The Challenge
Kitchens are among a home’s germiest spots, says Donald Schaffner, PhD, a Rutgers University professor of food microbiology. And with many of us eating our three squares at home day in and day out, food-prep grunge builds up fast on appliances and counters.

Top Tools
Sponge, baking soda, soft cloth, disinfectant cleanser, dish soap, abrasive cleaner (either gel or spray), glass cleaner or stainless steel polish.

Dirt-Busters
Remove smudges from appliance exteriors with a cleaning and polishing product made for stainless steel (if you have that finish) or just a damp cloth for other materials.

Wipe off food and grease from gas stovetops with a scrub pad and hot, soapy water after meal prep. The same should help inside the oven. There, cover tough stains with a wet cloth, let it sit a bit, and then hit them with the scrub pad and soapy water again.

For badly stained burner covers and grates, leave them overnight in a sealable plastic bag with one-fourth cup of ammonia so you can easily wipe them clean the next day. (Ventilate when using ammonia.)

Really need a deep clean? While some ovens have lower-temperature self-cleaning modes, high-temperature self-cleaning is the most effective, says Tara Casaregola, who oversees CR’s range tests.

To keep odors and gunk in your fridge at bay, go over plastic surfaces regularly with a sponge dipped in a cup of baking soda mixed with a quart of water. (An open box of baking soda in the fridge helps odor-proof further.) Wipe the door gasket with a damp sponge or cloth to maintain a good seal and keep the cold air in.

Smelly dishwasher? Pull out any food bits you see at the bottom, and rinse the filter as needed. You can also remove the spray arms and poke out any food that’s stuck in the holes with a toothpick.

Put condensation to work for microwave cleaning. Pop a bowl of water mixed with a quarter-cup of lemon juice inside and run the unit on high for a minute, then wipe. If caked-on food won’t budge, scrape it off with an old credit card. (But avoid the window.) This works in ovens, too.

For food particles and grease residue on sinks, check with the manufacturer for abrasive cleaners that won’t scratch, advises Brian Sansoni, senior vice president at the American Cleaning Institute. “In general, liquid, spray, and gel cleansers are less abrasive than powders,” he says.

With countertops, “care isn’t one-size-fits-all,” says John Galeotafiore, director of product testing at CR. So follow the manufacturer’s advice for cleaning yours. For instance, an end-of-day sweep with a damp cloth may be all you need for quartz, while a soft cloth or sponge dipped in dish liquid and water works for granite, laminate, and butcher block.

In general, skip scrubber sponges on counters, Dickerson says. “It can score them, leaving crevices and cracks where bacteria can get in and reside,” he says.

Germ Warfare
If someone at home has COVID-19, going over high-touch areas like countertops and fridge handles with a soapy sponge will wash away virus particles, Goldman says, but you can also use a coronavirus-killing disinfectant. Otherwise, attend to areas where high levels of microbes are common: sponges and sink drains.

“When there’s moisture and food, bacteria can multiply,” Schaffner says. So at least weekly, use a scrub brush to clear the sink drain of food particles and grime, then spray it with a household disinfectant. Throw dirty sponges in the dishwasher with a drying cycle, or microwave for a minute with a bit of water in a dish. The Department of Agriculture found these to be the best methods for killing foodborne bacteria.

Clean, then disinfect surfaces and items that have come into contact with raw meat or eggs, says Marshall (think countertops, handles, sinks). Cleaning away visible dirt first with soap and water will enhance disinfectant effectiveness. Mop up food spills in the fridge right away. You may also want to swab the inner surfaces regularly with soap and water or a disinfectant. And give grubby shelves and bins a warm water and soap bath in the sink, says Larry Ciufo, CR’s test engineer for refrigerators.

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