Kitchen Cleaning Checklist for Kids & Family | Free Printable PDF | Daily & Deep Cleaning

When the kitchen is clean, it helps the whole house feel better. But with all the food and foot traffic, it can be a real challenge to keep the kitchen clean. This free printable Kitchen Cleaning Checklist for Kids and Family can help everyone work together. You’ll find a daily kitchen cleaning checklist and a kitchen deep cleaning checklist in two different styles. Click to print, keep scrolling if you want some tips for how to get kids to help clean the kitchen, and enjoy having a cleaner kitchen with less stress getting there!

Kitchen Cleaning Checklist for Kids and Family

If you only need a checklist, here it is! There are two different styles for this kitchen cleaning checklist for kids and families, both in the daily version and the deep cleaning version. Click the image to enlarge, download, or print. If you also want some tips for how to get kids to help clean the kitchen, keep reading.

*Quick Tip: Laminate your kitchen cleaning checklist or put it in a plastic page protector. Kids love using dry erase markers to check off tasks, and you won’t have to continually print a new list.

Daily Kitchen Cleaning Checklist

The Daily Kitchen Cleaning Checklist is available in two styles: colorful and classic navy.

Kitchen Deep Cleaning Checklist

The Kitchen Deep Cleaning Checklist is also available in two styles: colorful and classic navy.

Home Systems for Keeping a Kitchen Clean

Checklists are an incredibly helpful tool, but we all know that simply printing a checklist won’t change behavior. It won’t keep your kitchen clean. A home system needs to be implemented to regularly keep the kitchen clean and get the whole family involved in sharing the load.

One great way to improve your home systems is to download my Simple Systems Starter Guide.

This guide will teach you three steps for creating time-saving home systems that work. These kinds of home systems have made all the difference for me, as they’ve allowed me to create time for the things that matter most to me.

Here are some kitchen specifics to keep in mind as you create your home systems.

What Should Be Cleaned Daily in a Kitchen?

Here at Lovin’ Life with Littles, we are all about simplifying parenting life. So there are A LOT of things I’ll be the first to admit we don’t need to do (like ironing for one and daily vacuuming for another). However, our lives will actually be simpler if we clean the kitchen daily.

Dishes and food debris stack up too fast. Food on floors gets tracked to other places in the house. The whole stress level of the home is lowered when the kitchen feels clear and calm.

So here is what should be cleaned daily in a kitchen:

• Clear table and counters of dishes and misplaced items. Put leftover food away. Start dishes soaking in warm water to speed up process.
• Toss old food from fridge and wipe any spills clean. This can easily happen as you prepare food or put away leftovers.
• Put away dishes that are already clean and dry from dishwasher and/or drying rack.
• Rinse dirty dishes and load in dishwasher or hand wash. (If you have a dishwasher, teach kids which dishes you hand wash.)
• Wipe off table, counters, and stove.
• Wipe out sink and dry water on the counters around the sink. (Water left around the sink can cause damage over time.)
• Spot clean the floor with a rag for spills.
• Sweep kitchen floor.
• Empty the trash as needed.

What’s Included in Deep Cleaning the Kitchen?

Periodically, kitchens also require deep cleaning. Choose if you’ll do all of these tasks at once, perhaps as a Saturday project, or if you’ll do one task a week and then start over when the list is complete. I prefer to spread them out. If you do this, use a wet erase marker to keep track of when you’ve done jobs, as they don’t wipe off as easily.

Here are the Tasks on the Kitchen Deep Cleaning Checklist:

• Clean light fixtures and ceiling fan with a damp cloth.
• Clean appliances and the oven range hood with water or a cleaning solution as desired.
• Wipe windowsills, backsplashes, and other surfaces.
• Wipe the fronts of cabinets.
• Clean inside the oven. (These Non-Stick Resuable Oven Liners are my favorite! Put them in the bottom of the oven, and prevent baked on messes!)
• Deep clean the floor with a mop or rag.
• Disinfect the trash can.

In What Order Do You Clean a Kitchen?

In reality, the order of cleaning doesn’t matter that much. If everyone wants to pitch in and do the kitchen cleaning chores at the same time, that’s the best option of all!

However, if one person is doing the work (maybe it’s an adult or maybe the kids take turns being in charge of cleaning the kitchen), then it can be helpful to do it in the same order each time. This order helps us not have to redo work and when we do it the same way each time it becomes routine or habit. It becomes automatic and happens faster.

The tasks on the checklist and in the previous sections are listed in a great order for cleaning. In general, gather everything to it’s proper place first which leaves surfaces clear for cleaning.

Additionally, work top to bottom. So wipe off the table and then the chairs before sweeping the floor. And if you’re cleaning a ceiling fan or stove range hood, start with that. That way you take care of anything that falls.

How to Get Kids to Help Clean the Kitchen

Here are the important steps in raising good kitchen cleaning helpers.

1. Teach kitchen cleaning expectations clearly. You can explain and use the kitchen cleaning checklist.
2. Work together in the kitchen so kids see how to do tasks and you can give immediate feedback. Always start with the positive feedback.
3. Give independent responsibilities so kids can practice their skills and feel competent. Start simple and build up as kids master the kitchen cleaning skills. Remember, for some kids it takes a lot of practice to learn to do the task and stay focused.
4. Show sincere gratitude for help given. Families work together and all contributions are appreciated.

If kids aren’t following through with their kitchen cleaning responsibilities, here are three quick tips:

• Use when/then. “When the kitchen is cleaned, then you can…” and follow-through. For example, “When the kitchen is cleaned each evening, then you can have screen time.”
• Include connection. We all crave connection. Can you chat while you wash the dishes? Turn on music and sing together? Working together doesn’t have to be boring, and connection is motivating.
• Ask your child! Talk together about what’s going well and what could be improved. Ask your child what they think would help them meet their responsibilities. When we have some say and control over situations we feel more ownership and are more likely to be motivated and follow-through.

I hope the free printable kitchen cleaning checklist pdf is helpful for you, as well as these quick tips for how to get kids to help clean the kitchen. Parenting is not easy, but your efforts to keep a clean home and teach your kids life skills are are important! Thank you for all hte work you do!

Related: Tips for Organizing the Kitchen

What has worked for you to help get kids to clean the kitchen? What’s challenging about getting the whole family to clean? Which kitchen cleaning checklist will you use? Share in the comments!

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