Unveiling the 8 Filthiest Spots in Your Kitchen – Deep Cleaning Tips

We’ve all been there. Between work, school, the kids, the guests, and everything else, it’s easy to let cleaning the kitchen go. But when the sink starts to smell and you can just feel the germs wiggling around the appliances, you know it’s time to put on the rubber gloves and give the kitchen a good deep cleaning.

However, there are a lot of spots in the average kitchen that even the most seasoned kitchen-cleaners miss. We put together a guide to the eight nastiest spots in the kitchen that are often overlooked so you can really give your kitchen a deep clean.

Check out our guide to kitchen deep cleaning below!

Eight Gross Spots To Clean During A Kitchen Deep Cleaning

These nasty kitchen spots may have been safe in the past. But thanks to this guide, they won’t stand a chance during a kitchen deep cleaning.

8. The Refridgerator Door Seal

From accidental splashes of food or drink to fingers touching it constantly, the refrigerator door seal can get pretty gross. It’s also very close to the food stored inside, which makes it a breeding ground for bacteria.

During your fridge deep clean, remember to wipe down the seals of the doors with a vinegar solution or disinfectant. Get all the folds, nooks, and crannies. Don’t forget to dry it with a clean towel as well– nobody likes mold or yeast.

7. The Coffee Pot

Think about it. Your coffee pot is constantly heating up and cooling down water on a daily basis. Sometimes more often than that if you’re a caffeine fiend.

Water is a breeding ground for bacteria. And nobody wants a shot of bacteria in their morning brew.

Follow the coffee machine’s manufacturer guide to properly clean out your coffee pot. If you don’t have the guide handy, try adding four cups of vinegar to the pot’s reservoir and letting it sit for about twenty minutes.

Run the vinegar through the machine, then run clean water through three cycles or so as well to really thoroughly clean the unit out.

6. Sponges And Towels

These may be easy to overlook. Rags, towels, and sponges need to be washed and replaced often.

If any towels or rags in your kitchen smell less than wonderful, it’s time to throw them in the laundry.

Rinse your sponges well after every use and allow them to dry in a drainable soap dish. After a couple weeks of use, swap out that sponge for a new one.

Over 75% of sponges hold a form of coliform bacteria like salmonella. This can be owed to poor cleaning and replacement. Since your sponges can be just as dirty as your kitchen floor (which also should be deep cleaned often) it’s important to not let these germ-ridden tools come in contact with your dishes once they are past their prime.

5. The Kitchen Sink

You probably give your sink a quick wipe down with a sponge, right? Your kitchen sink, unfortunately, needs a lot more than that.

The sink is by far one of the nastiest spots of the kitchen. It accumulates microorganisms, mold, and other unsavory stuff.

During your kitchen deep cleaning, fill your sink with a mixture of bleach and water. Let it sit for a bit, let it drain, then scrub is well with rubber gloves and a fresh clean sponge.

Toss some garbage disposal cleaners in there as well. The most notable source of germs and odor comes from an unclean garbage disposal.

You can keep up with your sink by giving it a good quick weekly cleaning. Use a tablespoon of bleach, a spritz of disinfectant, and water to keep your sink consistently clean.

It’s also important to regularly deep clean curtains and upholstery near your kitchen sink, as splashes of dishwater over time can cause odor and mold.

4. The Veggie Drawer

If you clean out your drawers every few months, it may seem to do the job. This may not be the case, though.

Vegetable drawers are one of the biggest sources of germs in your fridge and kitchen. Salmonella, listeria, yeast, mold– all love to accumulate in veggies drawers. Especially if vegetables aren’t properly cleaned before going into the fridge.

Give your veggie drawers a good vinegar and water cleanse every few weeks. If you can make it once a week, even better.

3. The Meat Drawer

Like the veggie drawer, the meat drawer can be a horrid landscape of germs and mold. Even you keep mostly cooked meats and cheeses in there, there’s still a chance for harmful bacteria to accumulate.

Like your veggie drawer, a good cleaning with vinegar and water is key. For the meat drawer, you’ll need to be more vigilant. A weekly cleaning is strongly recommended.

2. The Can Opener

You probably don’t think about the tiny appliances when performing a kitchen deep cleaning. However, the can open is one of the nastiest little things lurking in your kitchen.

Your can opener comes in contact with food particles every time you use it.

If you rarely clean it, it could be a breeding ground for bacteria that could spread to other things in your kitchen drawer.

If you give it a good wipe down every once in a while, that’s still not enough. Soak your van opener in some vinegar overnight and scrub it down with a toothbrush in the morning.

1. The Knife Block

Even if you clean your knives well, the knife block can be a nasty little breeding ground for bacteria. Tiny remaining fragments of food can hide in blade hilts, as well as water. Once that water runs into the knife block, the wood will absorb it.

The result could be mold or germs on your clean knives.

To clean your knife block, remove the knives and wash the entire block in soap and water. Use a baby bottle brush or other tiny brush to dig into the slots of the block. Soak the block in a solution of a tablespoon of bleach and a sinkful of water.

When properly rinsed, remember to let it dry upside down so the water will drain out instead of deeper into the wood.

Take the time to evaluate the quality of your knives. Bad knives will trap water and debris in the hilt. If there is rust and the handle is wiggly, it’s time to find a better set.

How was our guide to kitchen deep cleaning? Got a tip you’d like to share? Drop us a line in the comments section below!