Kitchen Cleaning: the full procedure
The high-to-low kitchen procedure — appliances, counters, sink, then floor — with clean-then-sanitize on food-contact surfaces.
- Applies to: Cleaner cleaning a kitchen on any visit type.
- Frequency: Every visit that includes the kitchen.
- Scope: Covers cleaning and sanitizing a residential kitchen. Chemical safety/PPE follow your safety plan and product labels.
What you need
- Color-coded cloths (kitchen/food-area color)
- Scrub pad, detail brush
- Vacuum/broom and mop
The procedure, step by step
- Tidy and clear the counters — Put away or stage items and clear the surfaces so you can clean fully. Handle dishes per the agreed scope.
- Work upper surfaces and fronts — Wipe upper cabinet fronts, the range hood, backsplash tops, and appliance fronts — high before low so crumbs fall to not-yet-cleaned areas.
- Clean the appliances — Microwave inside and out, stovetop and control panel, oven front, and the refrigerator front/handles. Use degreaser on greasy areas.
- Counters and backsplash — clean, then sanitize — Clean food residue off counters and backsplash first. Then apply sanitizer to food-prep surfaces and let it sit for the dwell time on its label before wiping or air-drying — sanitizing a dirty surface does not work.
- Sink and drain — Clean and shine the sink and faucet after the counters — the sink is one of the dirtiest spots. Clear and wipe the drain area.
- Floor last — Sweep or vacuum, then damp-mop toward the exit. Spot-clean sticky areas with the appropriate cleaner.
Quality check before you finish
- Counters cleared and surfaces accessible.
- Worked high-to-low; floor done last.
- Appliance fronts + microwave interior clean; grease cut.
- Food-prep surfaces cleaned, then sanitized for the label dwell time.
- Sink and faucet clean and shined.
- Floor swept/vacuumed and mopped, no sticky spots.
This is a free, source-anchored standard operating procedure (SOP) you can print and hand to staff. It documents the work sequence for a House Cleaning business — not safety or regulatory rulings, which defer to the cited authorities, the applicable code, and your own health-and-safety plan. Open the tool above to print it, toggle ink-saver, or (with a free ToolFluency Business account) edit it to match your own workflow.
Sources
- The Cleaning Authority — Kitchen Cleaning Guide (high-to-low) (thecleaningauthority.com)
- Imperial Dade — Clean & Sanitize Food-Prep Counters (dwell) (imperialdade.com)
- CDC — Contact Time / Clean Before Disinfect (cdc.gov)
About Free Kitchen Cleaning SOP
Free printable kitchen cleaning SOP: the high-to-low sequence — appliances, counters, sink, then floor — with clean-then-sanitize on food-contact surfaces.
How to use
- Read the full procedure top to bottom before the work — the SOP runs in order and each step builds on the last.
- Toggle Ink-saver (black & white) for a cheaper mono print for the binder; leave it off for the full-color version.
- Click Print SOP to print or save as PDF. Print one per crew, laminate it for the binder, or attach it to the job in your scheduling system.
- Train new hires on it and have staff sign off. Found something out of date? Use the feedback link — flagged SOPs are re-researched against the source list.
Frequently asked questions
What order should you clean a kitchen in?
Work high-to-low so debris falls onto not-yet-cleaned surfaces: tidy and clear, wipe upper surfaces and appliance fronts, clean appliances, then counters and backsplash, then the sink, and finish with the floor (vacuum/sweep, then mop). The sink and floor are done last.
How do you clean and sanitize a food-prep counter?
Clean first to remove food residue, then apply a sanitizer and let it sit for the dwell time on its label before wiping or air-drying — sanitizing a dirty surface does not work. Use a degreaser on greasy areas, and rinse soap residue before sanitizing.
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