How to Clean and Sanitize Countertop and Sink

How to Clean and Sanitize Countertop and Sink – tips for daily maintenance and disinfecting of kitchen stove, sink, and countertop.

Everyone is very concerned about keeping their homes clean and sanitized because of what is happening in our world today. No one is exempt and so I have been doing a lot of cleaning, washing, and sanitizing myself. Today, I want to share some cleaning habits in the kitchen with you as it is a high traffic area in the house. Cleaning the stove, washing the sink, and sanitizing the kitchen cloth is what I do every day without fail. To this routine, I am now planning to sanitize my countertop weekly and more often if needed. I hope you find the tips I share here useful.

Before we proceed, you should know that I have a Sequel Quartz from Bedrosians countertop and a Blanco Silgranit Sink. So far, a diluted isopropyl alcohol solution used on either has not presented any problems for me. Please check with your countertop and sink manufacturer to make sure that it is alright to use this solution for sanitizing your particular countertop and sink. If you are unsure, you can skip the weekly sanitization but the daily cleaning routine using a diluted dish soap will still be beneficial.

I do a quick wipe down of my countertop using this Granite, Quartz & Stone Daily Cleaner every evening without removing all the stuff on the countertop. I only remove the stuff when I am doing the weekly sanitizing.

Detergent and Disinfectant Used In How to Clean and Sanitize Countertop and Sink

Cleaning and sanitizing your kitchen need not be complicated. You can use dish soap and isopropyl alcohol for most type of general cleaning. They are very effective and inexpensive.

Diluted Dish Soap and Isopropyl Alcohol

You will need the following items to mix the two solutions.
1. Your preferred liquid dish soap.
2. Isopropyl alcohol – either 70% or 91% concentration
3. Distilled water
4. A teaspoon
5. A measuring cup
6. Two spray bottles

Diluted Dish Soap
Mix 1 teaspoon dish soap with 1 cup (8 ounces/240ml) water from the faucet in a measuring cup. Pour mixture into a spray bottle.

Diluted Isopropyl Alcohol (About 60% Concentration)
• Mix 7 ounces (210ml) 70% isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) with 1 ounce (30ml) distilled water in a measuring cup. Pour mixture into a spray bottle.
or
• Mix 5.5 ounces (165ml) 91% isopropyl alcohol with 2.5 ounces (75ml) distilled water in a measuring cup. Pour mixture into a spray bottle.

Diluted Isopropyl Alcohol (About 70% Concentration)
• If you have 70% isopropyl alcohol and do not wish to dilute it, then simply pour it into a spray bottle.
or
• Mix 6.25 ounces (185ml) 91% isopropyl alcohol with 1.75 ounces (55ml) distilled water in a measuring cup. Pour mixture into a spray bottle.

NOTE:
1. Please test this diluted isopropyl alcohol solution on an inconspicuous corner of the surface you are going to sanitize to be absolutely sure that it is safe for your particular surface.
2. 70% Isopropyl alcohol is the most effective for fully disinfecting your countertop. However, please make sure that it will not have an adverse effect on your particular countertop. Solutions between 60% to 90% is effective but its usefulness drops sharply below 50% of concentration. Concentrations above 90% is less effective because it evaporates almost instantly.

Cloths Used In How to Clean and Sanitize Countertop and Sink

I use two types of cloths in the kitchen. I prefer cotton cloths for cleaning and microfiber cloths for buffing and polishing especially when I have to use commercial cleaning solution like multi surface cleaners and such.

Daily Cleaning of the Stove

It is good to clean and wipe down your stove daily to prevent built up of grease and grime. This can easily be done using the diluted dish soap prepared above. First, spray the grates with the diluted dish soap and wipe it down with a clean piece of kitchen cloth.

Remove the grates and spray a little more diluted dish soap onto the stove or range top. Again wipe it down with the kitchen cloth. You may need to rinse out the cloth and spray with the diluted dish soap several times, depending on how greasy your stove is. Do this until you are satisfied that all the grease and grime are removed.

Once the stove or range top is properly wiped, replace the grates. Your clean stove or range is now ready for use. Please note that I do NOT use isopropyl alcohol on my range top because it is highly flammable.

Daily Cleaning of Kitchen Sink

I like to clean my sink after I am done cleaning my stove. Kitchen sinks can be nasty and washing it daily is a good practice. Wiping it dry prevents hard water scale and stain build up.

First, remove sponge holder and dish rack from the sink. Then place some dish soap on a sponge and soap your sink thoroughly including the sink drain basket. You should also soap the sides of the sink right up to the countertop.

Then rinse off the soap and wipe the sink dry with a clean piece of kitchen cloth.

Put the sponge holder and dish rack back into the sink.

Weekly Cleaning and Sanitizing of Countertop and Sink

Your kitchen countertop is a large food preparation surface and should be sanitized on a regular basis. Depending on the kind of material you chose, it can also be the most expensive investment in your kitchen. Keeping it clean and sanitized help protect your investment and the health of your family.

First, remove all items and appliances from the countertop. Brush or scrape off any scraps of food into the trash bin.

Spray the countertop with diluted dish soap and wipe it down with a clean kitchen cloth. You can do this in sections.

Then, rinse out your soapy kitchen cloth and give your counter a good wipe to remove soap residue. You may need to rinse out your cloth several times.

Now, spray your clean countertop with the prepared diluted isopropyl alcohol and allow it to sit for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, a lot of the diluted isopropyl alcohol would have evaporated. Wipe the countertop dry with a clean kitchen cloth so that there will be no leftover water marks.

Note: Please test this diluted isopropyl alcohol solution on an inconspicuous corner of your countertop and sink before spraying to be absolutely sure that it is safe for your particular countertop and sink.

You can also give your kitchen faucet and sink the same treatment.

Once your countertop is cleaned, sanitized, and dry, you can put whatever items and kitchen appliances back onto your sparkling countertop.

Sanitizing The Kitchen Cloth

Finally, I like to sterilize my kitchen cloth which I do daily. If it is grimey, I wash it with a squirt of dish soap and rinse it out. Then I boil it for 3 minutes in a small saucepan and leave it soaking in the boiling water for another 5 minutes. After which, I cool the hot water with some cool water from the faucet. Then drain and squeeze out the water before hanging it on one of my towel rails to air dry overnight. Boiling my kitchen cloth keeps it fresh smelling and free from germs.

Note: Only boil your kitchen cloth if they are made of cotton. Micro fiber cloths should be washed regularly and NOT boiled.