Cleaning your kitchen is something that probably feels like it happens all the time but never feels like it’s ever completely done. Here’s our kitchen deep cleaning checklist so that you can gain momentum and maintain it! This list can also be applied to your dining room.
Get our two-page Kitchen Deep Cleaning Checklist.
How often should I clean the kitchen and dining room?
General tidying should be happening every day, around each meal that you’re cooking or consuming! I know though that this can be hard for a bunch of different reasons, and that’s why it feels like it gets away from us so easily!
Check out our other posts on kitchen routines and maintenance!
- Nontoxic Sink Cleaning
- How to Put Your Kitchen To Bed
- Stay at Home Mom Cleaning Routine
- Make a Budget Friendly and Appealing Meal Plan
- How to Include Toddlers in the Kitchen
How often you should deep clean your kitchen is dependent on how often your kitchen is used. I would recommend no less than once a month, and possibly even twice a month if you’re in the kitchen all the time. Your dining room or eating area should get a deep cleaning about as often as the kitchen.
How long it takes you to deep clean your kitchen, just like the other rooms in this series is dependent on the frequnecy of deep cleaning, the size of the kitchen, and it’s frequency of use.
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, The Homesmiths will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.
What supplies should I have for cleaning the kitchen and dining room?
These are the supplies that we use regularly to clean our kitchen and dining room. Feel free to use whatever you have or try something new from below!
- Baking soda
- Degreaser
- Dish Soap
- Washcloths
- Extendable Duster
- Window cleaner
- All Purpose Cleaner
- Dyson Cordless Vacuum – You don’t need this one, it’s the one that we use and love. Our house is almost a hundred years old and outlets are few and far between. A cordless vacuum makes vacuuming go a lot faster.
- Mop or Steam Mop
Kitchen and Dining Room Deep Cleaning Checklist:
Kitchen and Dining Cleaning: Organizing
First, tidy both the kitchen and the dining room. Take everything that doesn’t belong and put it in its right place. Just like in the previous rooms that we’ve cleaned in this series, you can also have three boxes that are labeled trash, relocate, and donate. Place items in the appropriate box.
Because it’s the kitchen, I recommend doing this in all the cabinets, pantry, and refrigerator/freezer. The first time you do this, it will be incredibly time-consuming, but the more often that you put this as part of the routine, the quicker it will go.
Any dish towels or wash cloths that need to be washed can either be placed in the relocate basket or a wash basket.
Kitchen and Dining Cleaning: Wash/wipe/clean everything
Start at the top and work your way down when cleaning. This way, when you’re dusting and scrubbing, you’re not dirtying things below that are already cleaned. Let gravity work with you!
- Wipe light fixtures and vents.
- Dust the corners of the room, walls, and surfaces. This includes any molding, chair railing, wainscotting, and doors. Don’t forget the tops of cabinets and appliances.
- Wash windows and the fronts of appliances. Or any appliances that you have on the counter such as blenders or mixers or toasters.
- Wash blinds and curtains.
- Wipe down windowsills.
- Dust all fixtures and decor, including the pulls and knobs on your cabinets. Don’t forget to wipe down the outside of canisters and knick-knacks.
- Clean out your coffee pot (or coffee-making appliances), clean the inside of your microwave, oven, dishwasher, fridge, and freezer.
- Deep clean the sink.
- Vacuum up crumbs from inside the pantry or in cabinets and on shelves.
- Sanitize or scrub down any mats on the kitchen floor.
Kitchen and Dining Cleaning: Reset
The idea of the reset part of the kitchen deep cleaning checklist is to give your kitchen (and dining room) new life. When done with care, this process can make people feel refreshed just walking into the room!
- Replace washcloths and dish towels.
- Refill or replace hand soap, dish soap, and cleaning supplies.
- Restock or take note of things that are out and will need to be purchased again.
- Tidy and organize the pantry, fridge, cabinets, and drawers.
- Empty the trash can and trash box, relocate the items that don’t belong in the kitchen, and put the donation box in your car or where you won’t forget it!
- Water your plants (or make sure you dusted any faux ones).
- Vacuum and/or mop/steam mop both the kitchen and dining area.
Seasonal Kitchen Deep Cleaning:
Most seasonal tasks in the kitchen feel like they have to do with decorating, here’s our list of things that we do each time the seasons begin to change.
- Decorate for the season (use this as an opportunity to put out fresh flowers!).
- Change out candle scents to match the season.
- Check for supplies that you only use in the upcoming season (holiday-themed baking accessories, drinks, etc).
- Replace the batteries in your smoke alarm.
- Deeply sanitize or replace your wash cloths and sponges.
- Replace your oven mat (if you have one).
- Evaluate if it’s time to purchase new towels.
What does your kitchen and dining cleaning routine look like? Is there something that we missed? Let us know in the comments below!
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