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10 Sneaky Ways to Get (and Keep!) a Clean Kitchen

by SHIFRAH COMBITHS

Image Credit: Joe Lingeman

The secret to keeping a clean kitchen? Making sure that every venture into the room involves some sort of effort to maintain its cleanliness. Here are some painless ways to keep your kitchen pretty spotless just about all the time.

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Wipe down the microwave after every use.

Accidentally heat sauce or butter for too long? Don’t leave those splatters for next time (they’ll be harder to clean up!). Instead, give the interior a quick wipe with a wet rag or paper towel. 

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Clean the sink every night.

Sprinkle the sink with baking soda and scrub it down. The baking soda will act as a mild abrasive to lift food bits and polish things up.

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Designate counter zones.

It might seem like over-planning, but designating certain counter spaces for certain tasks keeps messes to a minimum. 

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Empty the dish drainer every morning.

This will make your kitchen look neater and it will make room for the dishes you use (and clean!) throughout the day.

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Sweep every night.

Kitchen floors get dirty fast. Add sweeping to your nightly kitchen cleanup routine, and you’ll ensure that things never get horrible. 

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Wipe down the counters.

Leave some crumbs behind? Wipe them up. Spill some juice? Wipe it up. Simple.

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Clean out the fridge before grocery shopping.

It not only keeps your fridge from becoming overloaded, but also cuts down on food waste and saves you money. 

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Clean as you cook.

One of the best ways to make this happen is to fill half your sink (or a used dish if your sink isn’t divided) with warm soapy water. Drop used tools into the water so food doesn’t dry on them.

Image Credit: Joe Lingeman

Run the dishwasher every night.

Running your dishwasher at night might mean lower energy costs, and, barring those midnight snacks, pretty much ensures that you won’t be running it as new dirty dishes pile up. 

Image Credit: Joe Lingeman

Line hard-to-clean surfaces.

The tops of your upper cabinets and your fridge are magnets for grease and dust. Instead of dealing with scraping the sludge off, line the surfaces with newspaper or wax paper.

For more cleaning tips, visit thekitchn.com