A Step-by-Step Guide to Giving Your Kitchen the Deepest Clean Imaginable (2024)

Whether your kitchen is a hub for homework and hungry teenagers or for ambitious recipe creation and amateur baking—or for a little bit of everything—keeping it clean is the key to keeping it running smoothly.

A top-to-bottom scrub, from tackling the dust atop your cabinets to deep-cleaning your floor, allows your space to stay organized, your appliances to work more efficiently, and your cooking space to stay sanitary. Give your family's hub this expert detailing to get it looking, smelling, and running like new.

Make Your Sink Sparkle

Your hand- and dishwashing HQ is—brace yourself—one of your home's dirtiest spots. To sanitize it, spritz on a mix of 1 ounce bleach, 1/2-quart water, and 1 teaspoon dish soap. Wait five minutes, then scrub with a large brush. Detail the faucet and drain seam with a toothbrush, and flush with hot water.

To clean the garbage disposal, sprinkle 1/2 cup baking soda and 1 cup vinegar into the drain and let it bubble for about one minute before running hot water through the drain. Grind lemon peels through the disposal for a fresh scent.

Tackle the Refrigerator

Sure, you wipe up spills, but if you haven't done more than that in six months or so, it's time to roll up your sleeves. Per a 2019 American Cleaning Institute survey, 41 percent of us don't even remember the last time we really sanitized the refrigerator. And while it's satisfying, the goal isn't just Instagram-worthy organization—this is for your health. The standard temp inside a fridge (about 40 degrees) makes it hospitable to germs and fungal mold, says Philip Tierno, PhD, a microbiologist New York University.

Clean behind and under the refrigerator

Pet hair, dust tumbleweeds, and the occasional stray green bean can all accumulate underneath and behind the refrigerator, covering the condenser coils that cool the motor. Unplug it (or hit the switch for its outlet on your home's electrical panel) and vacuum the coils with the brush attachment. They may be located on the front or back, or underneath, depending on your model; you may need to shimmy it away from the wall for access. (It's not such an ordeal, we promise, and the efficiency and lifespan payoffs for your fridge are major.)

Clean the inside (and outside) of your refrigerator and freezer

Turn the refrigerator back on and take everything out—from your freezer, too. Stash items worth keeping in coolers; toss anything expired. Slide out any removable shelves and drawers, and soak them in hot, soapy water in the sink (or use your tub if they're big).

Spray the interior of the refrigerator with a mix of 1 cup each water and distilled white vinegar, plus 1 teaspoon of dish soap. If you see any stuck-on food bits or discoloration, sprinkle on a baking soda paste. Scrub the whole area, run a damp cloth over all surfaces to rinse, then dry and replace the shelves and food, wiping bottles as you go. To sequester spills, place a shelf liner or enamel butcher tray underneath, and wash those as needed, says Brian Sansoni, the senior vice president of communication, outreach, and membership at the American Cleaning Institute.

Then wipe the exterior; for stainless steel, mix 1 part vinegar to 2 parts water and wipe down with a microfiber cloth.

Scour the Stove

Sauce and grease splatters don't just look messy; they can harbor germs and draw bugs if allowed to set.

Clean the stovetop

Since glass stove tops can get scratched, use a non-abrasive scouring pad or microfiber cloth, distilled white vinegar, water, and dish soap to remove stuck-on food gently.

For gas stove tops and burner grates, use this recipe, courtesy of Paul Kahan, Chicago chef and a partner at One Off Hospitality: 1 cup white vinegar, 1 tablespoon castile soap, and 2 cups water. "A scouring pad soaked with this stuff makes grates look terrific," he says.

Clean the vent hood

Next, pop off the knobs and the vent hood screen up top, and let them soak in hot, soapy water. "They collect so much grease and dust," says Mee McCormick, chef at Pinewood Kitchen & Mercantile in Tennessee. "That extra little bit makes a big difference in how clean your kitchen is." If soap doesn't cut it, grab your dedicated cleaning toothbrush (every pro's secret weapon) and get in there with a paste of baking soda and water.

Overhaul the Oven

This hardworking appliance needs your attention when it smokes or smells funny while preheating.

Clean the racks

Pull out the racks and, depending on their size, put them in the dishwasher, or soak them in a sink or tub filled with hot water and a few regular dishwasher-detergent tablets for two hours, turning as needed. (If you use your tub, line it with an old towel first, to avoid scratching the glaze.) "The tablets are powerful degreasers, and they'll cut through cooked-on crud so you don't have to use elbow grease," says Sarah McAllister from GoClean Co.

Scrub the interior

Meanwhile, spray the interior with a solution of 2 cups water and 2 tablespoons dish soap, let stand for five minutes, then swipe with a wet pumice stone, says Melissa Maker, founder of Clean My Space, who assures that the combo of abrasion and degreasing is plenty strong—no toxic cleaner or self-cleaning setting necessary.

Hit the inside of the door with a damp Brillo pad, the favorite tool of Donna Smallin Kuper, cleaning pro and the founder of Unclutter.com. Vacuum any crumbs out of the warming drawer, and replace the dry racks and knobs.

Prepare for spills

These efforts become easier if you maintain your oven year round. To protect the bottom from food drips, stick a baking sheet on the lowest rack before you slide in your next lasagna or pie, says Sansoni. That way, you can just wash the baking sheet afterward, versus cleaning the whole oven.

Degunk the Dishwasher

Food, grease, water minerals, and undissolved detergent can build up on the interior of your dishwasher and in the filter at the bottom, impairing its performance.

Unscrew the filter, rinse it with hot water, scrub it with a trusty cleaning toothbrush (just rinse this tool between uses), and screw it back on. Then pop off the spray arm—or arms (your machine may have more than one). Rinse them in warm water, pry out any buildup in the holes with a toothpick, and replace. Wipe the door gasket and exterior with a damp cloth. Use a commercial cleaning pod or vinegar and baking soda to scrub the inside of the machine.

Get rid of mildew

If your machine has some nasty mildew buildup, clean with a mix of chlorine bleach and water (or ammonia and water, for stainless steel interiors). Run the rinse cycle to remove remaining residue.

Conquer the Cabinets

When the light hits a certain way, drips and fingerprints can appear out of nowhere on kitchen cabinets. Dust bunnies adore any exposed tops, and millwork—like that on the grooved fronts of Shaker cabinets—is an extra-sticky area.

Unscrew cabinet pulls and knobs, and wash them in hot, soapy water. While they're off, grab a cleaning toothbrush, suds it up, and tackle the door's nooks and crannies. Then wipe the entire surface with a cloth dampened in hot, soapy water (or a solution of 1 part vinegar, 2 parts water). Follow with a damp cloth, and dry with a microfiber one.

If grime persists, spritz on an enzyme cleaner and let it sit for five minutes before wiping it off. When the hardware is dry, replace it.

Empty the drawers and use your vacuum's brush attachment or a lint roller to nab crumbs. (To hit corners, roll a lint-roller sheet around a butter knife, says Maker.) Wipe down if needed, and refill.

Get Counters Gleaming

We're guessing you don't detail the caulk line where the countertop and backsplash meet very often—or always excavate crumbs from under the toaster, mixer, and coffee maker, for that matter.

To clean grout, apply a paste of 1/4 cup hydrogen peroxide and 1/2 cup baking soda, then scrub gently and wipe well. Countertops require a little extra care: Although some of us wield a multi-purpose cleaner with abandon, the wrong formula can damage or discolor some materials. A spray bottle filled with hot water and a squirt of dish soap is a universally safe bet.

When you want to disinfect, check a formula's label first to ensure it's OK for your surface; most multipurpose sprays are fine for laminate, quartz, and soapstone counters. Otherwise, a mix of 1 part isopropyl alcohol to 3 parts water works great on concrete and granite, and 1/2 lemon and salt work wonders for wood. For stains on marble, apply a poultice of baking soda and water and let sit for 24 to 48 hours.

For daily cleaning, Martha keeps her counters pristine by wiping them down with white cotton-terry bar towels in lieu of paper towels—they're bleachable and look neutral in any space. Since they need to be laundered after a few uses, she keeps plenty in rotation.

Polish Pots and Pans

Daily washing doesn't nix tarnish or blackened, cooked-on food. That's why you should let the material be your guide.

• Copper: For copper, chef Bill Kim of Chicago's Urbanbelly mixes a paste of equal parts lemon juice and salt; it dissolves tarnish almost instantly.
• Stainless steel: For stainless steel, Planta chef David Lee lets heat do the work: Fill a pot with water and a squirt of dish soap, boil for five to 10 minutes to get rid of scorch marks and hard-water stains, then wash as usual.
• Burnt pots: Phoenix chef Christopher Gross, the owner of Christopher's & Crush Lounge, uses a similar strategy for any burnt pot: "Fill it with water and a teaspoon of baking soda, and simmer for a half hour."
• Baking sheets: When a baking sheet has seen better days, take a cue from chef and MasterChef competitor Sharone Hakman: Let it sit in equal parts baking soda and hydrogen peroxide for four hours. It'll shine like new.

Freshen the Floor

Your kitchen floor is one of the most easily dirtied spots in your home as crumbs, cooking spills, pets, and shoes leave traces all over it. The cleaning techniques you use will depend on the material of your floors.

Ceramic and tile floors should be vacuumed daily and mopped at least once a week, while wood and specialty floors (which are more sensitive) require a dry mopping or sweeping followed by a wet mopping session weekly.

If you're cleaning your floors on a once-a-week routine, you likely only need to deep clean them—with a scrub brush or mop and bucket—once each month.

Maintain Your Microwave

You should wipe spills, splatters, and crumbs out of your microwave after every use, and give it a deep clean once each week or once each month, depending on how frequently it's put to work. Wipe from top to bottom; tackle burnt-on food with a baking soda paste, and deodorize by heating a bowl of water and lemon juice, then wiping the interior of the microwave with a towel dampened with vinegar and water.

Scrub Small Appliances

While you're cleaning, you should move small appliances off the counter and approach them as a separate task. The frequency and technique varies by item. While most small appliances, like your stand mixer, waffle iron, Instant Pot, air fryer, and griddle will be cleaned after every use, others—like your coffee pot or toaster—can be cleaned less frequently.