Keep your kitchen clean and clutter-free with these 9 super simple steps for maintaining a clean and organised kitchen.
It’s that time of the evening when you’ve just finished dinner and wanting to relax, but the kitchen is filled with dirty dishes that need cleaning. Do you clean them after dinner, before you go to bed or the next day? We each have our own preference. When the kids were babies I used to do them the next day as I was just so tired after dinner. Now I prefer to do the dishes directly after dinner as I like waking up to a clean kitchen. If I left it any later I know I would have the ‘I can’t feel bothered’ feeling, so for me the best time is as soon as we finish dinner.
I find if I start the day with a messy kitchen, I am starting the day with a messy mindset. Below I have shared my 9 easy steps to maintain a clean kitchen, which will hopefully help you create a new routine to control the mess in your kitchen too.
9 Easy Steps to Maintain a Clean Kitchen
One of the reasons I prefer to wake up to a clean kitchen is because I am a messy cook and when I make dinner I use every pan and bit of bench space available. Waking up to this mess would drive me a little crazy, as I’d have no room to make breakfast or prepare lunches. I much prefer waking up to a kitchen like this…
This is how I maintain a clean kitchen:
- I only do the dishes once a day. Life is too short to be washing dishes more than that and I have better things to do. I don’t mind dirty dishes piling up in the sink through the day, waiting for the evening clean. I do however, pack the dishwasher through the day as dishes are used.
- Straight after dinner I start cleaning the dirty dishes. I wash all pots, pans, cutting boards, Tupperware, lunch boxes and drink bottles. Then place remaining dishes such as crockery, cutlery, cups etc into the dishwasher. I do place casserole dishes in there too if there is room, read more about packing your dishwasher here.
- Clear away the clutter left on the kitchen bench. Your bench will not look tidy until all clutter is removed. I have a basket where I place all the clutter like kids toys, books, paper – all the stuff they leave around the house. The kids clear the basket each night and put their belongings away. I don’t put it away as they need to take responsibility for their own things.
- Wipe over the bench using homemade all purpose cleaner, clean the dining table and 1-2 days wipe over stools removing any food spills.
- Empty sink. Squirt all purpose cleaner onto sponge and wipe over the sink to make it sparkling clean!
- Turn on dishwasher. Every few days I place all sponges into the dishwasher, this is to clean and disinfect the sponge.
- I don’t dry dishes, but instead allow them to drip dry overnight and then I put them away in the morning when I am waiting for the kettle to boil for my morning cuppa.
- The kids unpack the dishwasher the next day. They have unpacked the dishwasher since the year they started school. It’s good for them to take responsibility and help around the house.
- Then I place all breakfast and lunch prep items into the empty dishwasher and wipe over kitchen bench.
All done! It only takes 15 minutes in the evening to tidy up after dinner, then I can rest and relax for the remainder of the evening.
Cleaning Checklist
A cleaning checklist which includes daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual tasks is so valuable! This checklist will help you remember cleaning tasks and create a routine to suit the time you have available.
SHOP: Cleaning Checklists
How to clean the Dishwasher
Our dishwasher is used once a day. It usually cleans our breakfast dishes, dinner plates, cups, mugs and cutlery. With all this there isn’t enough room for anything else, however after time the dishwasher itself gets a little grotty and needs a good clean.
READ MORE: How to Clean the Dishwasher
