Cleaning kitchens has become SO overly complicated. Counter wipes, appliance sprays, sink products, stovetop cleaners, and now microwave specific cleaning products? Generations before us had no problem cleaning kitchens without these items. In my opinion, better cleaning habits and good systems have always beat newer products.
My grandma's kitchen and mine differ more in habits than in cleaning supplies. She cleaned constantly and briefly, so nothing ever got out of hand. I clean infrequently and overtly, so it takes me more effort for the same result. I have been gradually taking on her habit, and the kitchen is better than ever. The teenagers have not. But two out of four isn't bad.
1. Clean as You Cook
Instead of leaving everything for after dinner, old-fashioned homemakers wiped down surfaces, rinsed tools, and washed prep bowls as food was simmering or baking. They were cleaning as they cooked. Because of this, the kitchen was never a total disaster. Most of the mess was cleaned up when dinner was on the table.
It takes a little practice to clean as you go, but it pays off. You can rinse your colander while your pasta is boiling. Wipe down the counter while your chicken is resting. Your time isn't being taken up anymore, it is just being used in a different way. With a little extra effort, you can finish dinner and see that the kitchen is already mostly cleaned. If there’s one thing that our kids learn from me, I hope this is it! So helpful!
2. Sweep the Kitchen Every Night
Daily sweeping/vacuuming of the kitchen will prevent the accumulation of debris, deter pests, manage the floor, and keep the floor from becoming a big project. It only takes about 3 minutes, and the kitchen is reset for the next day. Vintage homemakers would resort to daily sweeping of the kitchen as a daily routine.
I always feel good about my day when I walk into my kitchen and see a freshly swept floor. My husband never notices the crumbs, and Gigi is a huge part of the problem. I have come to terms with these things, and that is why I have become quite fond of my broom.
3. Wipe the Stovetop After Every Use
Instead of allowing grease and splatters to dry and harden on the stovetop, vintage homemakers wiped it down immediately after cooking. A warm stovetop surface can be wiped down practically instantaneously, while a cold surface will require scrubbing to remove grease that has been allowed to dry and harden. This practice not only prevents the stove from becoming excessively dirty and taking significant scrubbing to clean, it also becomes a faster process overall.
Wiping down a warm stovetop takes no effort at all and will take thirty seconds maximum. Scrubbing a cold stovetop that has three days worth of built up grease will take a lot longer, and it's certainly not fun. For some reason, it seems like this habit is obviously positive, and yet the stovetop looks dirty. I am trying to improve on this.
4. Keep the Sink Empty at Night
Growing up my grandma would say dishes left in the sink overnight was unfinished business. When she was growing up people would wash the dishes before going to bed and as a result wake up to a clean kitchen and a clean start to the day. It also stops food residue from sitting in the sink smelling bad. An empty sink at the end of the night can be that little reset to change how a morning feels.
Waking up to a clean kitchen makes my day better. The longer I wait to do the dishes the more I feel like there are. It feels like there are ten plates instead of three. Do the dishes and they do not exist.
5. Clean the Refrigerator Before Grocery Day
Before going grocery shopping, vintage homemakers would clear out the refrigerator, check what should be thrown out, clean the shelves and drawers, and restock. This kept the ‘science experiments’ (aka expired leftovers) easy to find and gave the new groceries a clean, organized space instead of putting them on top of older, forgotten groceries.
Cleaning the fridge before shopping may sound like a hassle, but it literally takes ten minutes and prevents the dilemma of having to stack new groceries on top of mystery containers from two weeks ago. This way, you know for sure what you have, which will stop you from buying duplicates of things you forgot you already had.
6. Wash Dishes in Hot Water
Genuinely hot water cuts through grease more effectively than water at room temperature. Water at the highest temperature you can tolerate will take grease and residue off the dishes with less effort when combined with dish soap than water at a lower temperature.
If you observe closely, the difference between hot and lukewarm water on greasy pans is very clear. In fact, greasy pans that look like they need scrubbing in lukewarm water, often come clean in really hot water. This is a really small change that makes washing dishes by hand a lot quicker and more efficient, and the best part is, you don’t need to buy any special products.
7. Use Dish Rags Instead of Paper Towels for Most Tasks
When paper towels weren't so available, cloth rags were used instead. Cloth rags work better for soaking up spills and for wiping surfaces and drying hands. They cost a lot less to use too because they are reusable. If you have old cut-up t-shirts or dish cloths, you can keep a stack under the sink and use them in situations where you would grab a paper towel, but only out of convenience.
I still use some paper towels and I'm not saying that should change. What I am saying is that cloth rags do a better job for most kitchen wiping tasks. Plus, without using paper towels for everything, the rolls last a lot longer. Having separate rags for the sink and the counter helps keep things organized.
8. Wipe Down Cabinet Fronts Weekly
Over time, kitchen cabinet fronts collect a layer of cooking grease and fingerprints, and the longer the buildup sits, the more difficult it is to clean. Vintage homemakers wiped down cabinet doors with a damp cloth and a small amount of dish soap and did this weekly as part of the kitchen cleaning routine. Frequent damp wipe downs remove buildup before it necessitates a major cleaning task.
Cabinet fronts around the stove collect grease more than any other place in the kitchen. It may go unnoticed, but it will eventually become visible. It takes zero effort to maintain with weekly wipe downs. Wipe down work is still far easier than scrubbing work and never looks as clean. Here, frequency wins over intensity.
9. Keep a Simmer Pot for Kitchen Odors
Instead of grabbing an air freshener after cooking fish or fried food, old-fashioned home-makers would do a simple trick. They would put a pot of water and lemon, cloves, cinnamon or orange peels on the boil, and let the mixture neutralize and replace any cooking odor. It takes only about five minutes to set up, and clears the smells better than any air freshener.
It’s annoying how an unfresh smell lingers in the kitchen after certain foods are fried. A great way to clear that smell is to use a simmer pot. Just cut up a lemon and throw the scraps and any spices in a pot and let it simmer. This method feels like a cheat code, but it actually works.
10. Descale the Coffee Maker Monthly
Older homemakers kept up with the maintenance of their coffee makers and other appliances. To keep coffee makers functioning, and to maintain the taste of the coffee being brewed, owners should run a cycle of half white vinegar and half water through the machine once a month. In a matter of minutes, this will remove any mineral buildup and restore the efficiency of the machine. After you run the vinegar and water solution, be sure to run two cycles of plain water through the machine to remove any remaining vinegar solution. Many people have unexplainably bad coffee. This is an issue that could be easily resolved by putting a little effort into the regular maintenance of the maker.
A lot of people don't clean their coffee makers, even though they use it for a cup of joe every day. The worst part about this is that it's even more disgusting than people think. The coffee gets gross not just from the coffee itself, but from the build-up of minerals from the water they put in it. It's gross. If you drink hard water, it's even more disgusting. Regularly cleaning it actually makes the coffee taste better because you've removed a bunch of yeast and mold from your coffee maker. Once a month, do the following: vinegar cycle, rinse out the reservoir with water and then run a couple of cycles of just water. It takes ten minutes and the coffee genuinely tastes better afterward.
11. Wipe Appliance Exteriors Daily
Wiping down appliances in your kitchen like the refrigerator handle, microwave door, toaster, and coffee maker, will keep grease and fingerprints from building up. This will keep you from having to do a bigger cleaning job. Also, only takes thirty seconds to do each appliance and it will makes the surfaces look clean and polished instead of dirty or in need of some attention.
Appliance fronts are going to collect fingerprints faster than any other surface in the kitchen. They also make the whole kitchen look dirtier than it is. The daily wipe down is such a fast task that it barely registers as a task, which is why it becoming a habit really improves the overall look of the kitchen. The fingerprints on the stainless steel fridge are next level and I have just accepted this fate.
12. Clean the Microwave Weekly
Fill a microwave-safe bowl with water, then add some lemon slices or a bit of vinegar. Microwave it on high for five minutes. After that, wait a couple of minutes before wiping the microwave down with a damp cloth. Weekly cleaning stops the surfaces from getting splattered with food or built up odors. The steam works to clean the microwave, and then it takes just two minutes to wipe it down.
A microwave wiped down every week never gets to the point where cleaning it becomes a big job. The same microwave ignored for a month takes real effort and still has a somewhat suspicious smell. This takes five minutes each week and that takes twenty minutes if you do it once in a while. The math is really simple.
13. Clean the Garbage Disposal Weekly
To clean the disposal blades and help with odors, run ice cubes and a cut up lemon through the disposal once a week. The ice scrubs the blades and the citrus oils from the lemon deodorize the blades, remember to run cold water afterwards. You can also pour half a cup of white vinegar into the disposal and let sit for a few minutes before running cold water to flush. Disposals that are maintained weekly won't develop smells.
Disposals that smell bad will smell bad. Over time, you'll get used to it, so it'll smell bad to everyone else too. Cleaning the disposal is as easy as running a lemon and ice cube disposal every week. It will smell clean, and the whole kitchen will smell better. It only takes sixty seconds, and it has a huge effect on the overall kitchen smell.
14. Run the Dishwasher with Vinegar Monthly
To keep your dishwasher smelling fresh and working like new, pour a cup of white vinegar in a dishwasher-safe bowl, top rack, and run a hot water cycle. Do this monthly as it keeps the spray arms free of grease, soap scum, and mineral residue. As an added benefit, it removes stale odors from old food.
A dirty dishwasher loses its ability to clean dishes, so why would you even own one if it's just going to sit there and get dirty? All it takes to get your dishwasher back in cleaning shape is a monthly one cup vinegar treatment and a running an empty load. It requires only 10 minutes of your time, but the results can be life changing. Your dishwasher will smell clean and your dishes will come out even cleaner.
15. Dust From Top to Bottom
Vintage homemakers had a way of cleaning that was logical — cleaning high surfaces first so that the dust or debris that was removed would be picked up when doing the floors last. So they'd do the tops of the cabinets and the refrigerator, work down to the counters and appliances, and then do the sweeping or vacuuming last. If you clean in the reverse order, it means that you're doing the floors twice.
This may sound obvious but it gets ignored all the time as people rush to finish cleaning. Ceiling fans are really good at redistributing dust onto surfaces that have just been cleaned. Each time you go top to bottom, you eliminate the frustration of having dust settle onto freshly cleaned surfaces.
16. Keep a Trash Bowl on the Counter While Cooking
Before you start cooking, put a bowl or bag on the counter to collect your scraps, peels, and packaging. Instead of walking to the trash can multiple times, you can keep your countertop clean while cooking and speed up the whole process. When you're done cooking, make just one trip to the trash and empty it.
This is one of the habits that enhances your efficiency. It may look small, but the impact is gigantic once it gets embedded into your routine. Your cooking counter stays clean, your trash can remains closed until it’s necessary to empty it, and your entire cooking experience will feel more organized. Most importantly, the habit makes the dreaded post-cooking clean-up much faster because most of the waste is already collected in one place.
17. Organize Pantry Items Front to Back
Vintage homemakers rotated their pantry and refrigerator items so that older ones were always in front while new ones were pushed to the back, much like practices borrowed from grocery stores. This prevents items from being forgotten about and reduces food waste. A simple front-to-back check as new groceries come in keeps the pantry organized without the need for a full reorganization.
Discovering expired items that are hiding in the back of the pantry isn’t very fun. When putting away groceries, front-to-back rotation only takes about two minutes and prevents “mystery items I forgot existed” from forming.
18. Polish the Sink to a Shine Weekly
After washing your hands, take an extra minute to dry and buff the kitchen sink with a clean cloth. A polished and dry sink will stay clean longer because no water spots, dirt, or soap scum will accumulate. If you want an extra shine and deeper clean, sprinkle some baking soda in the sink before buffing. Your sink shows how clean the rest of your kitchen is more than any other surface.
A clean sink makes the entire kitchen look clean, even if it isn't. This is a good thing. Just one more minute spent polishing the sink after doing the dishes massively improves the look and feel of the entire kitchen. This is the type of small habit that transforms a space for very little effort.
19. Wipe Light Switches and Door Handles Daily
Cabinet handles and kitchen light switches are some of the most frequently touched surfaces in the home and yet, they seem to be cleaned the least. Taking the time to quickly wipe these surfaces as part of the daily kitchen clean up only takes about 30 seconds, and while you may not think it, these surfaces are accumulating oils, food particles, and other gross build up very quickly. This type of hygiene habit is quite easy to implement and helps.
Everyone's hands touch the kitchen light switches after they handle food, and they are not changed. They are never cleaned. A daily wipe as part of the tidy routine addresses this without requiring it to become a separate task. Once it becomes automatic it takes no more thought than wiping down the counter.
20. Let Cleaning Products Sit Before Scrubbing
Cleaning sprays work better the longer they sit, so take a tip from vintage homemakers and try to let them work their magic. After spraying a surface, take a break for five to ten minutes while the cleaning solution breaks down the grease and grime. You will have to do less physical scrubbing because the spray will pull its weight and do a lot of scrubbing for you. If you start scrubbing immediately, you will be chemically battling the grime up close instead of allowing time for the spray to do its job.
When something is dirty, the first instinct is to start cleaning it right away. Most cleaning products work better if you spray it and walk away for a little while. Stubborn stovetop grease that requires you to scrub really hard will come off really easily if you just let the cleaner do its job first. Being patient is an excellent strategy for cleaning.
21. Deep Clean the Oven Monthly
Instead of waiting for the oven to smoke or smell during cooking — which means the build up is already significant — vintage homemakers cleaned the oven regularly as part of monthly kitchen maintenance. A baking soda paste applied overnight and wiped in the morning handles routine build up without the fumes of a commercial oven cleaner. Keeping up with it monthly means it is never a major project.
Cleaning the oven once a month is only ten minutes of work, and an overnight wait. Quarterly cleaning is going to take a lot more time and work. That’s because the build-up is more likely to have hardened and baked on. Monthly cleaning means the job will not become a major project.
22. Use One Cloth Per Zone
In the past, how old-fashioned homemakers worked always involved the use of cleaning cloths that were designated to cleaning specific areas. There would be one cloth for cleaning the sink, another one for the counters, and even one for the floor. These cloths would be cleaned regularly. By having separate cloths for each cleaning zone, cross contamination is prevented between the areas where food is prepared and the sink, and the process of cleaning becomes more sanitary overall. Additionally, color coding each cloth to the area it is designed to clean means you do not have to guess cloth was used where.
It's best to avoid the habit of using the same cloth for cleaning the sink and the cutting board. It’s more hygienic and easier to maintain a cleaning system when you have separate cloths for separate areas. Once you have the color coding done, it’s automatic and takes no thinking.
23. Store Cleaning Supplies Simply
While today’s homeowners have likely bought into the trend of several different brands of specialty kitchen cleaners, vintage homemakers kept it simple with just a few multipurpose cleaning supplies — baking soda, vinegar, and dish soap and knew exactly what each individual product was used for. With just a few effective and versatile cleaning products you can easily find what you’re looking for, and removing the choice anxiety that occurs when faced with dozens of similar cleaning products.
My cleaning cabinet has had more products in it than I can explain at various points. However, for most situations in cleaning the kitchen, these three things are the most useful: vinegar, baking soda, and dish soap. The specialty sprays usually duplicate one of those three, and one of those three do about the same job as the specialty spray. Grandma cleaned an entire house with a very short list of supplies and the kitchen was clean.
24. Air Out the Kitchen Daily
To stop the buildup of stale cooking odors, steam, and moisture in the kitchen, open a window or run the exhaust fan for 10-15 minutes each day. This will move moisture out of the kitchen. Vintage homemakers, even when it was cold outside, would open the windows as part of their daily routine. They knew that the buildup of smells and moisture could lead to mildew and odors.
A kitchen that gets aired out each day smells a lot better than one that doesn't. The moisture from cooking gets absorbed into the fabrics, interiors of cabinets, and curtains, and over time it develops an odor. Ventilating the kitchen for 10 minutes every day after you cook is a good way to prevent the buildup that will be much harder to get rid of later on.
25. Clean Behind and Under Appliances Seasonally
Dust and grease can build up on your appliances and even lead to issues with how well they work or how good the air is in your kitchen. Vintage homemakers included cleaner fridge coils and behind the stove in their seasonal deep cleaning. In the case of your fridge and stove, doing this two times a year will pull out your appliances, and it will take an hour to do it. However, this will prevent a significant build-up that will make these areas much harder to clean over time.
A lot of dust collects behind the fridge, so cleaning it out can be good for you. Cleaning it out every six months helps the fridge run more efficiently and gets rid of whatever creepy crawlers have made a home back there. This is one of those chores that gets worse the less you do it. Seasonal cleaning: manageable. Never cleaning it: not so much.
26. Wipe Down Cabinet Interiors Quarterly
Kitchen cabinets can become messy and dirty inside. Over time, they can accumulate food debris, spills, and various remnants from items stored inside the cabinets. Take everything out of the cabinet once every 3 months, clean the inside with a damp microfiber cloth dipped in a drizzle of dish soap, wait until it is completely dry, and restock the cabinet. This is also a good time to check the expiration dates on items and throw away anything that is expired.
Because cabinet interiors are closed most of the time, you would think they would look pretty clean. The truth is, they don’t. The quarterly wipe-out is something that you should do even if you feel like you are not going to find anything interesting. The wipe-out usually exposes old, expired products, cradle that has been living its best life, and other products that have likely turned to dust. It's worth doing, even when you're confident you won't find anything interesting.
27. Wash Kitchen Towels Frequently
Kitchen towels become contaminated quickly. They should be washed every 1-2 days, not weekly. Vintage homemakers kept a supply of clean kitchen towels and rotated them to avoid using a damp, potentially unsanitary cloth. Towels should be stored so multiple dry towels can be used.
When towels are used for a few days, they get a familiar odor. That smell is bacteria, and it can be transferred to the dishes you’re drying or hands you’re wiping. Wash them more often to fix the problem. It’s one of those situations where the solution is almost effortless and it can really improve hygiene.
28. End Each Day With a Full Counter Wipe-Down
Every vintage homemaker's evening kitchen routine included a complete wipe-down of all counter surfaces. All items were removed from the surfaces, wiped down, and left clean and dry. In the morning, clear counters greeting you changes the way the morning begins. It also stops residue and crumbs from lingering, which happens when surfaces are only wiped when they look dirty.
At night, it takes about four minutes to wipe down all of the counters. The kitchen looks reset in the morning, and it starts off with the least amount of mess possible and avoids the build up. This one habit is more impactful than most cleaning supplies on how the kitchen looks and feels every day. It’s the last thing I do before I leave for the night, and each morning, the difference is clear.
29. Make It a Routine, Not a Reaction
Old kitchen cleaning habits differ from modern ones mainly in that old homemakers cleaned on a schedule instead of in reaction to visible messes. Daily, weekly, monthly, and seasonal tasks meant nothing could get too far out of control. Because the cleaning happened before the mess became a big job, the cleaning was easier.
Cleaning before something gets dirty puts you in a better position. It's clear that cleaning habits take little time and effort. They can boost efficiency. Frequent cleaning habits help more than letting mess pile up. A clean kitchen feels better than a dirty one. My grandma did it. I'm still trying to get there.
You can store the ingredients needed for all the habits in this list in a single cabinet. You'll need vinegar, baking soda, dish soap, dish cloths, and a broom. Everything else is the habit itself — daily wipe, nightly sweep, weekly sink polish. It’s not the products that are the variable, it’s the consistency.
To see the full list of old-school cleaning methods that started this whole series, check out 33 Vintage Cleaning Tips That Beat Modern Shortcuts. If you want to know exactly what you can clean with white vinegar or baking soda, those are covered at \"33 Things You Can Clean With Vinegar\" and \"31 Things You Can Clean With Baking Soda.\"