What are some things you do every night that help you feel ready for the following day? For me, those things include cleaning up our house every night and sticking to my kitchen clean routine. Because when I am able to walk down the stairs to a clean kitchen in the morning, I already feel like I accomplished something for the day. I am not stressing about cleaning dishes while trying to get the family out the door. I am not worried about dirty dishes or lunch boxes. Everything is all clean and tidy, so we can pack lunches and go!

When you create a kitchen clean routine, you are creating a habit. Did you know that to make something a habit, it takes 21 days! Basically a month of doing the same thing. 

So where do you start when creating a kitchen clean routine? I am breaking down ways you can create this along with sharing what my kitchen clean routine is!

My Kitchen Clean Routine

My kitchen clean routine starts with collecting all the dishes and putting them near the sink. I do this because it makes loading the dishwasher so much easier. I just grab a plate, wipe it down, and put it in the dishwasher. By keeping all the dishes near the sink, this speeds up the process.

Once all the dishes are loaded, I will remove things that don’t belong in the kitchen. These are usually things like artwork, art supplies, toys, and papers. 

I go through the papers to decide what to keep and what to recycle. 

The artwork get stored in the kids’ hanging files in our mudroom. I do this so we can go through the artwork together to decide what will be put in a book and what we keep. You can read more on the artwork process we do here.

I put back all the toys and art supplies with the help of the kids. They are totally involved in this part of the cleaning process because if they bring something out, they have to put it back. They share their cleaning tips on their YouTube channel. You can watch their videos here.

Finally, I wipe down the counters and tables. I vacuum crumbs off the floor. And I announce that the kitchen is closed. Which means that no one is allowed to come into the kitchen once it is closed. This helps stop midnight snacking from my husband and my kids wanting one more thing from the kitchen before bed. 

Creating Your Clean Routine

When it comes to creating your kitchen routine, I have some suggestions that will totally help! Every family’s routine will look different, so find things that work for you in your home. So start by deciding what you can actually make work for you every night. I do recommend a few things to keep in your kitchen clean routine which I have included below. Try doing these things for at least 21 days to make them a habit that you keep up with every day.

Run The Dishwasher

This is something that I have to say is super helpful in keeping our kitchen clean every night. We run the dishwasher every night. Which means that we put all the dishes into the dishwasher. I have had clients who would run the dishwasher every morning because they thought that was easier. But they ended up purchasing more lunch boxes and water bottles to keep up with this routine. When they changed when they ran the dishwasher, we were able to get rid of half of their extra supplies because everything was clean every morning before school. 

Try running the dishwasher every night, so you can wake up to clean dishes every morning.

Wipe Up Counters

Another easy thing to add to your kitchen clean routine is to wipe your counters every night. I love walking downstairs in the morning to a clean counter. 

We use spray and rags to keep our counters clean. Some nights I do wipe down the sink but not every night. I think it depends on how dirty your sink gets.

You can read more abut my favorite cleaning products here.

Put Things Away

Do you find that there are always piles of non-kitchen items in your kitchen? Well, I suggest putting them away every night. Like get them out of your kitchen. Put those items where they belong, because it is not in your kitchen. Spend the time to put them away so you can find them again when you need them.

Vacuum

I have to vacuum our kitchen every night and I highly suggest you do the same. No crumbs on the floor at the end of the night just helps the space feel clean. Some nights I am the one who vacuums while other nights the kids do this task. It really depends on how much of a mess their toys are. If they are taking a while to clean their toys, then I may vacuum.

Push In Chairs

This one may seem funny, but when you push in chairs at tables and counters, the space just feels finished. I have noticed that when we don’t push the chairs into the kitchen table every night, I wake up feeling a little off. And I think it is because our kitchen doesn’t feel tidy. 

Tidy Up The Kitchen

My last suggestion is to tidy up the kitchen every night. Maybe you have decorative trays on your table or counter. Make sure they are placed where you want them to be on your counter or table. Remove dead flowers from vases. Put place mats away. And make your kitchen tidy so when you come into your kitchen in the morning, it feels fresh and clean.

Now it is your turn to create a kitchen clean routine that will work for your kitchen. Try running the dishwasher every night. Wipe counters and vacuum the floor every night. And put things away where they belong. Try pushing in chairs and tidying up the space so it feels tidy!