Cleaning the kitchen is one of those things that I know needs to be broken down into daily tasks but an actual plan of action seems to elude me. I always seem to get the bare minimum done… aka cleaning the counters so I can prepare the day’s meals or loading/unloading the dishwasher so we have clean dishes to eat off of. But cleaning the spray off the backsplash and stove, wiping down the walls, or cleaning up stray peas underneath the kitchen table… forget it! This year I totally planned to hire someone to clean the kitchen for me 2-3 times a month but contributing to our retirement accounts before the deadline has taken precedence. It’s always something. Even though I LOVE the idea of having outside help, and I DO hire someone a couple times a year, I really struggle with forking over money for something I can do myself.
So I decided to sit down and write out a 30 day plan to see if I can tackle this once and for all. We shall see how it goes. I figure each item should only take 10-15 minutes tops and it will hopefully help me stay on top of the kitchen so it never gets so bad I decide that takeout sounds like the best option. I plan to hang this on the fridge and check things off each day after the relevant task is accomplished. I have my bottle of vinegar, castile soap, and tea tree oil at the ready. I also acquired a Neato Automatic Vacuum Cleaner that will clean of debris from my kitchen floor for me. I just have to remember to press the button at least once a day and “Cheese” as my son lovingly named him, will cleanup those stray peas for me. As a bonus he will even clean the rest of the first floor! I highly recommend a Neato if it is in the budget.
So…assuming that I can make the time to wipe down counters and do the dishes daily here are my 30 day tasks…
1. Wipe down all appliances (stove, fridge, Vita-Mix, ect. )
2. Wipe down and de-grease cabinets
3. Mop floor
4. Wipe down and de-grease the backsplash
5. Deep clean and shine sink
6. Clean the trash can inside and out
7. Clean drawers and declutter counters
8. Mop Floor
9. Wipe down all walls and baseboards
10. Clean out the fridge/freezer
11. Wipe down all appliances (stove, fridge, Vita-Mix, ect. )
12. Clean under the fridge and stove
13. Mop floor
14. Deep clean and shine sink
15. Wipe down and de-grease cabinets
16. Clean windows and sills
17. Clean out the pantry
18. Mop floor
19. Wipe down all appliances (stove, fridge, Vita-Mix, ect. )
20. Deep clean and shine sink
21. Deep clean stove
22. Wipe down interior of cabinets and pantry
23. Mop floor, wipe down and de-grease the backsplash
24. Wipe down all walls and baseboards
25. Dust light fixtures and vent covers
26. Wipe down all appliances (stove, fridge, Vita-Mix, ect. )
27. Deep clean and shine sink
28. Mop floor
29. Organize pots and pans
30. Wipe down and de-grease the backsplash
Do you have any advice or tips to offer?
Thanks for sharing this. I’ve pinned it on Pinterest and hope to use it to stay on top of my kitchen!
What can be used as degreaser on wood cabinets?
Betsy, a little baking soda paste to scrub them a bit followed by wiping down with vinegar.
How many times are you going to mop the floor? haha
Try Natural Soaps and bath products they rince clean and are none to be the mildest soaps around http://www.soapnbath.com
This method would work great for any room(s) in the house. It does not overwhelming as a stay home dad to get everything done. You’d think since you’re home you could get it all done, but not with a little one. 10-15 minutes here or there though, does work.
Genius! Your usual kitchen cleaning methodology sounds like mine ; ) Since you have made this handy-dandy list, I am going to write it down and stick it on my fridge as a daily reminder. You have broken it down into short daily tasks that make the kitchen cleaning far less daunting; I think I can do it!
Great list or “road map”. So simple, yet something many of us lack. I am going to put together a plan or list like this for several other projects in my world.
I think I like your idea of hiring someone to do all this! Written down as a daily chore makes so much sense. Just looking at one thing each day doesn’t seem so bad as trying to tackle it all at once. Great concept! Why didn’t I think of that? Now you need to do that for all the other spring cleaning chores and share with us. When I clean though I just don’t like the vinegar, castile soap combo. I purchased some eco-friendly products manufactured by BioKleen that work tremendously. They are made from fruits so not only are they safe on the environment, family, and counter tops but they smell pretty good too. In fact I liked them so much that I am now selling them on my website http://www.freetobgreen.com
We just started using Tea Tree Oil in our kitchen this week to degrease our stove. Up until now, we’d only used it for our humidifier when we are sick, to treat a yeast infection, and for acne. It worked great!
It does. I use it for the same thing.