Do you hate cooking meals for your family in your kitchen? Is it because your kitchen is so cluttered that you have a difficult time locating the items you need to prepare a decent meal? Maybe your kitchen is so grimy, that you don’t want to enter it, let alone stay in it long enough to cook dinner. Have you put off decluttering and cleaning your kitchen because you don’t think you have the time to do it? What if I told you that it is possible to declutter and deep clean your kitchen in one weekend? You can use my “Shock Treatment” Declutter Method” to quickly and efficiently declutter and deep clean your kitchen from top to bottom in two days or less. (If you have a really big kitchen, you may need to take a three day weekend).
If you are willing to devote one weekend to the process, I guarantee you, come Monday, you will have a clutter-free, sparkling clean kitchen you will be proud to cook in.
How to Declutter and Deep Clean your Kitchen in One Weekend (or Less)
For many of us, the kitchen is the heart of the home. It’s where we prepare meals for our family, socialize with friends, complete crafts with our kids, pay bills, and more. Unfortunately, the kitchen is also a place where dirt and clutter love to gather.
After just a few months of splattered sauces, pet traffic, spilled drinks, grimy handprints, piled up paperwork, and glue/paint drips, our kitchens can quickly become dusty, greasy, and cluttered. What’s worse is that we keep putting off doing anything about our sticky, messy kitchen because we think it will take too long to tackle.
If you are truly want to reclaim your kitchen space so you can comfortably cook, entertain without embarrassment, or simply be able to see the countertops, you will need to devote 2-3 days to get it that way.
Set aside a weekend, eliminate distractions, and dig in. I promise, by the time Monday morning rolls around, you won’t even recognize your own kitchen.
Get your FREE Checklists to help you declutter and deep clean your kitchen below!
FREE Kitchen Deep Clean & Declutter Checklists
FRIDAY
After work, pick up some garbage bags, cleaning supplies, and boxes.
Immediately after dinner, thoroughly clean out your refrigerator and freezer. Working one shelf at a time, remove everything from each shelf, toss expired items, wipe down the shelf, and put whatever remains back into the refrigerator/freezer. There’s no need to clean the outside of your refrigerator today, that will come later.
Most likely, you will have emptied quite a few containers. That’s good! (Because now you have to do the dishes). Wash, dry, and put away all of your dirty dishes. Do not leave anything in the sink, dishwasher, drainer or on the stove or counters.
This is an important step. Please don’t skip it. Your goal is to start tomorrow morning with an empty sink, a clear stovetop, and counters that are free of lingering dishes.
Pat yourself on the back and go to bed. You have a big day ahead of you tomorrow.
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SATURDAY
Good morning! I hope you are well-rested. Because…
Today is the day when you move everything out of your kitchen.
No, that wasn’t a typo. I mean it. Set up a “staging area” in another room or outside if the weather is nice. {Tip: Don’t set up your staging area in your front yard or your neighbors may think you are having a yard sale!} Grab some boxes and start packing up your kitchen one drawer or cabinet at a time.
Bonus points if you have a helper (or two) for this step!
If you’ve ever watched an episode of Hoarders
or Clean Sweep, you’ll understand what I am about to tell you. If not, trust me, you’ll catch on quickly.
You’ll need to remove everything from your kitchen (with the exception of the heavy stuff!). Transport each item to your staging area and divide into categories. You can have a pile/box for cups, another for plates, one for pots and pans, and yet another for small appliances (ie. blender, ice cream maker, crock pots). Continue sorting until everything has a “home” pile. This step, while time-consuming, is essential to the decluttering process.
*Note: keep a basket or box just outside of your kitchen to place “stray” items in. This includes anything that doesn’t belong in your kitchen. You can put these items away at the end of the day.
Once everything is out of your kitchen, it’s time to survey the damage. Take a step back and gaze at the piles before you. Can you believe all of this stuff actually fit into your kitchen?
Declutter and deep clean your kitchen, don’t give up now!
Next, you will need to decide what to keep. Notice I didn’t say, “decide what to get rid of”. Trust me, it is much easier to identify the items you use and love over those you don’t need or could care less about.
Upon first glance, you may notice you have multiples of some items. Now is the time to reduce the excess and keep only what you need/love.
Briefly, scan the items in each category. You should be able to determine the items you want to keep just by looking at them. You will breeze through this process if you restrain from physically touching everything in the pile when making your decisions on what to keep. The items you use regularly should catch your attention first. Next, choose anything you need in order for your kitchen to function properly. Finally, single out the items you love (even if you don’t necessarily need them) such as your favorite decor, small appliances, or sentimental items.
Box up (or toss) all of the remaining items in the individual categories and deal with these boxes ASAP. If you plan to sell any of the items, give yourself 2 weeks to do so. Donate anything that has not sold at the end of 2 weeks. Even better, take a trip to your local donation center today!
A fun way to get through this step is to pretend you are on a game show. Set a timer, and grab the items you want to keep out of each category and place them in another area. When the timer goes off, you get to keep whatever you have chosen. Everything that’s left gets boxed up, to be donated, sold, or thrown away.
SUNDAY
Sunday = SCRUB DAY! I hope you are not too sore from all of the packing yesterday, because, you will need those muscles today for some serious scrubbing. It’s time to roll up your sleeves, gather your cleaning supplies, and channel your inner Mr. (or Mrs.) Clean.
Here are some things you’ll need:
Broom & Dustpan
Mop
Rags/Paper Towels
Bucket
Microfiber Extendable Duster
(optional)
Ladder
Multi-Purpose Cleaner
Glass Cleaner
Specialty Cleansers (for stainless steel, granite, wood, etc.)
Declutter and deep clean your kitchen, you’re almost done!
The first thing you will need to do is dust the corners of the room (anywhere the ceiling meets the walls). This is where the Extendable Duster
will come in handy. Also, dust off any light fixtures, vents, ceiling fans, as well as the tops of appliances and cabinets. Quickly, sweep the floor in your kitchen. Don’t worry about reaching all of the nooks and crannies. This is just an initial quick sweep so you do not get any existing dirt wet as you clean.
Fill a bucket with soapy water, grab some rags, and a ladder for those hard-to-reach areas. Beginning at the left side of the entrance to your kitchen, start wiping down all of the higher areas (those that are above your head). Work in a clockwise fashion (from left to right) completing all of the higher areas before moving on to the mid-level areas. The higher areas of your kitchen will most likely include the top cabinets (inside and out), upper window trim, the top of your refrigerator, etc. Basically, anything you need a ladder in order to reach.
When you’ve completed the higher areas, you should end in the same location you started in. Next, you can begin cleaning the mid-level areas. The mid-level areas will include the countertops, appliances, lower cabinets/drawers (inside and out), windows, etc. The majority of your kitchen will fall into the mid-level areas. Continue working left to right until you reach the spot you started with.
Finally, you will need to thoroughly scrub the baseboards, floor vents, and lastly, the floor itself. Also, be sure to vacuum, steam clean (or wash), and dry any area rugs you use in your kitchen.
Are you ready to move (back) into your “new” kitchen?
Go ahead and wipe down the items you chose to keep and place them back into your kitchen. Reconsider the location of the remaining items when returning them to the kitchen. Mix things up a bit and try out new organizational strategies.
I prefer to store things where I use them. For example, the plates and bowls go in the cabinet closest to the dishwasher. The utensils go in the drawer nearest the dishwasher. Cups are stored in the cabinet near the refrigerator; pots and pans (and their corresponding lids) go next to (and in the bottom drawer of) the stove.
MONDAY
Take a look around your newly- decluttered, squeaky-clean kitchen. Rub those tired muscles and congratulate yourself on a job well done.
You did it! You managed to declutter and deep clean your kitchen in one weekend!
What do you mean you have only just read the article? You mean you haven’t had a chance to start yet? What are you waiting for? Put down your phone (or turn off the computer) and get to work!
Get your FREE Checklists to help you declutter and deep clean your kitchen below!
FREE Kitchen Deep Clean & Declutter Checklists
READ MORE:
- Brilliant Ways To Organize Kitchen Cabinets You’ll Kick Yourself For Not Knowing
- Pantry Organization Hacks You Won’t Want To Miss
- Small Kitchen Organization Ideas: How To Instantly Create More Space In Your Kitchen
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Laura Ann,
That’s a great idea. It’s nice to know the items you no longer have a need for are needed and used for such a good cause.
I de c luttered my kitchen recently. Group homes need extra kitchen utensils, pots and pans in good cond. bakeware, dishes, etc.