6. Finish with the details that make a kitchen read as clean
At this point the hard grime is gone, and what is left is the set of small things that determine whether a visitor thinks your kitchen is clean. These take about forty minutes together.
Cupboard doors and handles first. Handles carry more grease than any other surface in the room because hands go from cooking to opening. Hot water, a drop of dish soap, a microfibre cloth, then a dry cloth behind it. On high-gloss doors, dry immediately or you will see every smear under the lights. Do the top edges of doors too, where a grey fuzz of dust and cooking oil collects.
Then the splashback and the wall behind the hob. Warm soapy water handles most of it; dried-on spatter needs a damp cloth laid over it for five minutes to soften rather than scrubbing at it.
The dishwasher gets its own reset. Pull the filter out of the base, rinse it under the tap and brush the mesh, then check the spray arm holes for seeds and grit and clear them with a toothpick. Wipe the rubber door gasket with a damp cloth — the fold at the bottom is where the black film grows. Run an empty hot cycle with a cup of white vinegar on the top rack or a proper dishwasher cleaner tablet.
Then the bin. Wash it out with hot soapy water, dry it fully, and tape a paper sheet or put a spoon of baking soda in the base before the new liner. Most kitchen smells that people blame on the drain are actually coming from the liquid pooled under the liner.
Last, the floor, and only last — everything above it has been dropping crumbs and drips for the past two hours. Sweep or vacuum first, including under the toe kicks where a vacuum hose nozzle reaches better than a mop. Then mop with warm water and a small amount of neutral floor cleaner. Resist using more product than the bottle says; excess detergent leaves a tacky film that grabs dirt faster and makes the floor look worse within a week.
Set yourself a repeat schedule while it is fresh: filters and oven quarterly, fridge and dishwasher monthly, boards and sink weekly. A kitchen that is reset on a rhythm never needs a day like this again.