Kitchen Deep Cleaning Checklist

The order matters more than the products. Dust and crumbs fall, so start high and finish with the floor. Clear and declutter first, do the dry jobs (dusting, vacuuming crumbs from cupboards), then the wet ones. Leave the oven or anything that needs soaking to work while you do the rest.

Set aside a good half day for an average kitchen if you're doing it yourself. Professional deep cleans of kitchens often take a team several hours, which gives you an idea of the scale.

A bit of preparation saves time:

Start up high:

Take one cupboard at a time. Empty it, vacuum the crumbs, wipe inside with warm soapy water and dry before restocking. It's a good moment to throw out past-date food and spices that have lost their scent. Then clean cupboard doors and handles on the outside – grease builds up around the handles in particular.

Each appliance has its own guide if you want the detail:

Degrease the splashback behind the hob, which often has a film you only notice once part of it is clean. Scrub grout lines with a soft brush. Wipe any marks from walls gently, testing a small area first – some wall finishes mark easily if scrubbed.

Clean the sink, drainer and plughole, and descale taps if you're in a hard water area. Check under the sink too: it's a good time to clear out old products and wipe the cupboard base. For more on limescale, see how to remove limescale.

Different surfaces need different care. Laminate copes with most mild cleaners; wood worktops need wiping with a barely damp cloth and occasional oiling; natural stone such as granite and marble should only be cleaned with pH-neutral products, as acids like vinegar and lemon can etch the surface; quartz composite is tough but can be damaged by harsh chemicals.

If you can, pull out the cooker, fridge and washing machine to clean behind and underneath – but only if they're on wheels or easily moved, and take care with connections. Vacuum or sweep, then mop, paying attention to the edges and the kickboards under the units. Finally, clean the bins inside and out, and wipe light switches and door handles.

If you're doing it yourself, a kitchen deep clean is easier split into chunks. Trying to do every job in one go is how half-finished kitchens happen.

You can do a whole kitchen deep clean with very little: washing-up liquid, bicarbonate of soda, a limescale remover if you're in a hard water area, an oven product suitable for your oven, microfibre cloths, a non-scratch scourer and a soft brush. A degreaser helps on very greasy surfaces, but test it first.

Read every label and use one product at a time, rinsing in between. Kitchens are full of different surfaces – stone, wood, stainless steel, glass, laminate – and a product that's perfect on one can damage another.

A full kitchen deep clean is hard, physical work. If you'd rather hand it over, a professional deep clean usually covers everything on this list, though ovens and inside appliances are sometimes priced as extras. See what's included in a deep clean and our deep cleaning prices.