This 2-Step Method Makes Cleaning the Kitchen So Much Easier

Taryn Williford
Taryn Williford
Taryn is a writer, editor, content strategist, and homebody from Atlanta. I might have helped you declutter your apartment through the magic of a well-paced email newsletter. Or maybe you know me from The Pickle Factory Loft on Instagram.
updated Feb 16, 2020
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Some rooms just work harder than others. Across your entire home, you have rooms or zones dedicated to storage, others dedicated to task-based activities, and some that serve as social areas. The kitchen … well, it’s all three at once.

So when the time comes, where you want to give the kitchen a really thorough clean out, it can feel overwhelming. There’s food storage to go through, plus cabinets and cabinets of tools and serving pieces and who knows what else. Then there are appliances to clean, and surfaces to disinfect. Oh, and you’ll probably need to, you know, use the kitchen to feed yourself sometime in the next few hours. (These mortal bodies? That need to be fed like three times a day? What a scam.)

The smart thing to do is break the work into chunks. And inside/out is one great way to think about it. How does it work? Let’s take a look.

Credit: Joe Lingeman/Apartment Therapy

The “inside” track focuses more on decluttering.

The inside track is about organization of hidden areas. If you want to choose the inside track, here’s a few things you can accomplish during your time.

  • Clear out the fridge. Get rid of the items that are expired and wipe down the shelves, replacing just the items that are still fresh and usable in an organized fashion.
  • Clear out your cabinets and drawers. Do a purge of the contents, putting items you no longer use in the outbox. Think about getting rid of cookware, servingware, dishes, utensils, small appliances, tools, and glassware that are broken, worn out, or go unused.
  • Edit down the odds and ends that we all collect in our kitchen (mugs, I’m looking at you) to a reasonable amount of ones that you truly like.

The outside track is more of a cleaning refresh.

The outside track will really shine up the exterior and surfaces of your space. If you think the outside track suits you best for today, here are a few spots to hit.

  • Declutter all surfaces.
  • Get the sink gleaming.
  • Clean the outside of all big appliances: stove, hood, fridge, dishwasher. Do the same for any smaller appliances (microwave, toaster, mixer, blender) that are out on your counters
  • Wipe down all counter and cabinet surfaces with a good earth-friendly surface cleaner.
  • Clean and disinfect cabinet knobs and handles.
  • Clean the trash can, inside and out.

You should use the track that you believe will make the most impact in your space. And yes, it’s really ok to choose one and ignore the other. Slow and steady wins this race.

If you want to take on the opposite track another day, add it to your list of projects for the year.

This post originally ran on Apartment Therapy. See it there: This 2-Part Approach to Cleaning the Kitchen Makes it a Much More Manageable Chore