I’m gonna start this post with a full disclosure. I’m not an expert of kitchen cleaning, nor is my kitchen perfectly sparkling clean at every moment. I am a student & prepare atleast one meal a day also work part-time.
Things can get pretty crazy, and sometimes it just not possible to get to wash the dishes immediately.
So remember this article from one recovering messy cook to another! I think these tips as hacks to force us messy cooks to be more orderly clean.
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10 Tips for Keeping Your Kitchen Clean
1. Keep it Minimal
There is NO way I could fit everything on my counters into my cupboards.
But then I tried it. And it was heavenly.
From bunch of junk cluttering up your counters, you have so much more room for prep work. Plus your more motivated to wipe down your counters if you don’t have to move everything first.
I know this isn’t for everyone, but the more things you can put away in your cupboards space, the better. If you don’t have space in your cupboards, throw out, donate, or sell things that you never use.
I like to keep out appliances that we use everyday (for example, we usually use our blender 1-2 times a day), or ones that are so heavy that it would be a major pain to haul out when I need it (like my stand mixer).
I also like to keep my cooking utensils ( whisks, spoons, tongs, etc) out from counter because there just not a good spot for them in my cupboards. Find what works for you!
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2. Start With a Clean Kitchen
Start with a clean counter. If you start cooking and your kitchen is already a disaster, you’ll just get depressed and throw up your hands in despair after cooking a food.
If you start with a clean slate, you’ll be more comfortable to keep it clean.
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3. Clean While You Wait
If you find some free time in the kitchen, use it wisely! For example, if you are waiting for a pot of water to come to a boil, instead of standing there, do a bit of cleaning.
Start unloading the dishwasher. Put aside cooking utensils that you’re done using. Wipe the counters. You’ll be happy at how much you can get done during the in-between times of making food.
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4. Get The Water Out of The Sink Right Away
I know this sounds basic, but it really makes a difference. It’s so gross when you forget to get the water out, and have to stick hands in cold, greasy water.
If you do it right after you wash dishes, it’s easier to wipe out the sink. Which brings me to my next tip.
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5. Wipe Out The Sink After Washing Dishes
Wipe out the junk from the sink. If you take 2-3 mins to dump out the food scraps and wipe down the surfaces, your sink will be ready to go the next time you need to wash dishes.
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6. Cleanup Spills
This is another one that we all know we should do, but neglect when we are in a hurry. Hence, if you get to a spill as soon as possible, it will be so much easier to clean up.
Dried gunk has to be soaked for a while or scraped first, when it can have been cleaned up with a simple wipe.
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7. Clean As You Go
Along those same lines, it’s a good idea to put things away as you go when you cook (my mom teach me this one).
Instead of leaving everything out on your counter, put things on their place as you use them.
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8. Have a Compost or Trash Bowl
Instead of throwing food scraps onto the counter, it’s much more efficient to place them in a trash bowl.
This way you don’t have to wipe up the juice, and you can quickly dump the scraps all at once.
You can also peel carrots, potatoes, cucumbers, etc. directly into the bowl to save your time.
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9. A place for everything
Instead of having things scattered here and there about your kitchen, it’s much better to have similar things all in one spot.
I like to keep all of my cooking utensils on one end of my kitchen. This gives me a long expanse of counter with nothing on it.
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10. Set Days and Times for Doing Things
I have found that forgetfulness is one of my main reasons for not getting certain chores done. When you have set days for doing certain things, it’s much easier to actually remember to do them!
For example, my stove used to get so grimy because I never remembered to wipe it down. Now I have a set day for doing it, it’s much more likely to get done.
I don’t always get done on exactly the right day, but just doing it once a week really helps.
You can also have several times of the day for specific chores. For example, I like to unload the dishwasher after lunch.
This way, it’s ready to be filled throughout the day. And I like to wash dishes right after supper whenever its possible. Then I can wake up to a clean kitchen!
So here you have it: my favorite tips for keeping your kitchen clean. I hope these inspired you to make the effort to keep your kitchen neat and clean.
If you have any tips or hacks of your own, make sure to leave them in the comments!