How do you deep clean a kitchen?

Before you start

The National Environment Agency (NEA) recommends ventilating your home during and after cleaning and disinfection, so open doors and windows first. Prepare and apply each product as the manufacturer's guidelines say, give it the stated contact time, and wear the protective equipment its Safety Data Sheet prescribes.

Before anything gets wet, and with dry hands, switch off and unplug small appliances such as the kettle and toaster. The Consumer Product Safety Office (CPSO) advises switching an appliance off before unplugging it, keeping liquids away from appliances and sockets, and not handling appliances with wet hands.

If you have a gas hob and ever smell gas, follow City Energy's steps: shut the gas valve at the meter, do not turn any switches or appliances on or off, open windows and doors, do not use a naked flame, and call City Energy's 24-hour hotline on 1800 752 1800 from a safe distance.

Kitchen deep cleaning, step by step

Work from the highest surfaces down, so drips land on areas you have not cleaned yet.

1. Hood and filters. Remove the filters and soak them as the manufacturer's manual says. Degrease the outside of the hood while they soak.
2. Hob. Once the hob is completely cool, degrease it. Wipe around the controls with a well-wrung cloth instead of spraying them.
3. Walls and backsplash. Wipe the tiles from the top down. Keep water and cleaner away from sockets and switches.
4. Cabinets, outside and inside. Empty each one, wipe the doors, handles and shelves, and let them dry before refilling.
5. Fridge. Dry your hands and switch the fridge off while you clean it, as NEA advises. Wipe and dry the shelves, then switch it back on with dry hands.
6. Sink and tap. Scrub the basin, tap and drain area, then rinse and wipe dry.
7. Bottle trap. Twist the lower section of the trap off anti-clockwise, remove the solid matter, flush it with water and screw it back on clockwise.
8. Floor last. Sweep, then mop rather than wash the floor. Let it dry fully before you switch small appliances back on.

Hood and hob degreasing

Soak and clean the hood filters as the manufacturer's manual says, and let them dry fully before you refit them.

When you degrease kitchen surfaces such as the hob, wait until the hob is cool, use one product at a time and follow its label. Never mix cleaning products. If you use household bleach, which NEA lists as the most widely used disinfectant, never mix bleach with acid-based cleaners or ammonia.

Leave a gas hob and its pipes in place. City Energy says only City Energy or a Licensed Gas Service Worker (LGSW) may install, replace or remove gas appliances or install or alter gas pipes. It also advises having gas pipes and kitchen appliances checked by an LGSW once every five years.

For heavy grease, compare deep cleaning services and ask whether the hood, its filters and the hob are included.

Cabinets and fridge

Clear one cabinet at a time, wipe it inside and out, and dry it before you put items back.

For the fridge, NEA advises switching it off while you clean it. When you restock, NEA advises not overloading the fridge, so air can circulate inside, and making sure the door shuts tightly.

For the rest of the flat, use our whole-home deep cleaning checklist.

Sink, trap and floor

HDB says the common trap for kitchen sinks in HDB flats is the bottle trap, and chokes come from solid matter or hardened grease. To clear it, twist the lower section off anti-clockwise, remove the solid matter, flush with water and screw it back clockwise. If water collects in the cabinet, see our guide to a kitchen sink leaking underneath.

To prevent chokes, HDB advises keeping the floor trap grating closed, not pouring cooking oil or discarding food waste and solid items down the floor trap or sink, and using a degreaser on the kitchen sink discharge pipes regularly. For serious floor trap chokes, HDB says to engage a licensed plumber; see our page on choked drains.

HDB advises mopping rather than washing the kitchen floor, because there is no waterproofing membrane under kitchen tiles. It also advises using a sink strainer and not putting food waste down the sink.

The full kitchen cleaning checklist

Print this table and tick each task as you go.

The block below shows whole-home deep cleaning rates. Of the 11 companies that publish a whole-home deep cleaning line, 7 price it per job: S$190 to S$600 per job as printed, with S$280 in the middle (the middle company's own published rate, not an average).

FROM THE HOMEZYPRO DIRECTORY

Published deep cleaning rates

For the most common unit (per job), the lowest published deep cleaning rates from 7 companies run from S$190 to S$600 per job (middle rate S$280), for a whole home, usually the smallest size the company prices. The middle figure is a real published rate, not an average. Each figure is one company's own advertised rate with its conditions, not a quote.

See 11 published deep cleaning rates and sources

Lowest matching advertised rate per company, in SGD as published. "From" marks a starting price and ranges are shown in full. Check the source for minimums, GST and inclusions.

Company	Service as listed	Rate	Source
Detail Freak	Deep Clean	From S$190 per job	detail-freak.com
Auntie Cleaner Pte Ltd	Spring cleaning, home under 600 sqft (1 cleaner, 4 hrs)	S$198	auntiecleaner.com.sg
Cleatra Pte Ltd	Deep Cleaning (Occupied Homes): 500sqft & Below	S$240 per job	getcleatra.com
Natural Clean	Deep Cleaning - Studio / 2-Room	From S$280 per job	naturalclean.com.sg
RitzHelper	Deep Cleaning - Thorough cleaning of your space	From S$280 per job	ritzhelper.com
Tidy Homes Cleaning	Deep Cleaning	From S$333 per job	tidyhomes.com.sg
Clean Off	Spring cleaning, less than 501 sqft	S$350 to S$420	cleanoff.com.sg
Hybee Singapore	Deep cleaning, property less than 500 sqft	S$350	hybee.sg
1 Plus Private Limited	Deep Cleaning Services Singapore	S$378 per job	whissh.com.sg
Kimbert Services Pte Ltd	Deep cleaning	From S$550	kimbert.sg
Sureclean	Professional spring cleaning	From S$600 per job	sureclean.com.sg

These are whole-home prices, usually for the smallest home size each company prices. No line prices a kitchen-only deep clean, so a kitchen-only job must be quoted. See home cleaning prices and deep cleaning cost.

Questions