How do you keep your kitchen clean

[Getting2me]

Everyday the sink and counters are full of dishes and mess, the cooker is caked all over in dried up food, and I've got to wipe everything down and brush and mop the floor thats covered in all sorts. I'm going through a bottle of washing up liquid every couple of weeks, sounds excessive but there isnt much obvious foam and the water gets dirty and dishes dont get cleaned unless I douse them. Also have to fill up the sink several times before everything gets washed. There is nothing going on besides ordinary cooking and I'm fed up with it.

I agree and would chop out a cupboard in order to fit a dishwasher in

Is OP coming back?

I try to wash up before it gets to the hopeless stage, and wipe dirty surfaces as I see them.
I clean out the fridge on shopping day.
I keep as little as possible out on the surfaces.

You clean as you go. It's not complicated.

That means you have to clean up as you go. Honestly, it's not difficult to manage.

I cook from scratch too.

But as I said, without a dishwasher you need to consider only cooking once a day, and only cooking one pot meals or casseroles, or batch cooking on one given day a week, which is what I did until we finally got a dishwasher.

Breakfast and lunch were always uncooked meals apart from egg dishes occasionally at lunch. Nobody needs three freshly cooked meals a day. That's the only way a kitchen sink could possibly end up piled high with pots and pans every day.

Empty the draining board whilst you are cooking so it's ready for the next load.

Buy a scrub daddy and some washing g up spray. Use the soap spray (pink stuff or elbow grease brands sell it's it's about £1.20) on pans as soon as you finish using them and put them to one side.

Buy a roll of microfibre cloths they are £1.70 in tesco own brand and as good as e cloths. Use them to wipe everything and dry everything especially kitchen surfaces honestly keep everything dry it makes a big difference.

If the oven and hob are out of control get them on control again. My best buys are old fashioned Brillo pads - honestly a lot less hard work than they sound and used for cleaning the job and oven as well as a good soak in Oven Brite.

Washing the draining rack often and dry underneath it when it's empty.

Shine your sink before you go to bed

I don't have a dishwasher and no running for water in my kitchen (not in the UK) and this seriously pisses me off! I put away the stuff from the night before on a morning and then I wash breakfast things first thing , and leave them to drain, and put them away later in the day.
I make the evening meal and wash the utensils I've used to do that whilst food is cooking, then after we've eaten wash up plates and pans used for dinner.

I have to boil the kettle each time I want to wash up. I would also use fairy liquid as it is the best one on the market

No

How is it getting so messy? I had a tiny kitchen with two small children and no dishwasher and it was always clean and tidy. I washed up after each meal, wiped the surfaces/table and cleaned any mess on the cooker at the time. Dishes were dried and put away. A quick dustpan and brush if there was debris on the floor. You just need to keep on top of it after each meal

This... don't leave things to become a big job, clean/ clear as you go. Might seem tedious but it becomes second nature and you never find yourself with a huge amount of cleaning to do.
Also " never leave a room empty handed" my mum said this and it so helps, there is rarely something that doesn't need to go somewhere else and again you don't end up with horrible piles of things to put away. I don't even notice myself doing it anymore...x

I find the easiest way to keep my kitchen beautiful and spotless is to lock DH and DCs out of the house and make them live in the garage 😁

Single top tip which as minimal as it sounds is really helpful, rinse all used dishes/plates and cutlery under hot water immediately they are finished with and then you can have a stack of cleanish plates that when you get round to washing are quick to do with soap & water as you don't have stubborn crusting.

Make one pot recipes are your best friend

Are you coming back OP?

Definitely get proper branded fairy liquid. Cheap washing up liquid is the biggest false economy as you do end up using loads to get any decent bubbles.

Routine, clean as you go, be mindful when you cook so it doesn't become chaos. Clean down after the meal, load dishwasher, wipe down sink and cooker. I usually sweep or vacuum floor as it needs it and wipe up any spills with floor wipes and mop thoroughly about once a week. In the end this saves time and a huge job and becomes second nature.

By having a dishcloth permanently in my hand and tidying up constantly.