The Clean Kitchen Schedule

Daily MUST-DOs
Wipe down counters. To prevent food contamination as well as bug infestations, make clean counters your top priority! Get into the habit of cleaning kitchen surfaces right after you use them.

Keep clean as you cook. Before you start cooking, fill your sink with hot soapy water. As pots, pans and utensils get dirty, just slide them into the sink to soak. Give them a good scrub, rinse and dry while your food cooks. You’ll have less to clean up after the meal and more time to spend with your family.

Inspect fridge. Take an inventory of your fridge contents and throw out any food that is spoiled or past its “use by” date.

Wipe off stove and oven tops. After each use, wipe down your stove top and oven door face (inside and out) to get rid of food residue and sticky film. If you’ve had a spill in your oven, sprinkle a little salt on it while the oven is still warm. As the oven cools, scrape up the gunk with a rubber spatula and wipe clean with a cloth.

Empty trash. Garbage is one of the biggest magnets for roaches. Get in the habit of emptying trash cans and replacing liners daily.

Sweep floor. Before you close the kitchen for the night, give the floor a 20-second sweep to pick up food particles and other debris and keep roaches at bay.

Weekly SHOULDS

Clean small appliances. Get your microwave, mixer, toaster and coffee machine shiny and clean. Use a multi-surface cleaner to clean and shine surfaces. Be sure to lift up your appliances and remove the crumbs and grime that have accumulated underneath. And don't forget to empty crumbs from the tray inside your toaster.

Desmudge surfaces. Dust wood cabinets and clean glass countertops and mirrors once a week.

Mop floors. After sweeping, mop your kitchen floor once a week. It helps loosen dirt and quickly cut through tough stains and grime on vinyl, ceramic tile, linoleum, sealed wood and laminated floors before they can become deeply embedded.

Wash garbage cans. Keep your can smelling fresh by hosing it down weekly—especially in warm weather when odors intensify. (Do it in your tub or outdoors.)

Monthly OUGHTAS

Deep clean the oven and stove. Clean the inside of your oven regularly (weekly if you cook every day, or monthly if you cook less) with a strong oven cleaner.

Deep-clean fridge and freezer. Save time by deep-cleaning your fridge and freezer on the same day.

Purge and clean cabinets. Still trying to find a use for that rock-hard brown sugar? Empty your cabinets of stale, rancid and unusable foods (including old spices, which lose their potency after 2 to 3 years), and wipe away crumbs with a damp cloth.

Shine up kitchen floor. There is nothing like the beauty of a clean, streak-free kitchen floor.