Nightly Kitchen Cleaning

A Nightly Kitchen Cleaning routine that only takes 15-20 minutes every evening. Your morning self will thank you!

Once dinner is over I like to take a few minutes to get the kitchen in order so I can relax for the evening. It’s like putting the kitchen to bed and knowing that space is clean until the next day. You are probably already doing a lot of these things but I want to share with you my routine. I’m so thankful the next morning walking into a clean kitchen. I feel like I’m getting a good start to my day.

Nightly Kitchen Cleaning

Clear the Table – As soon as dinner is over everyone clears their place and places their dishes in the sink. Put any leftovers in containers and place them in the fridge. Hubby works from home so he usually eats leftovers for lunch the next day.

Rinse and Wash Dishes – Rinse the dishes and place them in the dishwasher or wash them by hand. If the dishwasher is full go ahead and start it or put it on delay start. Our new dishwasher is pretty quiet so I just start it, our old one was very loud.

Did you know you use less water and energy if you use the dishwasher rather than washing by hand? If you don’t have a dishwasher that really doesn’t matter but I know there are a lot of people who don’t use theirs because they think it uses more water.

Clear off Counter Clutter – Clear everything off the counters that don’t belong there. You can’t clean the counters if they aren’t clear.

Make Lunches for the Next Day – I like to make lunches the night before so it’s one less thing to do in the morning. I pack the lunch bags and put them in the refrigerator to keep them fresh. It’s especially easy if you’re eating leftovers.

Wipe Countertops and Table – Use a disinfecting spray on the countertops then wipe dry with a microfiber cloth. Make sure to use the right cleanser for your countertops. Wipe the table down and dry immediately. We use placemats so I wipe them down at this time also.

Wipe Down the Stovetop – It’s time to clean the stovetop if you used it today. I use this on my stovetop because it cuts through the messes and disinfects. This one is a spray but they also have a cream I prefer.

Wipe the Refrigerator Front – Quickly wipe down the front of the fridge making sure to get the handles and water area. Once a week I do a deeper clean using a stainless steel cleaner. I also use the stainless steel cleaner on the oven, microwave and dishwasher once a week.

Clean the Sink – Use a disinfecting spray and a scrub brush to clean the sink. Rinse it with hot water. Wipe the faucet and countertop around the sink. Run the garbage disposal.

Check the Floor – Do a thorough sweep or just an area sweep if needed. I run the robot vacuum a couple times a week so I don’t usually need to sweep.

Take out the Trash – Check the garbage can to see if it needs to be taken out. Take out anything that might smell overnight.

Replace Towel and Dish Cloth – Hang a clean dish towel and dish cloth. I don’t usually have to replace the dish cloth everyday but I always check it.

Doing a quick clean every night saves time in the long run. It also helps prevent food borne illnesses. But my favorite part is walking into a clean kitchen every morning.

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