Winter is such a dry season, and the appropriate time to keep the air quality inside of…
How to Really Clean Your Kitchen in 8 Steps + Free Checklist
You know that feeling you get when your house is super clean, all the laundry is done and you’ve put away all the clutter? It’s amazing right? Today I want to share with you how to finally, really, and easily get a super clean kitchen except you don’t have to spend all day scrubbing and it is with all natural cleaners. PLUS I have a free kitchen cleaning checklist below this post for you to use, reuse and love!
I’m joining 26 of my blog friends to bring you 6 days of organizing tips, ideas and inspiration. We’ve got ideas for the kitchen, pantry, teen room, laundry room and more to help you finally get your ship into shape and enjoy the spaces you live in.
I’m sharing 8 steps for how to really clean your kitchen. Ahh, the kitchen. The work horse of the home right?
I’m in the kitchen 80% of the day, I’m sure of it. My kids play, crawl, lay, and do all kinds of things all over the floor so it needs to be washed often and without chemicals.
Which is why it feels so good to give it a deep clean every once in a while. Monthly, weekly if that’s your thing, whatever works for you.
I scanned the room and thought of everything I could to come up with the most-simple, NATURAL, get-things-shiny to do list for cleaning the kitchen and here it is. And there’s a free printable at the end of this post for you too! So grab that and start your year off right with a squeaky clean gathering spot. After all, everyone always hangs out in the kitchen right?
This post contains affiliate links.
Supplies to Clean Your Kitchen
- DIY natural cleaner (see below for the how to)
- Lemons
- Vinegar
- Mason jar
- Spray bottle
- Sponges – These are biodegradable, which I love
- Rags
- Broom
- Steam Mop – This is the exact steam mop we use.
DIY Natural All-Purpose Cleaner
Here is a simple and easy way to make your very own all-natural cleaner. Although this has to sit for a while, you can use whatever you have in stock until it’s ready. It can be used on just about every surface of your home (test them out first), and costs just pennies to make.
Supplies for All Natural Cleaner
- Mason jar with lid
- Rind from lemons, oranges or grapefruits. You can use one or all combined.
- 2 cups of vinegar
- Spray bottle
How to Make All Natural Cleaner
Cut the rind off the fruit and put it into a mason jar. You can use however much you want, but a cup is a good amount to use. Cover the rinds with 2 cups of white distilled vinegar and let this sit, covered in a dark, cool place for a month. Shake up the bottle every week to mix it. At the end of the month, strain out the rinds and transfer the liquid to a spray bottle.
How to Really Clean Your Kitchen in 8 Steps
Let’s get started. Here are the easiest ways to get your kitchen clean naturally. Eight steps might seem like a lot, but you can actually do several of these at the same time (or while you’re sleeping). Grab your supplies and get cleaning, you’ll love your kitchen even more after.
1. Wash and Put Away Dishes
This will free up counter space and clutter. Load up that dishwasher and run it when it’s full. Putting away all the clean and dry dishes in your kitchen will give you a nice fresh slate. When you come across things you no longer use, donate them!
2. Clean Up Clutter
Move any remaining items to their respective homes such as other rooms in the house, recycling, or donations. If you don’t want to take the time to do that now, put the items aside and put them away when you go to that particular place in the house.
3. Clean the Oven
Using you oven’s owner’s manual for instructions, set the self clean cycle on your oven. You can also clean the top and inside of the glass door this way. All it takes is baking soda and water, but none of the scrubbing. While the oven is working, move along to step 4.
4. Clean the Refrigerator
Throw away expired food, recycle any containers and remove all of the contents from the fridge. Spray cleaner on shelves and wipe off with a wet sponge. Wash drawers with warm water. Polish the outside and put back the food. BONUS: Make a shopping list while you’re at it.
5. Steam the Microwave
Microwave a bowl of water and 1/2 a lemon for about 5 minutes, until it boils. Let it sit in the microwave without opening the door for another 5 minutes, then wipe away any dirt inside with a wet sponge. Clean off the outside with a cleaner. Again, while this is working, you an get started with the dishwasher (or counters if the dishwasher is working).
6. Sanitize the Dishwasher
Put a bowl of vinegar on the top rack of an empty dishwasher and run a hot cycle. Remove any residue or food remains from the bottom. If your dishwasher is still cleaning a previous load, move to step 7 and come back to this. This is also a step that can be done overnight or on the delay setting on the washer.
7. Wipe Countertops and Sink
Using the natural cleaner you made (or your favorite cleaner), spray and wipe down the countertops. Cabinet doors and drawers can also be cleaned with this mixed with water. Test a small area first depending on the finish you have. Spray the sink and wipe out with a wet sponge. BONUS: You can sanitize the sponge by microwaving it for a few minutes too.
8. Sweep and Wash the Floor
Move out all furniture an give the room a sweep. Vacuum or sweep up the dirt and get washing. Floors can be cleaned with a steam cleaner or with your favorite water and cleaner method.
That’s it!
I’m going to time this process when I do it next, then I’ll report back on how quickly it can be done. Now congratulate yourself on having a naturally clean kitchen in no time.
Shop all the items used in this post here.
Here’s the line up for this week’s Ultimate Cleaning & Organization Resources from my fellow bloggers.
Check out these great cleaning and organizing ideas:
SUNDAY – CLEAN AND ORGANIZATION PRINTABLES
Domestically Speaking | Simply Designing | Hymns and Verses
Fresh Idea Studio | Decor Adventures
MONDAY – CLEANING TIPS & RECIPES
Refresh Restyle | Cupcakes and Crinoline | Stone Gable
What Meegan Makes | My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
TUESDAY – KITCHEN ORGANIZATION AND DIY PROJECTS
Postcards from the Ridge | H2O Bungalow
Yesterday on Tuesday | Inspiration for Moms
WEDNESDAY – BATHROOM ORGANIZATION AND DIY PROJECTS
Petticoat Junktion | Redhead Can Decorate
The Silly Pearl | Cleverly Inspired
THURSDAY – LAUNDRY ROOM ORGANIZATION AND DIY PROJECTS
The Interior Frugalista | Setting for Four
FRIDAY – PANTRY & LINEN CLOSET ORGANIZATION AND DIY PROJECTS
Such great tips and list! Going to put this into practice this week! Pinning!
Hi Doreen,
Glad this checklist will help you and thanks for pinning!
thanks for all of these amazing tips!!! Pinned and can’t wait to try some out! Happy New Year!
Hi Kristin,
Thanks for the sweet comment and for the pin too!
Thanks for the checklist and the cleaner recipe! I love that I can make it myself!
Hi Raquel,
Glad to know you like the cleaner recipe! Plus you can use different citrus in it too, to change it up. Have fun cleaning!
I love your great tips for a clean kitchen! There’s nothing like having things neat, tidy and fresh. Thanks so much for sharing.
Hi Mary Beth,
Cleaning is never fun, but I hope the fun checklist helps some people. We’re in there so much, I just have to have it clean!
Love this. Especially the vinegar in the dishwasher! Thanks for all the great tips and ideas.
I am actually excited to clean my kitchen now 🙂
Happy New Year.
Hi Meegan,
Yes to kitchen cleaning! Hope to see you on Periscope soon!
Love all your awesome tips for a Naturally Clean kitchen! I’m a big fan of using vinegar to clean. Excited to try adding fruit rinds to it and letting sit for a month.
Hi Terese,
Yea, vinegar can be used for so many things. And many people are making natural cleaners these days too. Glad to be on this series with you!
These are great tips. I haven’t tried the one for the dishwasher or the homemade cleaner but am looking forward to those. As much as you can look forward to cleaning, that is! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Angie,
Yea, the list of tasks isn’t actually so bad once you get started. I can do them all within an hour. Have fun in your kitchen!
I love your cleaner recipe! We have hundreds of limes on our tree and are always throwing them out because there are too many. Any way I can find to use them and clean naturally is a winner for our family! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Wendi,
So glad you can use the limes, that’s awesome! You can definitely blend them together too. Have fun cleaning!
Great posts Jessica– that DIY Air Freshener sounds amazing!
Hi Malia,
Glad to know you like the cleaning tips! Never fun, but certainly do-able. Thanks for reading my blog!
Thanks for these great kitchen cleaning tips! Happy New Year to you!
Hi Laura,
Thanks for the comment. I hope 2016 is a great year for you too!
Love this post! I actually love all your posts and all you advises are so helpful. My kitchen needs to be thoroughly cleaned (and the whole house too) right now, because I just sent my last holiday guests yesterday. Your tips gave me some good ideas to add to my new cleaning plan, so thanks for sharing! Have a great year!
Hi Gabrielle,
Glad this will help you! Cleaning can actually be fun sometimes, mostly when it’s over!
I have deep cleaning the kitchen on my to-do list this weekend… thanks for the easy to follow steps!
Hi Maryann,
Glad to know this will help you. It goes pretty quickly!
I haaaaate cleaning the kitchen! But to have the steps listed out like this definitely makes this task easier to tackle. Thank you so much!
Hi Steph,
Glad this will help! yea, it’s daunting, but once I put this all together, it actually isn’t so bad. Thanks for reading my blog!
Great tips and list! Thank you!
Having a clean kitchen makes me so happy! Thanks for this great checklist! I have a few things I need to do today! PInning for later too!
Thanks for the tips – I love the microwave cleaning idea – thanks for the checklist!
I clean my microwave by steaming with a lemon in it. It works wonders and uses no harsh chemicals
These are 8 really helpful steps that can really make a difference. I’d love to have a clean kitchen all the time but I know that for this I must be really serious and make no compromise with myself when it comes to cleaning. I definitely need to start using more natural cleaning products! Thank you for the post!
Hi Keely,
Thanks for the comment! Yes, natural cleaning products can help you in a lot of ways. The are less expensive, safe around your entire family and easy to make on your own. Best wishes for a super clean house!
Extremely helpful post! The cleaning steps you shared are very useful and easy to follow. I love cleaning my kitchen and to keep it always tided. Thanks for sharing!