Keeping your kitchen clean is possible! There are 6 things you can implement daily to keep your kitchen clean. Continue reading to find out how.
I’m a work from home, homeschooling mom to 4 kiddos. My house always has people in it! This means there are 3 meals a day being made along with snack time and the occasional hot cocoa treat.
That’s a lot of time spent messing up the kitchen!
So how can you keep your kitchen clean daily even when you are using it throughout the day?
I’m here to share with you the tasks I perform to maintain a clean kitchen.
Full disclosure my kitchen doesn’t stay clean 24/7. But I strive to go to bed each night with a clean kitchen.
Why Clean My Kitchen Daily?
The kitchen is the hub of your home. Someone is always in the kitchen- eating a meal or snack, hanging out at the table doing homework or making a craft.
There is always action in the kitchen so with that comes the mess and dirt. In many newer home builds they have an open concept so the kitchen is visible from the living room space.
Sitting on your couch trying to relax and looking over to see a pile of dirty dishes is just not relaxing. That’s just a reminder of a job not done.
Keeping a clean kitchen helps your whole home feel clean. When your kitchen counters are clean and clear of dishes you can relax in the evening.
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Can’t I just do the dishes tomorrow?
My biggest tip is not to leave your kitchen dirty after dinner!
I know we can be tired at the end of the day and we just cooked a meal for our family. But- your morning self will thank you if you get the job done tonight before going to bed!
Waking up and going into the kitchen to make a cup of coffee is the first thing I do each morning. That’s how I start each day.
When I wake up and walk into a dirty kitchen that cup of coffee has to wait. Dirty dishes are blocking my coffee machine and have to be moved out of the way.
No fun! And it doesn’t help my mood either. It’s harder to start my day cheerfully when I have to do a chore right away.
That’s why I love to start my morning with a clean kitchen and I think you will too! A clean kitchen happens the night before.
How To Keep Kitchen Clean Daily
1. Unload/Load the Dishwasher
One of the kids chores is to unload the dishwasher each morning and then load dirty dishes from breakfast. I have this chore on a weekly rotation between my oldest two kids.
All family members are to put their dirty dishes into the dishwasher after every meal. I’ve taught my kiddos starting around 2 1/2 years old to place dirty dishes into the dishwasher after meals and snack time. Now it’s second nature to them and they do it by habit.
If you’re just starting out with having your kids put dirty items into the dishwasher after meals know that it will take some reminding.
If your kids leave the kitchen with dirty dishes on the table make sure you have them come back to take care of it.
Don’t do it for them as this does not reinforce the habit you are wanting to create!
2. Hand Wash Dishes
Inevitably there will be some dishes that can not go into the dishwasher. Or maybe you prefer to wash dishes by hand.
In my house we have water bottles and some kids cups that are not dishwasher safe. Also I prefer to wash my pots and pans by hand rather than place them into the dishwasher.
Any dishes that do not make it into the dishwasher I wash by hand after dinner. It only takes about 10 minutes for me to wash items by hand.
I place the rinsed dishes on the drying rack and they are put away the following morning. If you’re feeling ambitious then go ahead and dry the dishes and put them away each evening. 😉
3. Wipe Down Surfaces
Once the dishes have been taken care of the table and counters should be clear and ready for a wipe down.
I use my Norwex dish cloth to wipe down the table and counters after each meal.
Then in the evening or as needed after preparing food (raw meats and sticky fruits) I will use a DIY all purpose cleaning spray made with castile soap and essential oils on all counters.
If my glass stove top needs some extra scrubbing then I will use a glass safe scrubber and make sure to get off any burnt or stuck food items.
It’s much easier to clean the stove-top right away and not leave burnt items for the following day after it’s hardened.
If you have a baby in the house and are using a highchair make sure you wipe down the highchair daily also.
4. Wipe Out Sink
After draining the dishwater from the sink I will rinse out any remnants left behind. Then follow up with a scrub brush and Norwex cleaning paste to make the sink shine.
You can also scrub your sink with a mixture of baking powder, essential oils and dish soap. Clean Mama has an easy recipe here for a sink scrub.
5. Sweep Kitchen Floor Each Evening
The dishes are washed, the counters and table is cleared and clean the last step is the floor.
Monday is mopping day at my house but the floor definitely needs to be swept on the daily!
I try to postpone the sweeping until after dinner. But with a baby wanting to self feed in a high chair I’m sweeping after every meal.
If you’re not feeding a baby or toddler then after wiping down the counters get out your broom and give the kitchen a good sweep.
Or you could even just get out the vacuum (this cordless Dyson is on my wish list) to get the job done.
6. Take Out Trash
At the end of the day if your trash can is full make sure to get it out and into the dumpster. You don’t want to wake up to any funky smells in the morning!
My trash gets emptied about every other day and this is the perfect chore to delegate to a kiddo.
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2 Weekly Cleaning Tasks For Your Kitchen
Weekly Fridge Wipe Down
I get my grocery order each Monday so before I restock my fridge I do a quick wipe down of all the shelves and drawers. It only takes maybe 5 minutes to do.
I now have a clean fridge ready to hold the week’s meals.
If your fridge has an automatic water and ice dispenser don’t forget to wash that drip tray weekly.
Monday Mop Day
As part of my weekly cleaning schedule Monday is mopping day. I’m in charge of mopping the kitchen.
It takes me around 15-20 minutes to remove all the dining room chairs and then mop the kitchen. After the floor is dry I move all the dining chairs back into the kitchen and enjoy the clean floor (for a short bit).
You can learn more about my weekly cleaning tasks here.
Doing each of these kitchen cleaning tasks daily will help you maintain a clean kitchen. You don’t have to do these tasks alone either. Enlist the help of family members to help you keep your kitchen clean.
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