The Pre-Christmas Kitchen Reset: Clean It Once, in the Right Order

December puts more strain on your kitchen than any other month. A deep clean now, before the baking and the guests begin, means you only have to keep it tidy through the season rather than rescue it. The order matters: dust and grease fall downwards, so you work from the top of the room to the floor and finish each appliance from the inside out.

The order that saves time

1. Empty the cupboards, one at a time. Check dates on spices, flour, baking powder and yeast, all of which you will need for festive baking. Give unopened tins and packets you will not use to a food bank while they are still in date. Wipe each shelf before you put things back.
2. Start high. Wipe the tops of wall cupboards and the extractor hood. Soak a metal mesh grease filter in very hot water with washing-up liquid, or put it through the dishwasher if the manufacturer allows. Charcoal filters cannot be washed, so check the manual and replace yours if it is due.
3. Clean the oven overnight. Mix bicarbonate of soda with a little water into a spreadable paste, coat the inside of the cold oven while avoiding the heating elements, and leave it overnight. Next day, wipe it off and spray a little white vinegar to lift the last residue. Soak the racks in hot water with a dishwasher tablet. If your oven has a self-cleaning programme, use that instead and skip the chemicals.
4. Do the hob and splashback. Clean them after the oven so any drips from the step above land on a surface you have not finished yet.
5. Reset the fridge. Empty it, wash the shelves and drawers in warm soapy water, dry them and wipe the door seals. Check the temperature: your fridge should run at 5°C or below and your freezer at minus 18°C. If ice in the freezer is thicker than about half a centimetre, defrost it, as the build-up makes the freezer work harder.
6. Freshen the small appliances. Heat a bowl of water with a slice of lemon in the microwave for three minutes and wipe away the softened splashes. Descale the kettle with citric acid or diluted vinegar. Clean the dishwasher filter and run it empty on a hot cycle.
7. Finish the sink and taps. Vinegar dissolves limescale on taps and stainless steel. Keep it away from marble and limestone, which it etches.
8. Do the floor last. Everything you have cleaned above has dropped crumbs and drips onto it.