How to Deep Clean Your Kitchen

The kitchen is the heart of the home. Where families and friends come together and share laughs, tears, good food and memories. Naturally, all that cooking and foot traffic means it can accumulate grime and dirt the quickest.

Thankfully though, you can keep on top of your kitchen with some light cleaning and a kitchen deep clean every now on then. In this helpful guide, we’ve put together our top tips on how to deep clean a kitchen with our kitchen deep cleaning checklist.

Prep with a kitchen pre-clean

We’ve all been there. Dirty dishes left in the sink from the night before, and the night before that – and the night before that. Before you know it, the mountain of dishes resembles a miniature model of Mount Everest. So, let’s start with how to do a kitchen pre-clean.

  1. Wash, dry, and put away those dirty dishes
  2. Clear your worktops and wipe clean with a multi-purpose cleaner and suitable cloth – make sure you check the cleaning recommendations for your worktop material
  3. Clear any clutter that does not belong in the kitchen

Cook book in kitchen

Organise your food cupboards

They say that the average food cupboard is stocked with 57 different items, 13 of which are thought to be out of date – highlighting the need for a semi-regular check of your food shelves. Take a look at our helpful list to organising your kitchen cupboards.

Working cupboard by cupboard:

  1. Remove everything from each cupboard in turn
  2. Check the labels and throw away items that are out of date
  3. If it’s in date but you just won’t use it, fill a box for your local food bank – many supermarkets also have food donation boxes
  4. Wipe down all shelves with soapy water or food-safe kitchen cleaner
  5. Once your shelves are dry, put the items back
  6. Create a separate area for open items and use clips for opened bags
  7. Arrange similar items together on the same shelf
  8. Put the oldest items in front to encourage usage

Clean your storage and miscellaneous cupboards

Easily forgotten when cleaning out your food shelves, storage drawers and cupboards can still attract dirt and grime. It’s important to give these a thorough clean down when you’re deep cleaning your kitchen.

  1. Remove everything from cupboards and drawers and place it to the side
  2. Make a mental note of anything you no longer use and add it to a box to donate to charity
  3. Wipe down drawers and cupboards – including hinges and runners with soapy water
  4. Wash items like cutlery trays and storage baskets in the sink with warm soapy water – leave to soak for a few minutes if needed
  5. You could invest in some cupboard and drawer liners to make things a little easier next time
  6. Thoroughly dry your items and put them away
  7. To go one step further, you could buy some scent bags to keep your drawers and cupboards smelling fresh

Time to clean your fridge and freezer

With the hustle and bustle of daily life, it’s easy to forget to clean your fridge and freezer. However, some bacteria like listeria thrive in cold temperatures, so it’s really important to clean and clear out your appliances from time to time – perfect to add to your kitchen deep clean routine.

  1. Take out all food and drinks, and place items to the side
  2. Check your labels and throw away any out of date or mouldy food
  3. Wipe down the interior of the doors and clean shelves with a food-safe kitchen cleaner
  4. Remove produce drawers and wash well with warm soapy water
  5. Thoroughly dry with kitchen roll or a soft cloth
  6. Put food and drinks back
  7. Look at the freezer drawer types and arrange food accordingly
  8. Clean exterior handles and doors
  9. Don’t forget to clean the top too – this is often forgotten

Inside of a fridge

Don’t forget your small appliances

So you have cleaned out your fridge and freezer, but there are a number of different appliances in your kitchen – including smaller ones that swerve the daily wipe down.

How to clean your microwave

Your microwave can take a beating after repeated usage and if you work from home, you may use it more than ever. Wipe down the inside and outside of your machine using a microwave friendly cleaner and cloth (these are available in most supermarkets and stores that stock a wide variety of cleaning products).

How to clean your kettle

Over time your kettle can become covered in limescale. Every time you deep clean your kitchen, get into the habit of looking inside your kettle. If it’s looking a little worse for wear, it’s worth buying a de-scaler from your local shop.

How to clean your toaster

Yes, even your toaster needs cleaning from time to time. Wipe down the exterior shell of the toaster and then look for the pull-out tray at the bottom. This allows you to easily (and most importantly with no mess) remove the crumb tray and discard any ancient breadcrumbs.

How to clean your dishwasher

Wipe down the seals (often forgotten) and the door both inside and outside. For a thorough clean, run the dishwasher on its hottest cycle with a dishwasher tablet and make sure there is no cutlery inside. You can buy specific dishwasher cleaning tablets and liquids from many shops. Don’t forget to top up the rinse aid and salt too if necessary.

How to clean your washing machine

Like cleaning a dishwasher, make sure you wipe down the seals and exterior, and pull out your detergent drawer – it’s amazing how much grime builds up over months of use. Simply leaving the drawer to soak in soapy water and then wiping with a cloth will bring this up like new again.

For even better results, try using a toothbrush to get into all those nooks and crannies. After this, you can run your machine on its hottest setting without any laundry in it to get the internals spick and span.

How to clean your oven and hob

It’s worth buying a special hob cleaner and oven cleaner for this job but be prepared as it can be messy and gloves are a must. By following the product instructions, you will achieve that gorgeous shine you see in all those Instagram photographs from house-based influencers.

Mopping laminate floor

How to deep clean your kitchen floor

You’ve completed all the steps above and now you’re ready for the final part – cleaning your kitchen floor. This is dependent on the type of floor you have in your kitchen but always start with good vacuuming.

Then, a classic mop and bucket for tiles are perfect – just be careful not to slip and plan your route out so you don’t have to step back onto the wet floor to get back out of the kitchen! Open your windows if you can which will help speed up the drying process.

If you have laminate or vinyl, you should check the manufacturer’s recommendations and clean according to those.

And there you have it, your kitchen deep cleaning checklist for the perfect shine that you’ll be proud to show off to your friends and family for more of those laughs, tears and memories!

Though, if it’s been neglected over the summer (and even with a checklist you don’t know where to start), get in touch with us at Crystal Cleaning Servicing and we’ll be more than happy to unearth your family space once more.

Take a look at our services to find out more.