Are you wondering how to keep your kitchen clean and organized? Check out these 7 habits of people who always have a clean kitchen (and organized too).
Always searching for the latest cleaning hack or organizing tip won’t help you get a tidy kitchen…because you still need to implement these tips. And you need to do it regularly. This means you need to develop the habits of a “clean and organized” person. You need that mindset.
The keys habits to always having a clean kitchen are to clean as you cook, run the dishwasher every night and empty every morning, do the dishes after every meal (put in dishwasher and clean pots and pans), don’t buy more food than you can store, everything has its place and gets put back, the counter-top is kept clear, and the counters are cleaned and the floor is swept after each meal.
We’ll look a little closer at each of these habits below.
And I haven’t mastered all these habits yet, but we’re working on them as family because it is going to take all of us to be on board.
Note: this article contains some publicly-posted Instagram photos for inspiration and it includes full credit and attribution to the Instagrammer. If one of these public photos is yours and you don’t want the credit for having a tidy kitchen, please contact me and I’ll remove it.
How to Keep your Kitchen Clean – 7 Simple Habits of People who always have a clean kitchen:
1) Clean as you Cook
Cleaning as you cook is especially important if you have a small kitchen. Washing mixing bowls, pots and other cookware while you’re cooking can help reduce “post meal kitchen overwhelm.”
You know the feeling. When you look at the pile of dishes on your counter and sink and think, “Ugh…that’s too much to deal with right now.”
2) Run the Dishwasher every night and put away clean dishes every morning
If you have a family each meal produces a lot of dirty dishes. You should try getting in the habit of running the dishwasher every night and emptying it every morning.
Then when your kids are done eating they can put their own dish into the dishwasher.
If you don’t have a dishwasher then you should make sure you implement the habit of doing the dishes after every meal and not letting them pile up. (If you have kids ask them to wash their own dishes…it’ll reduce the burden on you.)
3) Do dishes after every meal (including pots and pans)
This habit ties in very closely with #1 and #2. Together they all come down to developing the habit of making sure that after every meal your kitchen looks clean and fresh…and ready for the next cooking session.
If you’re still asking how to keep your kitchen clean, and you’re NOT dealing with dirty dishes after every meal, then there is your answer. Get those dishes cleaned and/or put in the dishwasher.
4) Don’t buy more food than you can successfully store (and eat)
Buying what you can successfully store in your kitchen or pantry will help keep your kitchen organized, and it’ll prevent food from taking up valuable counter-space. (If you don’t have room for something you bought, how often does it end up just thrown on the counter.)
If you need a little help with your pantry, this article on how to organize your pantry will help.
5) Everything has its place (and it gets put back there)
The kitchen in the photo above isn’t large, but it is kept tidy because everything has its place and then should be put back there once cleaned.
If you need help organizing your kitchen cabinets this article here will help.
And if you have a small kitchen check out this list of 35 small kitchen organization ideas.
Actionable Tip:
Go through your kitchen utensils, cookware and dishes. Do you have stuff you don’t use? Do you have duplicates or triplicates of some tools? Get rid of that extra stuff and donate it to someone who needs it.
Then dedicate a spot for your remaining essential kitchen ware and make sure you always put it back in its place.
6) Counter-top is kept clear
A cluttered counter-top makes a whole kitchen look messy and untidy.
If you keep your keep your kitchen counters clear and sparse, your whole kitchen will look vastly better. (Like how making your bed makes your whole bedroom look better.)
And this ties in very closely to the points made about everything has its own spot…just don’t make “the spot” for everything on the kitchen counter.
In the photo below from Instagram you’ll notice that this lovely kitchen does have some “stuff” on the counter. But these are things the homeowner will use regularly: like a coffee maker and toaster. So clear counter-tops doesn’t mean you have to stash everything in the cabinets…it means you have to be selective.
7) Clean the counters and sweep after every meal
Cleaning the counters and sweeping the floor after each meal doesn’t take long, and its benefits are huge. It’ll make your kitchen look better, and be more hygienic.
I knew this family with a military background. Their household chores were very regimented. After each meal the dishes were washed, the food was all put away, and then the counters were wiped clean first, then the floor was swept.
It was done in this order with cleaning counters first because if any crumbs fell onto the floor they would be easily swept up.
This habit helped them keep a clean and tidy kitchen…and not just sometimes, but all the time.
Some Instagram Inspiration for Clean Kitchens
Let’s look at some of these principles and habits in practice. We’ll check out some awesome photos from Instagram. (At the very least they are inspiring.)
I hope these 7 habits of people who always have a clean kitchen will help you to achieve the tidy and organized kitchen that you’re craving.
Talk to your family about these habits. Get their input. What do they think about them? Try to get them on board and to participate. It’ll make keeping your kitchen clean a lot easier if everyone helps out.
You may also like these 15 Green, Sustainable Kitchen Swaps you can make for a more eco-friendly kitchen.
7 Eco-friendly Kitchen Accessories
