The Busy Mom’s Guide to a Hygienic Kitchen

Let’s face it- out of all the rooms in your home, your kitchen probably sees the most action. (Unless you happen to have a newly potty trained child.) Yet, sometimes it simply becomes overlooked. Sure, you do the dishes everyday and you make sure to wipe your cooktop off after meals, but do you ever dedicate some time to really get all up in your kitchen’s business? Instead of devoting a few hours to deep clean your kitchen from top to bottom, here’s the busy mom’s guide to keeping a hygienic kitchen- broken down into an easily managed weekly plan that can quickly become routine (+ a few of our favorite “tips and tricks” thrown in for good measure!)

We’re going to take a moment to assume some things of you, if you don’t mind. First, we’re going to assume that you do some kitchen clean-up daily. The daily items include the following:

• Doing all the dishes of the day.
• Wiping off countertops and all surfaces such as tables, highchairs, islands, cooktops, etc.
• Sweeping/vacuuming up any particles off the floor that may be in your kitchen/dining area.

While your kitchen may outwardly appear to be clean to the naked eye, have you ever aspired to take it one step further and aim for it to be hygienic from top to bottom? There are tons of hidden nooks and crannies that can collect dirt, grime, dust or grease that often get overlooked in your kitchen. If you don’t believe us, go ahead and take a look inside your tupperware cabinet, or at the very back of your refrigerator, where typically only future science fair projects reside.

In our experience, adding on these extra tasks to your nightly kitchen clean up routine only extends the job by about 10-15 extra minutes per day, but the end result is having a sanitary kitchen every single day! Feel free to move the days around so that it tapers to your family’s schedule the best. For example, if you go grocery shopping on Fridays, it would be wise to clean out the refrigerator on Thursday, so you know if something specific is set to expire, or if you’re running low on a particular item.

DAY ONE: CLEAN SURFACES

• Take a moment to really clean anything and everything on your counter and that is “out” in your kitchen. If you leave a teapot on your stove for decoration, throw it in your dishwasher that night. Do you have a k-cup holder or carousel? Either put it in the dishwasher, or wash it in a sink of hot soapy water. Wash your toaster, knife block, paper towel or napkin holder, kitchenaid mixer, etc.
• If you can see it without opening up anything- wash it with soap and water (make sure to rinse thoroughly) or use a sponge and your favorite household multi-surface cleaner.
• Clean the outside and (ideally) top and bottom ridge of your cabinets, and your table.
• At the end of everything, make sure to wash out your sink basin with soapy water, dry it with a microfiber cloth or paper towel for a truly sparkling finish.

To clean your cabinets or wooden surfaces in your kitchen, look no further than Bona. The Bona Cabinet Cleaner is specifically designed to address your most common cabinet cleaning needs in a non-toxic, residue-free formula. It easily removes fingerprints, has no dulling residue, and is safe for cabinets and your family.

The Bona Wood Furniture Polish has a unique formulation that enhances the natural beauty of your wood furniture with a rich shine and no build-up. It also resists fingerprints and repels water rings to keep your furniture looking clean longer. Not to mention that it dries quickly and since it’s from Bona, you know it’s safe to use in your home.

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DAY TWO: CLEAN THE DETAILS

• Details, for lack of a better word, means the often-forgotten stuff. Open up your microwave and scrub out the grime, wash the door on all sides and wash the glass turnplate.
• Run some water through your coffee maker or clean out your Keurig properly.
• Open up your dishwasher and clean off all sides of the door (and you should also periodically clean your dishwasher using the trick found in this post here.)
• Clean your oven and oven door (using this trick.)
• Clean the windows in your kitchen, and dust off any blinds or shades in the kitchen and dining areas.
• Take the trash out, and wash your trashcan from top to bottom. If you do this weekly, it won’t become such a gross and daunting task.

Simplehuman is all about saving you time and energy, and has designed innovative tools that are both practical and visually appealing, as well as durable. The simplehuman Rectangular Step Can with Pocket Liner is all new, and has amazing features that you will surely love. The streamlined design features a new integrated drip guard, rendering an inner bucket unnecessary (thus leaving more room for trash!) You simply remove the drip guard at the bottom of the trashcan and wash it easily. No more digging around shoulder-deep sloshing in dirty trash water.

It also has a built in liner pocket at the back of the trash can, so you can keep liners where you need them. Dispense trash bags one-by-one from inside the can for a faster liner change. Liner refill packs can be purchased and are designed to slip easily into the back of the built-in liner pocket. It has a stainless steel liner rim that flips up for a quick and easy liner change, then closes over the liner to hold it tightly in place and keep it hidden from sight. The Rectangular Step Can with Pocket Liner is a gorgeous and neutral stainless steel that is also fingerprint-free!

And it’s built to last. The extra-wide steel pedal is engineered to last 150,000 steps – that’s more than 20 steps a day for 20 years!

The Tension Arm Paper Towel Holder gently and securely holds your paper towels in place so you can easily tear one sheet off using just one hand. The durable stainless steel rod includes a finger loop so you can easily pick it up and move it, and the weighted stainless steel base keeps the holder steady. The stainless steel is easy to clean and is a great addition for any countertop in a practical and neutral color/material.

SHOP

Rectangular Step Can with Pocket Liner | Tension Arm Paper Towel Holder

EXPLORE AND CONNECT

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Day 3: Clean the Refrigerator

• Go through all the food in the refrigerator weekly and pull out anything expired, and move all the items close to their expiration date towards the front to remind yourself to use them ASAP.
• Use a multipurpose spray to wipe down the shelves and pull out the drawers and wash them with hot soapy water.

Day 4: Clean the fabrics

• Take a look around your kitchen. Do you have a dish towel hanging anywhere? Take a moment and walk through your kitchen and pay attention to all the fabrics. Run your towels through a sanitary cycle on your washing machine.
• Are your curtains looking kind of dusty? Take them down and throw them in the dryer for a steam refresh cycle.
• Does the upholstery on your kitchen chairs need some attention? If you have a portable carpet cleaner then use it on your chairs and anything else that may need it, or use some foam cleaner on the tough stains.
• Clean any mop pads or microfiber items that are machine washable.
• While you’re at it, make sure to throw your sponges or scrubber brushes into the dishwasher that night to sanitize them.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could throw the kitchen carpet in the washer to have peace of mind that it is absolutely clean? Now you can, with a new technology by Ruggable. They are making rugs that are easy to clean at home, so you don’t have to worry about hiring professional rug cleaners.

Ruggable has patented removable backing technology for their rugs, so that if someone makes a mess on the rug all you have to do is toss it in the washing machine. It is inevitable that your rugs are going to get dirty, and like bedding, Ruggable covers are designed to be repeatedly removed, washed and reapplied so that you can have a fresh and clean rug all the time.

What is a bigger advantage of this technology is that now you can have interchangeable covers so you can change the look of your rug for new seasons and holidays. Ruggable offers many stylish designs in geometric patterns, shag styles, and solid basics. With a nice rug you will easily be able to complete the look of your home. The cover stays in place while attached to the rug pad so you don’t have to worry about slipping, bunching or moving and the non-slip rug pad has a water-resistant surface to protect your floor and make cleanup a breeze. If you are worried about allergies that carpets can often cause, Ruggable is wool free, so you won’t have to worry about itchiness or allergies.

For the advantages that it offers such as style, options to repeatedly change the look of your home, and most importantly guaranteed ability to keep things clean, Ruggable is priced quite reasonably. Retail pricing ranges from $99.99 to $149.98 for a 2-Piece Set. You can get the Ruggable that is right for your space with sizes that are available in 2.5×7 runner, 3×5, 5×7 and 8×10 area rug sizes.

Day 5: Deep clean flooring and baseboards and inside a cabinet.

• Sweeping is one of those things that seems to get done often, however sometimes mopping can be overlooked. Take some time to thoroughly mop the floor. Pull out all furniture and be sure to use a rag to also get the corners.
• Use a soapy rag and wash down all the baseboards and inspect the walls closely for any splattered food or tiny fingerprints that may have been put there after Tuesday’s spaghetti night.
• Every week, pick one cabinet inside to clean. Make a note of which one you did the week before, and work your way through all your cabinets using some Cabinet Cleaner. While not every single cabinet will be sparkling at the same time, choosing one per week is more manageable, as busy moms.

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We love using the Bona Hardwood Floor Spray Mop when mopping, because it’s the perfect mop for cleaning hardwood floors and other sealed floor surfaces. It comes with an attached non-toxic cleaner cartridge with Bona’s amazing Greenguard formula pre-loaded and ready to tackle messes. The machine-washable microfiber cleaning pad is great, and leaves no gummy or dulling residue.

It has an ergonomic design with a contoured handle and easy hand trigger, as well as a swiveling head and a metal hook on the end to hang easily when stored. If you have stone, tile or laminate flooring, you can easily swap out the refill cartridges and use the same mop from room to room throughout your house, or you can also use the disposable Wet Cleaning Pads for hardwood or tile on the same mop as well.

Print the List:

Now that you’ve got a manageable schedule for keeping your kitchen spick and span, take one task every day and get to work. Your kitchen will look amazing, and taking the extra 15-30 minutes every day will ultimately pay off with a hygienic kitchen that’s clean enough to eat off the floor.

Photo Credits: The Memoirs of Megan | The Art of Making a Baby