help you!
The kitchen is the heart of the home… so it’s probably the dirtiest room in your home also.
My own kitchen serves as a “drop zone” for pretty much anything that comes through the front door, not to mention a craft space for my 12 year old daughter, and a 24/7 snack shack for my husband.
From dirty dishes to backsplash splatters to crunched up Cheerios on the floor that nobody bothered to pick up, the kitchen is a prime spot for collecting dirt and junk. And as such, it can be super overwhelming to get it super cleaned. Not to mention the constant need to declutter your kitchen countertops!
But this kitchen deep cleaning checklist can help!
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You can print out these cleaning lists, laminate them, and hang them on your fridge to use as a kitchen cleaning schedule to keep the area nice and tidy.
Here are my best kitchen cleaning tips and some daily, weekly, and deep cleaning jobs (which could be monthly tasks) to add to your routine cleaning schedule:
How to Deep Clean Your Kitchen (if you’re SUPER overwhelmed!)
Just follow this kitchen deep cleaning checklist and you’ll have a sparkling clean kitchen in no time:
Step 1: Straighten up
If your kitchen is a hot mess, start by straightening up the items that are clearly out of place. This includes removing items that have collected on your kitchen counters like mail and kids’ school papers, washing and drying dishes or putting dishes in the dishwasher, removing old papers from the front of your refrigerator, and generally looking for things that do not belong.
This first thing should take about 10 minutes, and your kitchen will look so much better just after completing this first step.
Step 2: Declutter and organize the pantry and kitchen cabinets
The next step to getting your kitchen nice and clean is to do some decluttering and organizing.
I suggest that you start with the cabinets and go through one cabinet or drawer at a time, take everything out of that area, wipe down the insides, declutter and organize everything that was in there, and then replace the items that you want to keep.
A cluttered kitchen will NEVER look clean, no matter how many times you mop the floor or wipe down the cabinets, so it’s a good idea to take the time to minimize the amount of STUFF that’s in your kitchen.
Here are some specific areas to focus on when decluttering the kitchen:
- Plastic food storage items (Tupperware) that are missing lids
- Individual condiments from restaurants
- Take-out silverware
- Expired pantry items
- Expired refrigerator items
- Plastic souvenir cups
- Extra coffee cups
- Serving dishes that you haven’t used in the last year
- “Junk” from your junk drawer – Go HERE for my tips on how to organize your junk drawer!
- Food that you will not eat
- Paper recipe clippings
- Coupons that you won’t use
- Papers stuck on the front of your refrigerator that you no longer need
- Advertisement magnets
- Rarely-used kitchen utensils that you have multiples of (potato masher, garlic press, etc)
- Old kids’ cups
- Seasonal paper goods (plates, napkins, cups) that you don’t have a full set of or won’t use in the near future
- Pots, pans, and utensils that are in poor condition
- Plastic disposable medicine cups (if you’re like me and somehow end up with 16 of them in your silverware drawer)
- Damaged water bottles
- Extra plastic shopping bags
- Old dish sponges
- Vases that you never use
- Empty jars that you’re holding on to for some unplanned future projects
- Pet treats or food that your pets don’t like
- Spices/sauces/condiments that you are not likely to use
You can also check out this post How to Declutter Kitchen Counters Quickly for 15 specific tips on how to rearrange and organize countertop items to get rid of clutter.
Step 3: Clean the cabinets and countertops
After you have decluttered and organized your kitchen, it’s time to get into the actual detail cleaning. I like to start with kitchen surfaces like cabinets and countertops and follow these steps:
- Clean and disinfect countertops using your favorite countertop spray/disinfectant. Diluted white vinegar or rubbing alcohol work great for this, especially if you have granite countertops and want to avoid harsh chemicals. Be sure to move countertop items to clean underneath them also.
- Wipe down the outside of all cabinets and drawers including handles and pulls. Go here for specific instructions on how to clean kitchen cabinets. Don’t forget to sanitize the hardware (handles/knobs/pulls) when you are done!
- Dust top of cabinets. You may want to use a duster with an extended handle like the Swiffer Duster.
- Scrub the baseboards of cabinets. You can use the same gentle cleaning solution on the baseboards as you did for the cabinet and drawer fronts, or just use soapy water to give them a good scrub.
Step 4: Clean kitchen appliances
Next it’s time to move on to the kitchen appliances.
- Clean inside and outside of the microwave. You can easily clean the inside of your microwave by filling a microwave-safe mug or cup about halfway full of water and then microwaving it for about 2 minutes. The hot water will create steam which will loosen any stuck on food and make it easier to wipe clean.
- Clean the stovetop and front of the oven including grates and knobs with a damp cloth.
- Run the self-clean cycle on your oven.
- Wipe down outside of all appliances with a microfiber cloth, including small kitchen equipment like the blender, toaster, or coffee maker.
- Remove everything from the refrigerator and freezer and clean the shelves, walls, and drawers. I suggest that you just do one small area at a time so that you don’t have to keep the door open that long, like the produce bin first and then the shelves on the door, etc. Then replace the food items, making sure that there are no sticky areas on the outsides of jars or condiments.
Now is also a GREAT time to organize the freezer and start an inventory list so you know what you have! You can visit this post for how to organize your freezer and grab this FREE Printable Freezer Inventory Checklist!
Step 5: Clean the floors, walls, and backsplash
Lastly, you should clean the walls, backsplash, and floors, leaving the floors until the very end so that you don’t just drop more dirt and crumbs on them after you’ve already cleaned.
Here are some cleaning jobs to do for a super clean kitchen:
- Clean the windows and window tracks.
- Dust blinds or other window fixtures like curtain rods.
- Wipe down the walls including any wall tile and wainscoting.
- Dust light fixtures.
- Wipe down the doors, trim, and baseboards.
- Sanitize door handles and light switches.
- Clean the oven vent cover.
- Clean the backsplash.
- Sweep and mop the kitchen floor. This steam mop works really well to remove stuck-on food or spills from your floors.
Step 6: Complete your kitchen cleaning with some finishing touches
If you’ve gotten this far on the kitchen cleaning checklist, then congratulations! You’ve made it through the hard part, and now it’s just time to complete some finishing touches to make sure that your kitchen is 100 percent done!
- Replace burned out light bulbs.
- Spray the room with air freshener. I prefer a clean citrus scent to make my kitchen smell extra fresh.
- Refill the dish soap and hand soap if needed.
- Wash or replace your dish sponge or rag with a clean sponge or clean rag, and replace dirty kitchen towels with fresh ones.
- Clean and oil your cutting boards if needed.
- Change the water filters on your coffee maker and refrigerator if needed.
Daily Kitchen Cleaning Jobs
Once your kitchen is nice and clean and you have a fresh start, you want to keep it that way. Here are some cleaning jobs that you should do in the kitchen on a daily basis, so that the mess doesn’t start piling up again:
- Do the dishes. Make it a priority to make sure to not go to bed until your sink is completely empty at the end of the day.
- Wipe down the countertops.
- Sweep the floors. Spot clean food splatters with a Swiffer or other quick-clean mop if needed.
- Change the trash bag if needed.
- Put away paperwork.
- Put away any other items that are out of place in the kitchen.
Weekly Kitchen Cleaning Jobs
These weekly kitchen cleaning jobs can help make your regular deep cleaning easier also. Taking the time to complete these weekly cleaning routines each week will ensure that you don’t get super overwhelmed by a messy kitchen:
- Disinfect and clean kitchen sink, including the garbage disposal.
- Clean and disinfect countertops with your favorite countertop spray or cleaning solution.
- Wipe down all cabinet and drawer fronts. This can be as simple as a quick wipe down with a warm rag, just be sure that the rag is not too wet and spot test a small area first.
- Spot clean the inside and outside of the refrigerator and freezer by wiping up any spills or crumbs.
- Clean the inside and outside of microwave.
- Clean the stovetop and outside of the oven. Run the self-cleaning cycle on your oven if needed.
- Sweep or vacuum and mop the floors, and shake out or vacuum rugs.
- Wipe down the outside of your trash can.
My Favorite Kitchen Cleaning Supplies
With so many different home-cleaning products available, you may be struggling with what to buy. These are some of my favorite kitchen cleaning products that I can’t live without:
Weiman Cooktop Cleaner Kit
We have tried so many different products to get the burnt on food and grime off of our glass stovetop, and the Weiman Cooktop Cleaner Kit is the absolute BEST way! It will have your stove tops looking brand new, and it’s so easy to do with the handy scrubber that’s included in the kit.
Affresh Garbage Disposal Cleaner Tabs
You can definitely clean your garbage disposal by dropping a few lemon slices and some ice cubes down it, running some water, and turning it on, but I prefer these garbage disposal cleaning tablets, probably because I rarely have fresh lemons on hand.
All you have to do is turn on the hot water, place one tablet in the garbage disposal, turn it on for 15-30 seconds, and rinse. Super easy!
Bissell Power Fresh Steam Mop
This is the mop that I have, and I swear by it!
My first experience with the Bissell Power Fresh Steam Mop was a few years ago. We were moving out of a rental house and I realized that my kids had spilt some sort of crayon/paint/clay/art substance on the wood floors. I had tried literally EVERYTHING to get it off the floors, to no avail.
Then I finally asked my father-in-law to borrow his steam mop. Within one minute the mystery colors were gone. Hello, security deposit! I raved about the mop so much that my darling father-in-law told me to keep it, and he bought himself a new one.
Trust me, this thing works wonders! I also love that you don’t have to buy any extra floor cleaning solution because it just uses water, and you can throw the mop head in the washer and reuse it.
Free Printable Kitchen Cleaning Checklists
Want to grab my free printable kitchen cleaning checklists? Just click the dark teal link down below to download them! A new window will open up and you’ll be able to download and print both the deep cleaning checklist and the weekly cleaning checklist for the kitchen!
How to Download and Print:
- Click the Link Down Below – Look for the dark teal link that says “Click HERE for the FREE Kitchen Cleaning Checklists”. If you’re on a regular computer or laptop, the file will open right up.
- Select “Continue to Website” (phone or tablet users) – If you’re opening the file on a phone or tablet, then you may see a screen that gives you the option to get the Dropbox app, but you don’t need to do that. Just click “Continue to website”, and then a new window will open with the file in Dropbox.
- Select “Download” – Click the icon to download the file to your device. This might be represented by a downward-facing arrow icon or a “Download” button, depending on your browser and device.
- Print the Cleaning Lists – Find where the file downloaded on your device and open it up. From there you can print the kitchen cleaning lists for FREE!
Click HERE for the FREE Kitchen Cleaning Checklists
And if you LOVED this kitchen cleaning detailed checklist, then be sure to check out my Bedroom Cleaning Checklists and Living Room Cleaning Checklists also! They’re designed to match the kitchen version!
And most importantly, if you feel overwhelmed by the cleaning of your house, it’s time to get the rest of the family involved. Check out my Free Printable Chore Charts For Kids and The Family Chore Chart Printable.
What are your favorite kitchen cleaning tips? Do you use a checklist? How often do you do some kitchen deep cleaning? Leave me a comment down below!
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Comments & Reviews
Awesome list for the Kitchen
Thanks for sharing
I have 7 kids in the home. We need a checklist or they forget!!!
This is great. Would love the free printable.
The lists are awesome!
I like your lists
love them
love these lists,they are so detailed. It keeps you on track so that you don’t have to spend hours on cleaning.
Great ideas! How do I print out the printables?
always have too much stuff. Need help downsizing all.
Looking forward to getting more organized.
Very helpful and well organized- thank you!
love this. 😊 will help me out so much
thanks
All of your content is amazing! I have AD/HD, a husband who is terminally ill, custody of our 9 year-old granddaughter and a farm with cattle, ect and I get overwhelmed on a daily basis. Your forms have been such a Godsend to my family. They have brought me peace and the knowing that I CAN do what I need to do. Thank you so very, very much.
Hi Jennifer! Awwww, thanks SO much! I’m glad that my resources have been helpful for you… and I’m going to have a new living room cleaning printable checklist coming soon too. 🙂
Thank you for all the great tips. I have, as an adult, discovered that my bad habit of not always getting things in their proper place is actually ADHD. I just thought I was unfocused, but it is just the opposite. Your check lists help me stay on task and follow a routine. Thanks for helping me make my life a little easier.
I need this
Excellent site- thanks
Thank you!
You’re very welcome! Glad you liked the kitchen cleaning checklists. 🙂
These are fantastic lists and very helpful hints. We are doing a whole house remodel and these will be things I absolutely will use to help keep things clean and clutter free!
Thanks so much for your sweet comment, and glad that you love the cleaning checklists! 🙂
Hello Amy,
I just love your website. I love the declutter ideas. I am in the process of decluttering. I live in a very small apt, with a very small kitchen. I do not have a pantry, and not a lot of cabinets. Everything in the kitchen I use, so I am finding this very difficult to clean off the counters of stuff. Where I have no room to put anything. things are always out because I have no where to put anything. I cook a lot so everything is used. I down sized from a house and I got rid of a lot. What do you suggest?
Hi Barbara! Do you have any wall space in the kitchen or even on a blank wall right outside the kitchen? If so, you could always try some floating shelves or a pegboard system… that sounds like it may be your best bet. My husband has a large cast iron skillet collection (about 8 skillets) and they’re really bulky and take up lots of cabinet space, so we bought some heavy duty decorative wall hooks from the hardware store, and now they hang on a wall right outside our kitchen (between the dining room and kitchen). And it beautiful and functional… maybe you could do something similar? 🙂
You made a good point that it’s important to throw out expired products as soon as possible when cleaning out a kitchen. I want to look for house kitchen cleaning services soon because I’m interested in renovating my kitchen. It would be wise to first throw out everything that could be discarded before anything else.
I love all your tips. This is going to help me maintain and keep on track keeping my kitchen clean and pantry organized.
Just what I have been looking for!
Thanks Carolyn! Glad you like the kitchen cleaning checklists. 🙂
Hello
Great list.
Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed the free printable cleaning checklists! 🙂
How do you clean tile floors?
How do you get carpet stains out?
Where do you get your organizing supplies for drawers, cabinets, pantries and closets?
Hi Maria! I use a Bissell steam mop that I absolutely LOVE for all of my hard floors (wood and tile). And about twice a year we rent one of the heavy-duty carpet cleaners from our local grocery store. As far as organizing supplies, I love to get mine on Amazon because of the huge selection and convenience. 🙂
I have a small apartment. How to declutter the counters when there is no room to put the things on the counter? The cabinets are packed as it is. And I use 99% of the things in my cabinets.
Thank you,
Barbara
Hi Barbara! In small spaces, it’s all about using the areas that you wouldn’t normally consider “storage space” like traditional cabinets and drawers. For instance, can you hang things on the walls? My husband has a pretty large cast iron skillet collection, and those pans take up a TON of space in the cabinet, so we found some heavy duty decorative metal hooks and we turned his skillets in to a sort of wall collage on a blank wall outside our kitchen. It looks great, and it’s super handy too! You can also find some nice looking peg board systems to store and organize items on a blank wall. Or, we also have a small closet area in our garage where we store kitchen items that we only use once or twice a year, like carving boards, a punch bowl, and an ice bucket. Hope that helps!
I would love the downloads to print!
Hi Laurie! Thanks for reaching out! Did you see the box in the post where you can join my free email newsletter? Then you’ll get an email with the freebies link automatically… Or if you don’t want to join the list, just send me an email at [email protected] and I will send them to you directly. 🙂
Love these so detailed…
Hi Tami! Thanks so much! Glad you like the cleaning lists. I will also be posting some for additional rooms of the house in a few weeks. 🙂
As always, it was a great reading. Great tips and very well explained.
I think your husband’s idea of storing olive oil in a Sirachy bottle is brilliant. However, please keep in mind that exposing olive oil to light causes a substantial loss of antioxidants, especially tocopherols, and an increase in rancidity compared to oil stored in the dark. By simply changing the bottle to a dark colour from the clear, light colour will lengthen the shelf life of your oil 🙂
Hi Bee! Thanks so much for the tip! I will definitely mention that to him… or maybe he can keep it in that bottle and just store it in a cabinet, so he still has the convenience of the squeeze bottle but it’s still stored in the dark? Thanks for the comment! 🙂