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Holiday Kitchen Cleaning Tips: How to Get Your Kitchen Guest-Ready for the Holidays

How to Deep Clean Your Kitchen for the Holidays (Before the Cooking Chaos Begins!)

Written By: Sarah Perreault Managing Editor

‘Tis the season for feasting, baking, and a whole lot of kitchen chaos! Before the holiday hustle begins, give your kitchen the deep clean it deserves. From decluttering counters and freshening up appliances to polishing silver and organizing your pantry, a little prep work goes a long way toward a smoother, stress-free celebration. Follow these holiday kitchen cleaning tips to make your cooking space sparkle—so you can focus on what really matters: food, family, and festive fun.

Start Early!

To make the holiday as stress-free as possible, we suggest that you start about a week before. Check out our timeline as you count down to the festivities:

Holiday Kitchen Countdown: When to Clean What
DayCleaning Task
7 Days BeforeDeclutter counters and organize pantry
5 Days BeforeDeep-clean fridge and freezer
3 Days BeforePolish silver and wash linens
1 Day BeforeMop floor and tidy surfaces
Day OfClean as you go!

Declutter Before You Clean

Before you start cooking, remove kitchen clutter, making as much room as possible for holiday preparations.

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  • Cast a cold, hard eye on those kitchen counters. Get out a large box, fill it with everything you won’t need, and stash it in the attic or basement for now!
  • After decluttering, clean those countertops, cabinet doors, and handles, removing residue from sticky hands. A towel dipped in warm, soapy water and wrung dry is fine.

Appliance Deep Clean

  • Attack the refrigerator. Discard everything that’s past its prime. Make space to chill bowls of cookie dough, batches of eggnog, and perishable food gifts you may receive. Clean the fridge with baking soda and hot water if you have time.
  • Clean the stovetop. Remove any grates and burners, and put them in the sink to soak before you scrub.
  • Clean the oven. Remove oven racks for cleaning. Mix half a cup of baking soda with a few tablespoons of water to make a paste and coat the stove’s interior. Leave overnight. Then, wipe down with a cloth and wipe again with white vinegar.
  • Clean the microwave. One way to make this easier is to first boil a bowl of water with a half cup of vinegar in the microwave; let the steam soften the food residue.
  • Clean the floor. Vacuum or sweep the kitchen, then we’d suggest a good hand-cleaning before the holiday madness begins, especially if you have guests. You want your floor to be clean and food-safe.

Cooking and Flatware

  • If your glassware looks cloudy, put 1 to 2 tablespoons of lemon juice in the offending vessel and fill it to the top with hot water. Let it sit for at least 3 hours. Then rinse it out and wash it in warm, soapy water.
  • When cleaning heavily tarnished silver, rub it with a damp cloth sprinkled with salt; then wash off the salt and polish the silver. If you run out of silver polish, use toothpaste. It works just as well and smells a whole lot better.
  • If you face a roasting pan with baked-on grease and gunk, fill the sink with hot water, add 2 tablespoons of dishwasher detergent, and soak the pan overnight. Then, scrub it with steel wool.
  • Wash as much as you can in the dishwasher for all the cookware that only comes out for special occasions. Everything else needs to be hand-washed and dried.
  • What about linens? Be sure any cloth napkins are clean; iron any table linens.
  • Dust or wipe down any decorations and napkin rings. Check that you have enough candles. See more about decorating the holiday table.

Organize the Pantry (Food)

  • Read recipes carefully and consider Thanksgiving, Christmas, or special meals. Check that you have all of your ingredients.
  • Pay special attention to pan sizes and the space you need for such activities as rolling dough and combining several bowl ingredients.
  • Check on the age of your spices and seasonings; ground spices last about 2 to 3 years, and dried herbs for 1 to 3 years.
  • Ensure you have plenty of storage containers and materials, including plastic wrap, waxed paper, and aluminum foil. If you use glass or plastic containers with snap-on lids, organize them so they’re easy to find—including those that fit them.
  • Clean and organize your work area. It’s best to take everything out, clean the shelves with soap and water, and then put everything back, except the ingredients you need; place those ingredients in the front so they’re easy to find.

Clean While You Cook

  • Clean as you go. Make a habit of washing, drying, and putting away equipment immediately after use.
  • If you burn something and it sticks to the bottom of the pan, let the pan cool off. Scrape out as much of the burned food as you can. Then, fill the pan with cold water and add 3 tablespoons of salt or baking soda. Let it sit overnight. In the morning, bring the water slowly to a boil and let it simmer for 20 minutes. The pan should just be wiped clean.

Quick Tips

Stubborn Mess? Here’s How to Fix It!
MessCleaning Solution
Burnt panSoak overnight in salt or baking soda
Greasy ovenBaking soda paste + vinegar rinse
Cloudy glasswareSoak with lemon juice and hot water
Sticky countersWarm soapy towel + dry cloth
Tarnished silverRub with salt or toothpaste

Do you have any tips for keeping your kitchen clean for the holiday season? We want to hear them in the comments!

Cleaning
About The Author
Sarah Perreault

Sarah Perreault

Managing Editor

Managing Editor Sarah Perreault joined The Old Farmer’s Almanac in 2003. She has tons of quirky and little-known facts crammed into that brain of hers, which may be thought useless elsewhere—but not h...
Read More from Sarah Perreault

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Comments

<span>Dj Hixson</span> Fri, 11/15/2019 - 06:59
Floors can never be food clean, even if they are never walked on.
<span>Wolfie</span> Mon, 11/21/2016 - 01:58
I have used a environmental friendly. product called Evaporust. It can be purchased at auto supply stores or online. It is wonderful in removing rust on anything and can be used for our cookware. Follow the directions on the container and be prepared to be impressed!! Good luck!
<span>Amy Rose</span> Tue, 11/12/2013 - 13:15
I just got a set of hand me down cast iron pans. They are in pretty bad shape, rust? How do I clean and season them properly so I can start usin them? Thank you
<span>Paul Hostetter</span> Tue, 11/25/2014 - 12:17
Yes -look up iron valley cast iron pans. Use steel wool to get off the rust but do not use anything with soap ..than wash and dry in the oven at 400 degrees than add oil and bake at 400 for another hour
<span>Realspeedy22</span> Tue, 11/19/2013 - 13:05
You can use steel wool or sos pad but do it gently to remove any food residue clean them with no soap at all....to season a cast iron pan you fill the bottom of the pan with salt and bake it in the oven for at least an hour on 400 degrees...make sure you use a oven mit! dump the salt in to the next pan you have to season or save it in a ziplock bag after it cools of course next step is to take a canola or or olive or veggie oil coat the bottom of your pan and store. when you use the pans you do not have to repeat this whole process unless the pans are sticking when you remove from the water make sure you dry them on the stove to avoid rusting and coat the bottom with a light coating of oil.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Wed, 11/13/2013 - 11:58

Hi Amy,

Rust can be removed by soaking the pans in a solution of equal amounts of water and white vinegar. Soak for a couple of hours and check to see if you can wipe off the rust. If you still have some rusty spots use a plastic scrubber or fine sandpaper to gently scrub the spots. Wipe clean.

To season use a paper towel to cover the pans with a thin coating of vegetable oil. Place pans in a 375 degree F oven for about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven, wipe off any extra oil and let cool. Repeat this a couple of times before using the pans for cooking.