Kitchens are one the most important rooms in the house. Some designers refer to it as the heart of the home. People not only eat there, but minds congregate and trade ideas and stories.

That’s why this is the one room that should never be dirty.

Healthline recently reported the kitchen as becoming the dirtiest room in the house. People often assume that rooms like the garage or living room are the dirtiest.

But the National Sanitation Foundation insists any room that stores food is a risk. And these rooms-kitchens-require frequent cleaning.

If you’re looking for ways to tidy up the kitchen, read on. We take a look at a few kitchen cleaning tips that get the job done.

1. Don’t Wait to Clean

The most efficient way to keep the kitchen clean is by cleaning along the way. That means cleaning up what you mess up right away.

Take meal preparation for example. Start with a clean kitchen and always keep a little compost bowl to throw away peelings and scraps. That keeps you from making a mess of the counters.

Wash the dishes you use to prepare the meal as it cooks. When dinner’s finished, wash the remaining few. Then, wipe down any areas (like countertops and tables) right away!

2. Add a Little Baking Soda to the Mop Water

Baking soda isn’t just for baking, it gets the kitchen clean as well. Baking soda is a deodorizer. And, if you mix it with vinegar, you get a powerful acid-base reaction that cuts grease and grime.

Add a cup to your mop water to give it a boost. Use the mixture to scrub or mop the kitchen tile.

3. Clean the Sink as Well

People don’t always clean their plates the correct way. So in turn, food gets dumped into the dishwater.

After you’ve washed the dishes, dump the sink stopper and clean the sink. Squeeze a little detergent into the empty sink, scrub it a bit, then rinse it with warm water.

4. Wipe Down Appliances

The stove, coffee maker, and blender take in a lot of daily use. It’s important to clean them thoroughly to avoid unsanitary germs.

You can easily turn your coffee pot and blender into a mini dishwasher. Cycle the coffee pot through with hot water only. Then use the hot water in the carafe to pour all over any other detachable parts before washing them.

For the blender, blend some hot water and dish soap. Then rinse it well and set it aside to dry.

5. One of the Best Kitchen Cleaning Tips Is Taking the Trash out Daily

Don’t let trash sit in your pantry, garage, or wherever you store it overnight. Compost rots quickly and may draw unwanted pests and bugs.

As soon as you finish cleaning down the kitchen, take out the trash. Wipe down the outside of it to remove any food stains or streaks.

6. Don’t Store Half-Cleaned Pots

Let’s face it. Not everyone is a champion chef. Sometimes the bottom of good pots gets scorched, making them hard to clean.

Don’t leave burn marks in the bottom of the pot. That’s burnt food. Trying making a peroxide and baking soda paste to clean the char.

Mix a tablespoon of baking soda and a teaspoon of hydrogen peroxide in the pan. Spread the paste around the pan, then scrub with a sponge or rag. The burned spots will come right up.

7. Clean Up Wall Splatters

Food splatters when you’re preparing meals and when you’re throwing food away. Don’t let it sit and harden.

Use a safe cleanser to wipe down the walls, removing food spots, cooking grease, and dust. Most of the time, a little warm water and dish liquid will do.

8. Don’t Forget the Fridge

It’s the rule of thumb to wash your hands before you go into the refrigerator. But not everyone obeys. Wipe down the handles, doors, and sides.

Then pull it out and clean behind it. Finish the job by cleaning out the inside. Throw away outdated foods and pull the shelves out for cleaning. Do the same for the freezer section.

9. Tarnish Sink Fixtures

If you have chrome faucets you can expect them to discolor over time. Discoloration makes it hard to decipher stains.

Try using a shelved tarnish remover from the grocery store. If it gets too pricey, open the fridge and use a little ketchup. Put a little on a toothbrush and gently wipe away the tarnish. Then wipe the fixtures down with a wet, warm rag.

10. The Stove and Baseboards

The area behind the stove traps a lot of debris and food crumbs. Pull the stove out once a week and sweep and mop behind it.

Before you mop the kitchen floor, spray down the baseboards. Clean them with the same cleaner in the mop bucket, just put it in a spray bottle. Wipe them down with a rag or paper towels.

Tidy up Your Kitchen

These kitchen cleaning tips are not exhaustive. But they are a great jump start to keeping your kitchen clean on the regular.

Start with a few daily techniques then level up to weekly kitchen cleaning projects.

Check out our cleaning services for more information and residential cleaning opportunities.