As we dive into one of the busiest times of the year, whether you’re already in the thick of it or just gearing up, now is the perfect moment to focus on maintaining your home. That’s why I’m excited to kick off a new weekly blog series where I’ll share easy, practical tips for keeping your home in order, starting with the heart of the home—the kitchen.

For many of us, the kitchen isn’t just a place where we prepare meals; it’s the center of our home life. So many of the best conversations happen in the kitchen. When the kitchen is clean and organized, it brings a sense of calm to the entire house. But when it’s cluttered and chaotic, that feeling of disorder can spread to every corner. Are you nodding along with me?

So, let’s dive into some simple routines that will help you keep your kitchen clean and functional every day, week, and month. These are the routines that work for our family, and I hope they’ll inspire you too.

Daily Routine: The Key to a Clean Kitchen

One of the best habits we’ve developed is what I call “closing the kitchen” every night. Here’s what that looks like:

1. Load and run the dishwasher: After dinner, we make sure all dishes are loaded and the dishwasher is started.
2. Wipe down countertops and tables: This includes the kitchen table and island. Keeping these surfaces clean reduces crumbs and keeps clutter to the minimal.
3. Vacuum the floors: Vacuuming daily keeps the crumbs and dirt of the floor. So much gets tracked in the house throughout the day, so a daily vacuum is a must. 
4. Wipe the island chairs: Wipe down the chairs. I don’t know about you, but my kids like to use their chairs to wipe their hands. So wiping them every night helps to keep them clean. 

We also make it a point to clean up after each meal. Wiping off counters after eating keeps crumbs from spreading and loading the dishwasher after every meal prevents a pile-up in the sink. An empty sink reduces the clutter look, which allows me to have a little more space in my head. When I look at dishes it the sink it can be overwhelming to me and the kids. 

Weekly Routine: Deeper Cleaning Tasks

Once a week, we tackle tasks that keep the kitchen in great shape:

1. Clean the kitchen chairs: My 8-year-old loves this task. It’s a great way to get the kids involved and keep the chairs cleaned.
2. Wipe down appliances: Throughout the week, we clean the exterior of our appliances. Somehow there are always handprints on the refrigerator and food on the outside of the appliances. We also clean the inside of our microwave weekly. 
3. Scrub the sink: I like to give the sink a good scrub a few times a week. If you have a sink rack, don’t forget to clean that too, our racks gets so dirty. 
4. Clean out the refrigerator: The day before grocery shopping or the morning of grocery shopping, we clean out the fridge. This not only helps us see what we need but also prevents old food from lingering. Plus it makes unloading groceries a whole lot easier. 
5. Mop the floor weekly.

Bimonthly/Monthly/As-Needed Tasks: Keeping Everything in Working Order

These tasks don’t need to be done daily, but they’re essential for maintaining a clean and functional kitchen:

1. Wipe down cabinets: Include the handles. Younger kids can handle the lower cabinets while older ones tackle the higher ones.
2. Clean the oven, garbage disposal, vent, and dishwasher: Doing this monthly (or as needed) keeps these appliances running smoothly and efficiently.

The Power of Routines and Habits

By establishing these routines, you’ll find that maintaining your kitchen takes less than 15 minutes a day. It’s a great opportunity to get the kids involved—whether it’s putting dishes in the dishwasher, wiping down surfaces or cleaning up after meals.

Closing my kitchen each night gives me peace of mind. I know I’ll wake up to a clean, organized space, ready to start the day on the right foot.

Love,