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The Ultimate 7-Day Kitchen Cleaning Challenge

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Messy Kitchen Space

Join the challenge and clean your kitchen with a methodical and purposeful approach that will leave your kitchen looking bright and shiny in just 7 days! With this challenge, you will deep clean each area of your kitchen one day at a time. Each day, you will choose one area of your kitchen to clean, from drawers and cabinets to fridge, freezer, and pantry. Plus, get rid of any unused, broken, or retired items you may have stored up. By the end of the week, your kitchen will be spotless!


Getting Started: The 7-Day Kitchen Cleaning Challenge

The first step to cleaning your kitchen space is to remove all items from each area of your kitchen so that you will be able to wipe down and thoroughly clean the space. Next, go through the items and throw away any unused or broken items. If you don’t have any drawer organizers or organizational bins and baskets, you might want to consider purchasing some. For me personally, having these in my kitchen and pantry space is a necessity! These organizational tools help keep my drawers and cabinets neat and tidy, and I don’t waste time looking for my can opener, kitchen scissors, and so on!


To see some of my favorite kitchen cleaning products, organizational bins, and baskets for your kitchen, click the following links;


Day 1: Cleaning Out Your Kitchen Drawers

Are your kitchen drawers the “catch-all” for all things whether it belongs in the kitchen or not? If so, now is the time to declutter and deep clean those drawers!


I organize my kitchen drawers based on where they are located in my kitchen and what items I will need to access in each area. Group similar items together – kitchen utensils, paring knives, and steak knives, measuring spoons and cups, cooking utensils, oven mitts and hand towels, etc. Think through where each of these items should be in your kitchen to create a well-organized, functional kitchen space you will love!


Day 2: Upper Cabinets - Time to Declutter

Do you open your upper cabinets and see a chaotic mess? Are you afraid something may fall out when you open the cabinet door? You are not alone! So, let's create an organized cabinet space that makes you happy to open the doors.


First, it is time to declutter those cabinets. I know we all have plastic restaurant cups that take up too much space in our cabinets! And do we really need to keep all of those plastic cups? My husband would say “yes” to that, but I recently got rid of the majority of those cups and only kept a few of his favorites just to make him happy. So, scale down your plastic cup collection to allow more space for your dinnerware, glassware, and so on.

Organized Kitchen Cabinet

Designate a shelf for similar items – one for dinnerware and glassware, one for water bottles (feel free to purge some of these as well!), one for mixing bowls, etc. If your spices or canned food items are in your upper cabinets, organize them on risers for easy access. Again, think about the functionality of your kitchen and place items in a manner that makes your kitchen space work well!


"What I know for sure is that when you declutter - whether it's your home, your head, or your heart - it is astounding what will flow into the space that will enrich you, your life, and your family." – Peter Walsh

Day 3: Lower Cabinets - Purge, Organize, and Refine

Are your lower cabinets as unorganized as your upper cabinets…or worse? Do items get lost in the back of your lower cabinets? Do you put items that you don’t use often in your lower cabinets?


Lower cabinets can be so challenging. Not only do you have to bend or squat down to get what you need but you may also have to reach behind other items to get to an item in the back of the cabinet. Again, you will need to group similar items together – small appliances, Tupperware and lids, pots and pans, etc.

Organized Bottom Cabinet

I have found the best way to make use of

the space in lower cabinets is to use baskets and/or install drawers so that you can pull items in and out more easily. This will contain smaller items so they aren’t spread out everywhere in the cabinets. By adding some type of organizational system to your lower cabinet space, you will be able to maximize this space to its full potential.


Day 4: The Stove and Oven

Do we even have to mention how messy your stovetop and the inside of your oven can be? These two areas are magnets for grease, crumbs, and splatter!

Cleaning Stovetop

To maintain your stovetop, it should be wiped down after each use; however, it likely needs a good deep clean at least once a week. This includes the grates (if your stovetop has them), exhaust fan, and vent hood. Grease accumulates in all of those areas, and if not cleaned well, it can affect the function of your stovetop and exhaust fan. The inside of your over

Cleaning Oven

also needs to be deep cleaned as well.

Fortunately, most ovens these days come

equipped with a self-cleaning mode, which makes it so much easier to get this done regularly.




Day 5: Freshening Up the Refrigerator and Freezer

Let’s be honest – how often do you clean out your refrigerator and freezer

Organized Refrigerator

and give them both a good deep cleaning? I can assure you that I do not do it nearly as often as I should. Why don’t we commit to doing this regularly together?


First and foremost, empty your refrigerator and freezer. Get rid of any items that are expired, almost empty, or have freezer burn. Deep clean both areas which will likely include defrosting your freezer space.


Before returning items to your refrigerator, I encourage you to purchase clear acrylic or plastic bins and drawers to help create an organized refrigerator space. This will allow you to have a designated area for produce, canned drinks, eggs, snacks, etc. I have done this for both of my refrigerators and freezers and there is less clutter now as a result!


Day 6: Purging and Organizing the Pantry

Decluttering your pantry…just hearing those words may make you overwhelmed and anxious. Pantries tend to be the most unorganized area in our kitchen space. We often unload the groceries and just place items in the pantry without giving any thought to how to best make use of the space.


As daunting as it may sound, you must first empty your pantry! Based on your pantry space, you will then need to mentally create designated areas for each group of items you keep in the pantry, such as canned foods, snacks, cereal, spices, chips, boxed foods, small appliances, and so on.


Your pantry space is an area where using bins, drawers, risers, and baskets is most beneficial. You don’t have to purchase it all at once…start with one or two areas and add more later when you are ready. And you likely won’t get it right the first time! I have rearranged my pantry multiple times. Just keep trying until you get it like you want it and you have created a pantry space that works well for you and your family.


Day 7: Cleaning Countertops and Small Appliances

You made it to day 7! I saved the easiest day for the end. Now that you have thoroughly deep-cleaned and decluttered your kitchen space, let’s finish cleaning your countertops, sink, garbage disposal, and any small appliances that are on your counter space.

Clean Countertops

Don’t forget to wipe down the front of all drawers, cabinet doors, and appliances. Also, be sure to clean your drawer pulls and cabinet knobs. This will give a nice, polished look to finish off your 7-day kitchen cleaning challenge!


After you have cleaned and decluttered, add some kitchen décor items to create a warm, inviting space that you will love!


To see some of my favorite kitchen cleaning products, organizational bins, and baskets for your kitchen, click the following links;


Enjoy Your Clean Kitchen Space!

You did it! Congratulations on completing the Ultimate 7-Day Kitchen Cleaning Challenge! You should now have a spotless kitchen with all surfaces gleaming, all drawers and cabinets organized, and all shelves and countertops clutter-free. Making this deep cleaning effort was worth the time and effort you invested. Now it's time to enjoy a clean kitchen and be proud of your accomplishment!

7-Day Kitchen Cleaning Mockup

Download your free 7-day Kitchen Cleaning Challenge today! Create a kitchen space where you and your family will enjoy making wonderful memories! Leave a comment below and let me know how well you completed your challenge!


Good luck and happy cleaning!

Dana




CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE 7-DAY KITCHEN CLEANING CHALLENGE!



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