🧽 Keeping the Kitchen Clean

Daily, weekly and monthly

A printable checklist is on the printables page.

Sources: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7]

Cleaning vs. sanitizing

These words mean different things, and the order matters: clean first, then sanitize.

• Cleaning “removes most germs, dirt, and impurities from surfaces.” You clean with water, soap and scrubbing. This is most of what a kitchen needs.
• Sanitizing “reduces germs to levels public health codes or regulations consider safe.” Use it on surfaces that touched raw meat, poultry or their juices.
• Disinfecting “kills most germs on surfaces and objects.” It is for when someone in the house is sick, more than for everyday cooking.

Let sanitized items air-dry. The CDC says not to rub or pat them with a dish towel, which can put germs back.

Sources: [1]

Using bleach safely

Bleach works well, but it must be mixed correctly and used alone. First, read the label on your bottle and follow it. If the bottle gives no directions, these are the CDC’s:

For food-contact surfaces such as countertops and plates: “Sanitize in a solution of 1 tablespoon of household chlorine bleach in 1 gallon of clean water.” (CDC, How to Safely Clean and Sanitize with Bleach)

For disinfecting: “5 tablespoons (1/3 cup) of bleach per gallon of room temperature water” or “4 teaspoons of bleach per quart of room temperature water.” Leave it on for at least 1 minute, and make a fresh batch each day. (CDC, Cleaning and Disinfecting with Bleach)

The CDC says to use regular, unscented household bleach with 5% to 9% sodium hypochlorite, clean visible dirt off first, and open a window or run a fan. USDA’s Kitchen Companion gives the same 1 tablespoon per gallon for cutting boards.

Never mix bleach with ammonia, with acids such as vinegar, or with any other cleaner. Bleach and ammonia make toxic chloramine gas. Bleach and acids (vinegar, some toilet-bowl and drain cleaners, rust removers) make chlorine gas. Use one product at a time, and store all cleaners out of reach of children and pets.

Sources: [8], [9], [3], [10], [1]

Dishcloths and sponges

• Damp cloths and sponges are where kitchen germs like to live, and they spread them to every surface they wipe.
• Wash dishcloths often in the hot cycle of the washing machine. Keep a stack so you can grab a clean one.
• In a USDA study, sponges run through a dishwasher with a drying cycle lost 99.9998% of their bacteria. Soaking sponges in a weak bleach solution or lemon juice worked far less well.
• Replace sponges when they smell, fall apart, or stay slimy after cleaning.

Sources: [3], [4]

The refrigerator

• Keep it at 40°F or below and the freezer at 0°F or below. A separate appliance thermometer tells you for sure; the built-in dial does not.
• Wipe up spills right away, especially drips from raw meat, poultry and fish.
• Once a week, look for leftovers and food past its date.
• For a deep clean, take the food out and wipe the inside, drawers and door seal with 2 teaspoons of baking soda in a quart of warm water. Skip strong soaps and harsh chemicals, which can leave smells.
• An open box of baking soda on a shelf helps with odors.

Sources: [3], [5], [2]

The oven and stove

• Let the oven cool completely first.
• Wash the inside with warm, soapy water, then rinse so no soap is left. Soak the racks in the sink.
• If your oven has a self-clean setting, follow the manual for it, and keep the room aired out.
• Wipe the stove top after each meal once it’s cool, so spills don’t bake on.

Sources: [2]

The microwave

• Wipe up spatters and spills when they happen, so they don’t harden.
• For stuck spots, use a paste of baking soda and water, or mild dish soap.
• Don’t use oven cleaner or steel wool inside a microwave.

Sources: [2]

The dishwasher

• Throw out food scraps that collect in the bottom.
• Wash the removable parts (most have a filter that lifts out) in the sink with warm, soapy water.
• Wipe the inside and the door edges. Your manual says how often to clean the filter for your model.

Sources: [2]

The sink and drains

• Wash the sink with hot, soapy water. Sanitize it after it has held raw meat or poultry, or the water used to clean them.
• Keep grease, fats and harsh chemicals out of the drain. Let grease cool and harden, then scrape it into the trash.
• Never mix a drain cleaner with bleach or any other cleaner.
• Fix a dripping faucet or a leak under the sink; standing water draws pests.

Sources: [1], [11], [10], [7]

Cutting boards and cross-contamination

Cross-contamination is when germs from raw meat, poultry, seafood or eggs get onto food that won’t be cooked, like salad or bread.

• Keep one board for produce and ready-to-eat food, and another for raw meat, poultry and seafood. Different colors help.
• Wash boards in hot, soapy water after each use. Sanitize after raw meat with 1 tablespoon of unscented liquid chlorine bleach in 1 gallon of water, then rinse and let air-dry.
• Wash knives, tongs and plates that touched raw meat before using them for cooked food.
• Replace boards that are badly worn or have deep grooves.

Sources: [3], [6], [1]

Keeping pests out

These steps are about prevention: keep food, water and hiding places away from pests.

• Store open food such as cereal, flour and sugar in sealed containers.
• Clean up spills and crumbs right away.
• Keep a tight lid on the trash and empty it often.
• Fix leaky faucets and dishwashers.
• Seal cracks along baseboards, behind sinks and around pipes.
• Clear out stacks of paper bags, newspapers and boxes.

Sources: [7]

Sources

1. When and How to Clean and Disinfect Your Home, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Accessed 2026-10-30.
2. Keep It Clean: Kitchen Appliances, UF/IFAS Extension. Accessed 2026-10-30.
3. Kitchen Companion: Your Safe Food Handbook, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. Accessed 2026-10-30.
4. Best Ways to Clean Kitchen Sponges, USDA Agricultural Research Service (April 23, 2007). Accessed 2026-10-30.
5. Clean Out Your Refrigerator (Cheryle Syracuse), N.C. Cooperative Extension, Brunswick County (2021). Accessed 2026-10-30.
6. Bulletin #3108, Safe Cutting Boards: Materials, Usage, and Cleaning Tips, University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Accessed 2026-10-30.
7. Preventing Pests at Home (EPA 735-F-07-002), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Accessed 2026-10-30.
8. How to Safely Clean and Sanitize with Bleach, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Accessed 2026-10-30.
9. Cleaning and Disinfecting with Bleach, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (April 24, 2024). Accessed 2026-10-30.
10. Dangers of Mixing Bleach with Cleaners, Washington State Department of Health. Accessed 2026-10-30.
11. Be SepticSmart: kitchen card, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Accessed 2026-10-30.