The Spots in Your Kitchen That Are Dirtier Than You Think

Of all the spaces we have to clean at home, the kitchen might very well be the dirtiest. Along with the dust and grime that we’re faced with in every room, kitchens have the added disadvantage of gross food buildups and greasy stains. No matter how often you wipe down your countertops and clean out your fridge, you’re bound to still have a few spots in your kitchen that are more soiled than they appear.

That’s why it pays to know what places to give extra attention to when cleaning out your cooking space. Even the most ardent of housekeepers are guilty of missing a spot from time to time. To help, we’ve put together a list of the messiest (and most neglected) places in your kitchen. Just don’t say we didn’t warn you.

Sure you remember to clean out the food that spills inside your oven, but what about all the nooks and crannies around it? Make a habit of wiping under your oven (where stove top grease can accumulate) as well as the all countertop edges around it to save yourself from a lot of gross buildups down the line.

Believe it or not, the seal of your refrigerator might be one of the dirtiest spots in your entire kitchen. Along with trapping lots of random food particles from inside your fridge, the edges around the seal are often packed with grime, too. Luckily, all it takes is a couple of cotton swabs soaked in vinegar or soapy water to clean out the creases.

Oft overlooked but messy nonetheless, the control panel on your microwave is a prime target for food and oil buildup from your fingers. Be sure to spritz a little cleaner on the keypad next time your wiping down the rest of your microwave, or immediately after you nuke anything super greasy.

Of course you take the time to spot clean your stove and countertops, but when’s the last time you scrubbed the front of kitchen drawers? The smaller your kitchen the more likely spills and splashes are to land your cabinet doors and moldings, making them easy targets for grease buildup and airborne debris. Fortunately, it’s nothing a little cleaner and cloth can’t fix.

Even if you make cleaning out your fridge a weekly priority, it’s still easy to the miss hard-to-reach edges and corners inside of it. Next time you decide to give your cooler a proper scrub down, make sure to grab a soapy toothbrush and get rid of all those caked on crumbs.

Though it might seem clean upon first glance, your kitchen sink is a lot dirtier than you imagine. Water and dish soap alone won’t kill the all the germs and bacteria breeding inside the drain and seal of your sink, so be thankful that baking soda and vinegar does.

Okay let’s face it, your fridge—and everything around it—is a dirt magnet. Along with wiping down the front of your refrigerator door, don’t forget to scrub the sides as well as the area under it, since spills and food particles can quickly build up there, too.