How to Prepare Your Kitchen for the Holidays: A Professional Cleaner’s Checklist

The holidays have a funny way of turning the kitchen into the busiest room in the house.

There will be cooking, baking, meal prepping, snacks, dishes, family, friends, and somehow an impressive number of dirty dishes even though you just emptied the dishwasher.

Before all of that begins, I like to give the kitchen a good reset.

Not necessarily a deep clean from top to bottom. The goal is to get everything clean, cleared out, and ready for the extra work the kitchen is about to take on.

And honestly, I find that having a checklist makes this much easier. There is something very satisfying about checking things off a list—and when the list is finished, you know you didn’t forget the refrigerator while you were busy scrubbing the stovetop.

Start With a Plan

Before you start pulling everything out of cabinets and wondering why you have three bottles of vanilla extract, take a few minutes to make a plan.

A checklist can help keep you focused and motivated, especially when you have a lot to do.

You don’t have to tackle the entire kitchen in one afternoon. You can work through the list a little at a time, or set aside a few hours and get it all done at once.

The important thing is to avoid turning your pre-holiday cleaning into a completely overwhelming project.

We’re preparing the kitchen for the holidays—not trying to win a cleaning championship.

1. Give the Refrigerator a Good Reset

This is one of the first things I like to tackle.

The refrigerator is going to be working overtime once the holiday cooking begins, so I want to make room for ingredients, prepared food, and—most importantly—leftovers.

Start by removing anything that is expired, questionable, or has been sitting in the back so long that nobody is quite sure what it is anymore.

You know the stuff I’m talking about.

Pull out the shelves and drawers if they’re removable and wash them with warm water and a mild dish soap if necessary. Wipe down the inside of the refrigerator, paying particular attention to sticky spills and areas that get overlooked.

If you don’t have time for a complete refrigerator cleaning, at least clear out expired food and wipe down the obvious messes.

Even a quick reset can make a big difference.

2. Don’t Forget the Freezer

The freezer tends to be the place where food goes to disappear.

It’s easy to toss something in there with the intention of using it later—and then six months later you’re staring at a mystery container wondering whether it contains soup, chili, or something that should probably have been thrown away in 2024.

Before the holidays, take a few minutes to look through everything.

Get rid of expired or forgotten food and make some space for holiday leftovers.

This is also a good time to consolidate partially empty packages and get rid of those empty boxes and cartons that somehow made it back into the freezer.

If you have children, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

3. Start With a Clean Oven

The oven is going to get plenty of use during the holidays, so I like to start with a clean one.

And I know what you’re thinking:

Why clean the oven when I’m just going to make it dirty again?

Because I have always believed it’s better to get rid of the old mess before you make a new mess.

Starting with a clean oven just feels better.

Clean your oven according to the manufacturer’s instructions, paying attention to the racks, door, and any areas where grease and food residue have accumulated.

You don’t necessarily need to make this a massive project. The goal is simply to start the holiday cooking season with a clean slate.

4. Take a Quick Look Through the Pantry and Cabinets

This doesn’t have to turn into an entire pantry-organizing project.

We’re preparing for the holidays, not auditioning for a home organization show.

Instead, take a quick inventory.

Check your baking supplies, canned goods, dry ingredients, and anything else you know you’ll be using for holiday cooking.

Throw away empty boxes and expired food and make a list of anything you actually need to buy.

I find this step particularly helpful because it’s very easy to buy something you already have when you can’t find it in the pantry.

And personally, I don’t have the storage space for a surplus of things I forgot I already owned.

5. Make Sure the Dishwasher Is Ready for Action

Your dishwasher is probably going to be one of the hardest-working appliances in the kitchen during the holidays.

Before things get busy, take a quick look inside.

Pull out the bottom rack and check the bottom of the dishwasher for food debris, wrappers, and other random things that somehow ended up down there.

I have found all sorts of things in the bottom of dishwashers over the years.

Sometimes this is the hazard of delegating household chores to children.

Sometimes it’s just life.

Either way, it’s worth checking.

Clean the dishwasher according to the manufacturer’s recommendations and make sure nothing is blocking the spray arms or drain area.

A little attention now can help keep things running smoothly when you suddenly have a sink full of dishes.

My recipe for DIY dishwasher cleaner

6. Don’t Forget the Surfaces Everyone Will See

Once you’ve tackled the bigger jobs, it’s time for the things that make the kitchen feel clean.

Give your countertops a thorough cleaning and pay attention to the areas around cabinet handles and other frequently touched surfaces.

Clean the stovetop, sink, faucet, kitchen table, and chairs.

This is also a good time to wipe down cabinet fronts, especially around the handles where fingerprints and cooking residue tend to build up.

These are small jobs, but they make a surprisingly big difference in how clean the kitchen looks and feels.

7. Finish With the Floor

Save the floor for the end.

Once you’ve cleaned everything else, there is no point in cleaning the floor only to drop crumbs, dust, and who-knows-what onto it while you’re finishing the kitchen.

Sweep or vacuum first, then mop according to your flooring manufacturer’s recommendations.

And don’t forget the areas underneath and around the table. Holiday meals have a way of making crumbs travel surprisingly far.

Have wood floors? Check out “how to clean wood floors”

Don’t Try to Do Everything at Once

This is probably my biggest piece of advice.

If you have several days before the holidays, break the list into smaller jobs.

Clean the refrigerator one day.

Tackle the pantry another day.

Clean the oven when you have a little extra time.

Then do your counters, sink, stovetop, and floors closer to the holiday.

There is no rule that says your entire kitchen has to be cleaned from top to bottom in one exhausting afternoon.

A checklist can help you see what you’ve accomplished and keep you from bouncing from one job to another without actually finishing anything.

There is something about checking that little box that makes you want to keep going.

Short on Time? Start Here.

If you don’t have time to do everything, focus on the areas that will make the biggest difference.

My five priorities would be:

☐ Clean and clear the countertops
☐ Clean the sink and faucet
☐ Clean the stovetop
☐ Give the refrigerator a quick reset
☐ Sweep/vacuum and mop the floor

Those five things alone can make the kitchen feel dramatically cleaner and more ready for company.

Want the Checklist?

I’ve put together a simple Holiday Kitchen Cleaning Checklist that you can use to keep yourself on track.

Print it out, stick it on the refrigerator, and check things off as you go.

Because sometimes the hardest part of cleaning isn’t knowing what needs to be cleaned. It’s remembering everything you wanted to get done—and having the motivation to keep going.

And there is absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying the satisfaction of checking a box.

One Last Thing

Don’t let holiday cleaning become another source of stress.

Your kitchen doesn’t have to be absolutely perfect before your family and friends arrive.

The goal is to create a clean, comfortable space where you can actually enjoy the holiday instead of spending the entire time worrying about whether someone noticed the fingerprints on the refrigerator.

Get the big things done, use your checklist to stay organized, and then let the rest go.

After all, the kitchen is about to get messy again.

That’s kind of the point.

Happy cleaning—and happy holidays!