We’ve talked about how to properly prepare and use everyday cleaners to sanitize and disinfect your home here. You’ve also read some ways to conquer germs living in your bathroom here. Now, let’s head into the kitchen, one of the most important rooms to keep germ free, yet also one of the germiest! 

Just like our bathroom, where we go to get clean, we want our kitchen, where we prepare food to be one of the cleanest rooms of our home.

Things You Will Need

  • Disposable paper towels or soft cloth
  • Sponge
  • Soapy water
  • Spray bottle
  • Bleach or disinfectant cleaner
  • Mop

Warnings

  • Wear gloves when working with disinfectants and other cleaning chemicals to protect your skin.
  • NEVER mix bleach with ammonia. Doing so produces toxic fumes and can be deadly.

Let’s get started!

  • First, paying close attention to high touch areas, wash all surfaces of your kitchen with warm soapy water. (High touch areas include: the sink, faucet, appliances & handles/knobs, counters, and cabinet hardware.)
  •  Rinse thoroughly, letting the surfaces air dry. This first step removes dirt and oils that that may otherwise reduce the efficacy of the disinfectant.
  • Next, add two tablespoons of bleach and fill a 1-quart spray bottle with water. (Caution: Splash-less bleach does not sanitize/disinfect; due to a lower concentration of sodium hypochlorite) Replace the top and shake gently to combine. If you are using a ready-made disinfectant, follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
  • Spray all surfaces of your kitchen with a uniform layer of disinfectant, enough to allow surfaces to remain wet for 5 minutes.
  • Let everything air-dry thoroughly or dry with a soft cloth.
  • We have worked from high to low, cleaning higher surfaces first, leaving the floor for last.
  • Disinfect the floors by mopping them with a floor cleaner, let dry and then spray the same bleach dilution used for other surfaces –
  • Let the floors air-dry.

Congratulations! Your Kitchen is clean!

Lastly, below is a helpful list of cleaning frequency and additional tips

How often should you clean and disinfect?

Sink/*Faucet: daily

Each time you finish washing your dishes, scrub your sink with a sponge and dish soap. Doing this now makes it easy to spray with your disinfectant or bleach mixture and let it set the appropriate time.

Counters: daily

Start by wiping your counter down with warm soapy water to clean the surface to allow the disinfectant to work effectively.

Sponges: daily

After using your sponge to wash dishes, wipe your counters and sink, throw it into the dishwasher for a quick and easy way to keep it clean and smelling fresh!

Trashcan: Wipe clean daily/disinfect weekly or monthly

The trashcan can get dirty quickly! Regular wipe downs, keep the area looking tidy, while a deeper clean weekly or monthly will dramatically cut down on germs and odor.

*Stove/Oven: Wipe daily/ deep clean monthly

Along with your counters, wiping your stovetop after cooking helps keep food, bacteria, and grime from getting out of hand.

*Refrigerator: daily/weekly/deep clean 4 times a year

Wiping up spills as they happen, and taking the time to give the inside a quick wipe down is a great way to keep your fridge clean and odor-free.

*Microwave:  wipe outside and handles daily/clean inside monthly

Microwaves can be a real timesaver, don’t forget to periodically clean the inside so that you don’t open it up to any unpleasant surprises! 

*Dishwasher: Wipe outside daily/ monthly/ deep clean yearly

Dishwashers make short work of keeping our dining ware clean and sanitized. Remember to check the drain and filter to keep it in top shape.

*As high touch surfaces, it is a good idea to wipe the handles of these surfaces with a disinfectant daily.