How clean is clean? When was the last time you inspected your kitchen? And I mean, really inspected it? Did you know that using the wrong cleaning products can leave your kitchen open to contamination because they just aren’t getting the job done right?
You also have to be careful making your own cleaners because mixing certain chemicals can cause reactions that can create toxicity. No, I am not here to scare you! I am here to help you by sharing my list of the top kitchen cleaning products that actually work.
Keeping a list of the best cleaning products around the house makes it easy for me, and it just makes sense.
Here’s my list of different categories of kitchen cleaning products and how they get the cleaning job done. With my suggestions, you should be able to customize your own cleaning supply list to suit your cleaning process and needs.
We will explore ways to remove dirt from food preparation surfaces in the kitchen, like counters, dishes, pans, pots, cutting boards, knives, utensils, pots and pans.
Here are some cleaning products I feel you must include in your cleaning kit to maintain a clean and healthy kitchen.
1. Degreaser
If you are anything like me, you love a greasy snack here and there. Grease solidifies, enabling the build-up of grime and dirt on cookware, bakeware, and worktops.
A degreaser makes getting rid of this build-up easier as it can lift grease from these kitchen surfaces. A good degreaser can easily remove fingerprints, oils and fluids that might be corrosive to your kitchen utensils and surfaces. Some degreasers even have deodorizing and disinfecting properties for safe and hospitable kitchens.
Natural degreasers can be made using common household ingredients like vinegar and baking soda. Vinegar is a sanitizer capable of removing stains and grease, while baking soda is a gentle abrasive that helps remove stubborn stains and deodorizes. A mixture of the two makes the ideal degreaser for your kitchen surfaces. Bonus? It is even safe for your kids to use, so no more excuses for leaving the mess for mom to clean!
2. Kitchen Sanitizing Products
The right kitchen sanitizing products kill viruses and bacteria from kitchen sinks, countertops, and floors. The aim here is to reduce the concentration of bacteria and other pathogens on food-contact surfaces to a safe level that minimizes the chances of contamination.
Sanitizers kill living organisms, so the ideal sanitizing frequency depends on the kitchen’s exposure to these microbes.
Sanitizers are typically cleaning chemical agents like chlorine bleach or hydrogen peroxide that can be packaged in a spray bottle so that they reach hidden spots to facilitate deep cleaning. These detergents are corrosive and produce harsh fumes, so they should be wiped off once their work is done.
Distilled vinegar has sanitizing properties and should be included in your kitchen cleaning product list as a natural cleaning solution.
3. Dishwasher Detergents
Dishwasher detergents are essential cleaning products because, let’s face it — none of us likes scrubbing, washing, and drying dishes by hand after savoring our favorite meal. Dishwasher performance is highly dependent on your dish soap.
You don’t want to deal with soap scum, cloudy glasses, and foods that stick on after a wash cycle because you decided to go for low-quality cleaning supplies. The detergents clean the gunk off your dirty dishes so that you don’t have to hand wash them.
Dishwasher detergents come in the form of tablets and powder or liquid forms. These multipurpose house cleaning supplies are designed to leave your silverware shiny as new and remove dirty spots. They should make up a good part of your cleaning checklist if you have a dishwasher.
4. Rinse Aid
The right rinse aid is a cleaning tool that acts as a surfactant or a foaming agent that lowers the surface tension of water so that it easily slides off dishes in the dishwasher. It quickens the drying process while making it harder for water spots to form, especially where there is hard water.
The all-purpose cleaner prevents water streaking and spotting while ensuring there is no scale build-up on the cutlery. It is dispensed as a drying agent at the end of the rinsing cycle.
You can even make your own rinse aids from natural products many of us already have stocked up in the home, like white vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, or citric acid powder. That way, you can keep your money in your pocket but still have a clean kitchen!
Even with this homemade version of a rinse aid, your kitchen and utensils won’t smell, streak or mark. They come in handy, especially when you are dealing with hard water.
5. All–Purpose Kitchen Cleaning Products
All-in-one tablets function as dishwasher detergents, sanitizers and rinsing aids. They make it so you don’t need to use separate products to clean the kitchen.
An all-purpose cleaner can be used to clean kitchens and bathrooms. They can be applied to floors, furniture, surfaces, and walls, handling any home cleaning task thrown at them.
6. Hand Soap
Your hands perform a ton of activities in the kitchen, from slicing onions, kneading dough, and handling spices to scrubbing grimy pots and grease. Hand soaps are essential cleaning supplies for the kitchen, and you should find brands that can get rid of the unpleasant odors from pungent foods without being harsh on the skin.
Some handwashes have additives that are not food safe, so it’s important to look at the ingredients before purchasing handwash. They are kept close to the kitchen sink for easy access.
They are different from dish soap because they are formulated to have the optimal pH for the skin and have conditioning agents to keep the skin soft.
7. Kitchen Floor Cleaner
Kitchen floors are diverse, ranging from tiles, linoleum, wood and laminate, so it is important to know which cleaning solution will be most appropriate for your type of floor. Regardless of the floor type, it should be cleaned daily to prevent the build-up of dirt and grime. They are vulnerable to crumbs, pet hair and a lot of dirt tracked in by dirty shoes. And if you have a little one at home, you don’t want them crawling through gunk leftover on the kitchen floor.
Use a brush with soft bristles to scrub between floor tiles and along grout lines. A nonabrasive cleaning product should be enough to clean the kitchen floor. Small doses of vinegar and water also do the trick. You can apply the solution using a damp cleaning cloth to not scratch the surface or leave any markings.
Where the scum is too much, you can remove it using a microfiber cloth and baking soda paste.
8. Microfiber Cloth Cleaner
These cleaning cloths have very thin fibers, which make them quite absorbent. They are great for wiping spills and pulling up dirt and grease. They can be used to wipe appliances and countertops, remove grime and grease, and polish or shine surfaces.
I have found that these microfiber cloths are safe for stainless steel surfaces because their soft nature ensures they don’t scratch them. Microfiber cloths are also great in a pinch if you need to reach for something to clean up spilled orange juice in the morning but want something more sustainable than paper towels.
Identifying Functional Kitchen Cleaning Products
Now that you know what is important, it is good to be in a position to select the best kitchen cleaning products to suit your family’s needs. These are some considerations you should keep in mind.
They Should Serve the Intended Purpose
While an all-purpose cleaner will care for most of your kitchen needs, some surfaces and appliances need special attention. You can introduce kitchen cleaning products that serve specific purposes as the need arises.
Consider the type of surfaces you have and their endurance level against wear and tear as you pick your cleaning products. With the right products, you might also be able to cut down on some of the elbow grease you would need for stuck-on messes because specific products are made to tackle any mess in your kitchen.
They Should Be Food Safe
A great number of foods are eaten raw, so if your cleaning product has chemical properties that can leach into the food, it might cause health problems. Check out the ingredients and determine if any part of the cleaner is not food-safe before you use it in your kitchen.
Sanitizing Capacity
The kitchen is exposed to microbes like E. coli, salmonella, and Listeria monocytogenes. Cleaning products can dislodge them from food, surfaces and dirty hands so your family is safe from illnesses. Many cleaning agents will sanitize using bleach, but others use natural sanitizers like nitric acid salt and vinegar solutions.
Versatility
All-purpose cleaners can significantly reduce the number of items on your cleaning supplies list, making it easy to assemble. The more work you can get from a single product, the less you spend on kitchen cleaning products, and the faster you can get the job done.
That being said, some situations demand specific cleaning products designed to handle specific functions.
Surface Friendliness
Read the instructions on the package to confirm the product can be applied to the surface you want to clean. Some chemicals are too strong for the intended surface, while others are too abrasive and might damage your wooden cabinets, walls and floors, so they are replaced with better-suited cleaners.
The kitchen is one of the busiest rooms in the home and is constantly exposed to ever-present contamination and pathogens such as E. coli spores. Add this to the looming possibility of spillage, grease, and messes as you prepare meals, and you will realize the need to clean the kitchen repeatedly.
The cleaning process is impossible without kitchen cleaning products that enable you to disinfect surfaces that come into contact with food, like the worktop, kitchen oven, cutlery, and food prep accessories. Once you have the right tools, the cleaning process becomes easy and seamless. And who knows? Maybe with the right tools, you can convince your kids to lend extra hands to help you clean up the messes.