7 Tips for Quick Kitchen Cleanup & Cleaning Checklist

Ugh. You made all this gorgeous food for dinner, and now you’ve got a mess to clean. Make kitchen clean up as painless as possible with these 7 simple steps and cleaning checklist.

Make cleaning painless

Are you avoiding the kitchen because you don’t want to clean it up?

I understand, completely.

When I cooked in restaurants, we couldn’t just leave when dinner service was over. We had to clean the whole kitchen.

The better the restaurant was, the more we cleaned.

Maybe you don’t want to step foot in the kitchen for that very reason. It’s just easier to eat out.

For the most part, I would wholeheartedly agree except that there are some instances where you really can make it better yourself.

So let’s make kitchen clean up as painless as possible with this simple plan.

Get in the habit

If you’re used to cleaning, it doesn’t seem like it’s as much effort.

You don’t think about taking a bath, brushing your teeth, or making your bed do you?

It’s just something you do that’s on autopilot for the most part.

So can kitchen cleaning become part of your daily (or weekly) routine.

Start with these 7 easy tips.

Tip #1 – Get it out of sight

First, clear the counters and any other knick knack by putting everything in a basket.

That bag of flour, food magazines, and random utensils laying around can be cleared away in a catch all basket first.

Stash it away and put it away when you have time later.

Tip #2 – Work from top to bottom

Do your highest surface level first. Then work your way down.

That means counters first and floors last.

Any dirt that gets sloughed up should make its way down to the floor or another surface below that you will catch eventually.

Tip #3 – Start with visible dirt

This mean dirty dishes, counters that need cleaning, and a messy kitchen table.

Food bits and spills that you don’t want sitting around collecting insects or flies should be wiped away asap.

Soak crusty pots and pans for later.

Tip #4 – Break down into daily, weekly, and monthly tasks

You don’t have to deep clean your kitchen every day. In the best restaurants I worked at, we did everyday, but you’re at home!

Divide your tasks into daily, weekly, and monthly cleaning activities.

Download the quick cleaning checklist here.

Tip #5 – Use gloves

Reusable gloves work well for washing dishes and for cleaning duties.

It just feels like icky.

Tip #6 – Set a timer

If you only have 10 minutes, do as much as you can in 10 minutes.

Or 5, just start with 5 minutes.

Tip #7 – Try to clean as you go

That’s the real secret. Don’t leave it all to the end.

While waiting for a pot of water to boil, do the dishes that have collected in the sink.
Load the dishwasher as you get the dishes rather than just making a big pile.
Put items away and wipe down the counters between tasks.