Kitchen cleaning schedule: daily, weekly and monthly

A kitchen cleaning schedule works when it's split by how fast each job gets dirty: about 10 minutes every night for dishes, counters, the sink and the floor; one full clean a week; one appliance job a month; and a deep clean twice a year. Write it down, post it inside a cabinet door, and give everyone in the house a piece of it.

Why have a kitchen cleaning schedule at all?

The kitchen gets dirty three times a day. Without a plan, it's either spotless on Saturday and a disaster by Tuesday, or it's the thing you're scrubbing at 10 PM.

A schedule does three things. It keeps small messes from turning into big ones, so nothing ever takes an hour. It makes the jobs visible, so you can hand some of them off. And it gets the jobs nobody thinks about, like the dishwasher filter and the top of the fridge, onto a list before they start to smell.

What should you clean in the kitchen every day?

This is the nightly reset. About 10 minutes, after dinner.

• Dishes: wash them or load the dishwasher. Run it if it's full, unload it in the morning.
• Counters: clear what doesn't belong, then wipe them down with warm soapy water or an all-purpose spray.
• Stovetop: wipe spills while they're fresh. Dried sauce takes far longer to get off.
• Sink: rinse it, give it a quick scrub with dish soap, and wipe it dry.
• Table: wipe it and push the chairs in.
• Floor: sweep or vacuum the crumbs from the main walkway.
• Trash: take it out if it's full or smells.
• Dish towel and sponge: hang the towel to dry, wring out the sponge and stand it up.

What goes on the weekly kitchen cleaning list?

Pick one day and do all of it. About 30 to 45 minutes.

• Wipe the fronts of the fridge, dishwasher, oven and microwave, and the handles.
• Clean inside the microwave. Heat a bowl of water with a slice of lemon for three minutes, let it sit, then wipe.
• Wipe the backsplash, the light switches and the cabinet fronts around the stove and trash can, where the splashes and fingerprints land.
• Clear out the fridge: toss old leftovers and wipe any spills. The night before grocery day is a good time.
• Wipe the small appliances: toaster, coffee maker, kettle.
• Mop the floor. Get the edges, and under the toe-kicks of the cabinets.
• Wash the trash can lid and rim.
• Swap in fresh dish towels and a new sponge or one run through the dishwasher.

What should you clean in the kitchen every month?

One or two jobs a month keeps these from piling up. Pick them in rotation.

• Dishwasher: pull and rinse the filter, wipe the door gasket, and run an empty hot cycle. See how to clean your dishwasher.
• Garbage disposal: ice, coarse salt and lemon peels, and scrub under the splash guard.
• Range hood filter: soak it in hot water with dish soap and a little baking soda, scrub, rinse and dry.
• Fridge shelves and drawers: take them out, wash them, dry them, put them back.
• Trash and recycling bins: wash them out completely and let them dry.
• Small appliances: descale the coffee maker and kettle, empty the toaster crumb tray.
• Kitchen rugs and chair cushions: wash or vacuum them.

What does a twice-a-year kitchen deep clean include?

Spring and fall are easy to remember. If you cook from scratch every day or have a big household, make it every three or four months.

• Inside the oven, after running the self-clean cycle if it has one
• Inside the fridge and freezer, with everything taken out
• Inside the cabinets and drawers, emptied and wiped, with old food tossed
• Every cabinet front and the hardware
• The top of the fridge and the tops of the upper cabinets
• Behind and beside the stove and fridge, where crumbs and grease collect
• The light fixtures, window and window sill
• The baseboards and the walls around the stove

How do you split kitchen chores in a busy family?

Write the daily list on a card and tape it inside a cabinet door. Then assign jobs, not "help in the kitchen."

• Ages 4 to 6: clear their own plate, wipe the table, put the napkins away.
• Ages 7 to 10: load the dishwasher, unload the silverware, sweep under the table.
• Ages 11 and up: the full nightly reset on a rotation, plus the trash.

Same job, same night, every week, and it stops being an argument. On game nights or late practice nights, shrink the reset to three things: dishes in the dishwasher, counters wiped, trash out if it's full. The rest can wait for the weekly clean.

For the habits that keep it all from sliding, see how to maintain a clean kitchen.

Where does a house cleaning fit in the schedule?

On a Standard House Cleaning, RoutineCare, the counters and backsplash, sink and faucet, stovetop, range and hood exteriors, the outside of the appliances present, the inside of the microwave, and the table and chairs are cleaned. Cabinet fronts are spot wiped and the floor is vacuumed and mopped.

It can be booked one time, weekly, every other week, every 4 weeks or twice a year. If the kitchen is the room that gets away from you, every other week is the one we'd pick, with the nightly reset in between. See Recurring House Cleaning, RoutineCare Plans.

Deep Cleaning, PureRenewal, goes further: the sink is descaled and polished, the stovetop, range and hood are degreased, the top of the refrigerator is cleaned where it can be reached, and cabinet fronts are fully wiped with the hardware detailed. Every item on the list is cleaned whether or not it looks like it needs it.

The insides of the fridge, oven and cabinets are add-ons on either service. The fridge needs to be emptied first and the freezer isn't included. Run the oven's self-clean cycle before the visit. Cabinets need to be empty.

FAQ

How often should a kitchen be deep cleaned? Twice a year, and every three or four months if you cook every day or have a big household.

What should be cleaned in the kitchen every day? Dishes done or in the dishwasher, counters and stovetop wiped, the sink rinsed and wiped dry, crumbs swept from the main walkway, and the trash taken out if it's full or smells. It takes about 10 minutes when you do it every night.

How often should you clean out the fridge? Toss old leftovers once a week, ideally the night before grocery day. Take the shelves and drawers out and wash them every one to three months, or right away after a spill.

How do you split kitchen chores with kids? Give each child one or two jobs that match their age, the same jobs every night, so nobody has to ask. Small kids can clear their plate and wipe the table; older kids can load the dishwasher, sweep and take out the trash.

Does a house cleaning cover the kitchen? Yes. Standard House Cleaning cleans the counters, backsplash, sink, stovetop, appliance exteriors, inside the microwave, table and chairs and the floor. The inside of the fridge, oven and cabinets are add-ons you pick when you book. The fridge must be emptied first and the freezer isn't included.

Book a cleaning

We clean homes across South Jersey and Central Jersey. Book online at tinascleanteam.com/book-now, or call or text (609) 831-4455.