How to Clean a Kitchen Top to Bottom

That Cleaning Girl · House Cleaning

The kitchen is the hardest-working room in most houses, and it shows. Grease drifts up from the stove, crumbs slide under the toaster and handprints land on every handle. Cleaning it in the right order makes the job faster and the results last longer. If you haven't set up a cleaning rhythm yet, read House Cleaning Checklist: How Often to Clean Everything in Your Home first, then come back here for the kitchen itself.

Start by clearing the decks

You can't clean around clutter. Before any spray bottle comes out:

• Load or run the dishwasher and hand-wash anything left in the sink.
• Put away food, mail, school papers and anything else that doesn't live on the counter.
• Move small appliances to one side so you can reach the wall behind them.
• Take out the trash and recycling so you have room for whatever you toss along the way.

This step feels like it slows you down, but it saves time. A clear counter takes seconds to wipe. A cluttered one takes forever and never looks quite clean.

Work from the top down

Dust and crumbs fall, so start high. Wipe the tops of the cabinets and the fridge if you can reach them safely. These spots collect a sticky mix of dust and cooking grease that turns gummy over time. A degreasing cleaner on a damp cloth breaks it down better than a dry duster.

Next, wipe the range hood and its filter area. Hoods catch a lot of grease, and a clean hood actually works better. Many filters can go in the dishwasher or soak in hot water with a little dish soap.

Then move to cabinet fronts. Focus on the handles and the edges around them, the doors under the sink and next to the stove, and anywhere near the trash can.

Appliances, inside and out

For a regular clean, the outsides are the priority:

• Fridge: wipe the doors and handles, and the top edge of the door where drips collect.
• Microwave: heat a bowl of water with a splash of vinegar or lemon for a few minutes, let it steam, then wipe the inside easily.
• Dishwasher: wipe the front and the edge of the door, where food splashes hide.
• Oven: clean the door glass and the control panel. The inside of the oven is a bigger job, best done every few months.

The stovetop

Stovetops get the worst of daily cooking. For a glass or ceramic cooktop, let it cool completely, spray a cooktop cleaner, let it sit and wipe. Stubborn spots can come up with a plastic scraper held flat. Never use steel wool on glass.

For gas stoves, lift the grates and soak them in hot, soapy water while you clean everything else. Wipe the surface underneath, clean around the burner heads and dry everything before the grates go back on. For coil burners, lift the coils and clean or replace the drip pans.

Counters and backsplash

Wipe from the back of the counter toward the front, pushing crumbs into your hand or a dustpan rather than onto the floor. Use a cleaner made for your counter material. Granite and other natural stone don't like vinegar or harsh acids, which can dull the finish over time. Quartz and laminate are more forgiving, but still do best with a mild cleaner.

Don't forget the backsplash, especially behind the stove and the sink. Grout lines there pick up grease and water spots fast.

The sink: save it for last

The sink is where you rinse cloths all through the kitchen clean, so finishing there means it actually ends up clean. Scrub the basin with a non-scratch cleaner, paying attention to the drain and the rim where grime builds. Clean the faucet and handles, and use an old toothbrush around the base where water and minerals collect.

Here in North Texas, hard water leaves white spots on faucets and around the sink edge. A cloth soaked in white vinegar, wrapped around the faucet for a bit, helps loosen them. Rinse and dry so it shines.

Run hot water down the drain when you're done, and if the disposal smells, grind a few ice cubes and some citrus peels.

Floors finish the job

Once everything above is clean, the floor gets whatever fell down. Vacuum or sweep first, getting into corners and along the toe kicks under the cabinets, where crumbs gather out of sight. Then mop with a product that suits your floor. Wipe up any sticky spots by hand before you mop so the mop doesn't just spread them around.

In houses where red clay mud comes in through the back door, the kitchen floor is often where it ends up. Keep a mat at the door and a quick sweep in your daily routine.

Keeping it clean day to day

A deep kitchen clean feels great, but the trick is keeping it there. Wipe the stovetop after cooking while it's still warm, not hot. Wipe counters after every meal. Run the dishwasher every night, even if it isn't packed, so the sink never fills up. Those three habits alone keep the kitchen ready for company.

For families across Ellis County and the south DFW area who would rather skip the weekly scrub, our house cleaning services cover the kitchen on every visit, with extras like inside the oven or fridge whenever you need them.