How to Deep Clean Your Kitchen Like a Pro

The kitchen is the hub of your home—and it requires the most attention to detail when deep cleaning. This is the exact process our Green Guru team follows, refined over hundreds of Tucson home cleanings.

Print this out (Ctrl+P or Cmd+P) and work through it section by section.

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Step 1: Light Fixtures, Range Hood & Vents

Start at the highest points in the room. Dust accumulates on light fixtures, range hoods, and vent fans—and it will fall onto surfaces below as you work. Get these done first so you're not re-cleaning countertops later.

1. Dust or wipe light fixtures and any ceiling fan blades
2. Wipe down the exterior of your range hood
3. Wipe vent fan covers and surrounding ceiling area

Step 2: Upper Cabinets, Countertops & Lower Cabinets

Now work your way down, moving clockwise around the room.

Step 3: Microwave

1. Clean inside and out with a microfiber towel and all-purpose spray
2. For stubborn stuck-on food, use a Scrub Daddy or similar non-scratch sponge
3. If needed, remove the turntable plate and hand wash in the sink
4. Wipe the door seal and exterior controls

Step 4: Dishwasher

1. Wipe the exterior with appropriate cleaner (Murphy's Oil Soap for stainless steel)
2. Open the door and wipe the horizontal edge at the top
3. Clean any stains or drips along the rubber gasket

Step 5: Trash Can

Wipe the exterior of the trash can and the interior of the lid. If the can sits inside a pull-out refuse drawer (common in higher-end kitchens), pull the drawer out and wipe the interior of the drawer as well—crumbs and drips accumulate in there.

Important: Never clean inside the trash can itself. If the interior needs deep cleaning, that's an outdoor job with a hose—not something to tackle during a kitchen cleaning.

Step 6: Refrigerator (Exterior)

1. Wipe handles and the face of all doors
2. Pay attention to horizontal surfaces like pull-out freezer drawer tops
3. For stainless steel, use Murphy's Oil Soap spray with a fresh towel
4. For streaks, use a glass towel with water only, buffing in circular motions

Step 7: Refrigerator Interior (Deep Clean)

This is where a deep clean differs from a regular cleaning. Budget extra time for this step.

1. Start with the top shelf—remove all contents, then remove the shelf itself
2. Close the door between steps to maintain temperature
3. Discard any old or mostly empty food as you go
4. Wipe the shelf with all-purpose spray and microfiber; for stuck-on residue, run it under cool water and scrub with a non-scratch sponge or glass scraper
5. Dry the shelf completely before replacing
6. Before reinstalling the shelf, wipe the shelf ledges and interior walls
7. Replace the shelf and reload contents in an organized manner
8. Repeat with each shelf, working your way down

Bottom shelf and drawers: You'll need to remove the produce drawers before extracting the bottom shelf. Some newer refrigerators (Samsung, we're looking at you) require a screwdriver to remove the bottom shelf—it may be easier to leave it in place and wipe clean without removal.

Produce drawers: Empty the bins and rinse with cool water to remove any old bits of produce. Wipe clean, dry completely, and reinstall before reloading contents.

Door compartments: Remove contents from the top door compartment. If the bin or ledge rack can be extracted, remove and clean the same way as the shelves. Wipe door walls and replace bins before reloading.

Step 8: Range & Stovetop

The method depends on your stovetop type:

Step 9: Sink

1. If there's a window above the sink, wipe away water spots with a damp glass towel first
2. Scour all five sides of the sink basin with a Scrub Daddy plus hard water remover to eliminate water stains and grease
3. For rust or coffee stains, use a melamine sponge (Magic Eraser) if the Scrub Daddy doesn't remove them
4. Pull out the drain filter basket, scrub inside and around the drain, and clean the basket thoroughly
5. Scrub around the faucet base and all knobs/handles
6. Wipe exterior of soap dispensers (if there's dried soap, rinse before wiping)
7. Rinse the entire sink with the faucet and a wet microfiber
8. Dry all faucet components—including the underside and normally hidden areas
9. Dry inside of sink completely

Step 10: Floors

Floors are always the final step—not just in the kitchen, but for the entire home. This ensures all the crumbs and debris you've loosened during cleaning get picked up at the end.

Vacuuming:

1. Start with a thorough vacuum of the entire floor
2. Use a vacuum with a pull-out wand (we love the Shark with detachable wand) to get into the toe kick under cabinets and other nooks and crannies
3. Go over and under rugs and floor mats
4. Move lightweight furniture like rolling butcher carts and barstools to vacuum underneath
5. Don't forget behind the trash can

Mopping:

1. We use a spin mop with Murphy's Oil Soap
2. Start in the corner farthest from the exit
3. Work backwards, making overlapping figure-eight sweeps from side to side
4. This ensures you don't walk over wet spots and gives you complete coverage
5. If you encounter stuck-on food on floors or baseboards, a plastic paint scraper or even an old gift card can loosen it if the wet mop doesn't pull it up