My Nightly Kitchen Cleaning Routine for a Better Morning

Have you ever noticed how miserable mornings feel when you wake up to a messy, smelly kitchen? I am already not a morning person to begin with, but finding a mess waiting for me makes me even grumpier.

So, I set out to create a nightly kitchen cleaning routine that would deal with those things while also giving me a head start on the next day. Take a peek at it, then sign up at the end for the printable cleaning checklist.

Why A Nighttime Cleaning Routine?

Waking up to a messy kitchen makes me get down on myself for not following through on the routines that help me manage my ADHD and remain productive.

But if I start my morning feeling like I’ve already messed up—before I’ve even had a chance to do anything else right—the rest of my day feels like one long confirmation that I am not managing life well.

On the other hand, when I wake up and see my kitchen clean and everything’s ready to go in the morning, I feel proud of myself for having “adulted.”

And starting the day with a reminder that I can do things, and that sticking to routines prevents problems, helps me stay focused on the systems I know work for me. Hopefully, you’ll see something in my nightly routine that works for you, too!

Nightly Kitchen Cleaning Routine

I combine this with my daily cleaning routine to deal with things like swapping out the towel and wiping appliance fronts.

1. Table and Food

• Clear and wipe the dinner table.
• Put away leftover food.
• Make lunches for the next day.
• Move frozen items for tomorrow’s dinner to the fridge to defrost.

2. Kitchen Clutter

• Wipe the counters.
• Load and run the dishwashwer.
• Empty the sink.
• Run the garbage disposal.
• Recycle junk mail.

3. Empty and Clean

• Take out the trash.
• Empty and rinse the coffee pot.
• Wipe the inside of the microwave.
• Empty, clean and refill pet bowls.
• Check if there are wet clothes in the washer.

4. Morning Setup

• Keys ready to go?
• Clothes picked out for the next day.
• Homework ready.
• Shoes by the door tidied up.
• Check the next day’s schedule.
• Alarm clock set.
• Security system set.
• Thermostat checked.
• Lights off.

If you’re not in the habit of following a pre-bed routine as an adult, give it a try. Once you’ve done it a few times, I bet you’ll find mornings are a lot less frantic. Who knows, you might even get to sleep a bit later and isn’t that worth it?