14 Things Every Mom Must Know About Keeping a Clean Kitchen

Every mom cherishes keeping her family’s kitchen clean and free from harmful germs. After all, the kitchen is your home’s command central. It’s the first place the kids go when they get home from school, it’s a hub when entertaining guests, and where family traditions and recipes are passed on from generation to generation. There’s nothing quite as soothing and energizing as entering a clean, shiny, fresh-smelling kitchen.

And of course, it’s where you store and prepare all of your family’s food. Moms know it’s not easy keeping such a high traffic area germ-free so we’ve got 15 kitchen cleaning tips for keeping your kitchen sparkling without making it a full-time job.

1. Supplies The first step to a clean and germ-free kitchen is keeping the right supplies on hand. The basics include latex gloves, sponges, rags, and paper towels. Bar Keepers Friend is great for removing stains from pots and pans and baking soda for cleaning metal surfaces. And you can’t forget a good, disinfecting spray cleaner. Target’s up & up all-purpose cleaner with bleach ($2.99 for a 32oz bottle) is a bargain. 2. Chore-a-Day Calendar Don’t save your least favorite kitchen chores for one awful day of scrubbing and mopping a week. Let’s face it, for most of us it’s more like a month. Make a chore-a-day calendar for tasks like disinfecting the trash can inside and out, cleaning inside cabinets, and wiping down baseboards and walls. 3. Clean as You Go Taking one or two extra minutes to wash a few dishes and wipe down surfaces as you prepare meals is well worth it for keeping your space germ-free and avoiding caked-on messes. Here’s a one of the pro kitchen cleaning tips: pop sponges and dishcloths in the microwave for 30 seconds each day to kill bacteria. For on-the-go sanitizing and freshening keep a yummy-smelling disinfecting spray like up & up disinfectant spray in Linen Scent on hand.