Key Takeaways
- A full kitchen deep clean in an HDB or condo flat takes about 3 to 4 hours, is worth doing every 3 months if you cook most days, and goes in 8 steps from the hood down to the floor.
- Work top to bottom, and degrease before you wipe. Let the cleaner sit for 5 to 10 minutes so the grease softens, then wipe it off once.
- Turn the gas off at the valve and the hood off at the wall before you clean anything in the cooking zone.
- Gas piping, hood wiring and ductwork are not DIY jobs. Everything else in this checklist is.
It’s Saturday morning in a 4-room Tampines flat. The cabinet tops above the hood feel tacky, the wall behind the hob has a brown film, and something under the sink smells. Here’s the order that gets it done once, not twice.
How Often Should You Deep Clean a Kitchen in Singapore?
Every 3 months if you cook most days, twice a year if you mostly reheat. Wok cooking throws fine oil into the air, and in Singapore’s humidity it settles as a sticky film that traps dust. Our deep cleaning vs regular cleaning guide explains the difference.
There’s a safety reason too. Grease that builds up above a flame is a fire risk, and SCDF advises keeping the stove-top, cooker hood and oven clean and free of grease.
What Do You Need Before You Start?
Dish soap, baking soda, white vinegar, microfibre cloths, a soft brush, an old toothbrush, a plastic scraper, a basin and gloves. Two rules decide most of the result:
- Top to bottom. Drips and dust fall down, so the floor goes last.
- Degrease, wait, then wipe. Apply warm soapy water or baking soda paste, leave it 5 to 10 minutes, then wipe with a clean, damp cloth. Scrubbing dry grease mostly spreads it.
What Order Should You Deep Clean a Kitchen In?
Hood, cabinet tops, hob, oven and microwave, fridge, backsplash and grout, sink and drain, then floor. Times are for one person in a typical HDB kitchen.
| Step | Area | About | What to use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hood and filter | 30 mins | Hot soapy soak with baking soda |
| 2 | Cabinet tops and doors | 30 mins | Soapy water, baking soda paste |
| 3 | Hob | 20 mins | Dish soap, plastic scraper, soft cloth |
| 4 | Oven and microwave | 30 mins | Steam from a bowl of water |
| 5 | Fridge | 30–45 mins | Soapy water, dry cloth |
| 6 | Backsplash and grout | 30 mins | Soapy water, baking soda paste, old toothbrush |
| 7 | Sink and drain | 20 mins | Baking soda paste, soft cloth |
| 8 | Floor | 20 mins | Warm water, a little dish soap |
1. Hood and Filter
Soak the filter first, then clean the hood body while it sits. Aluminium mesh filters come clean after about 15 minutes in very hot water with dish soap and baking soda. Charcoal filters can’t be washed and need replacing. Our kitchen hood filter guide covers each filter type.
2. Cabinet Tops and Doors
Wall cabinet tops near the hob hold the thickest grease in most kitchens. Lay baking soda paste on the sticky film, wait, then wipe. On the doors, work along handles and edges. Test a hidden corner first on lacquered or wood-veneer doors.
3. Hob
Gas off at the valve, then lift off the grates and burner caps to soak in hot soapy water. Soften burnt-on spills with a soapy cloth and lift them with a plastic scraper, never metal on glass. Dry burner parts completely before refitting.
4. Oven and Microwave
Let steam do the work. Heat a bowl of water in the microwave, leave the door shut a few minutes, then wipe. Our oven and microwave guide has the full method, including air fryers.
5. Fridge
Empty it shelf by shelf, wipe with warm soapy water, then check the door seal and the drip hole at the back. That’s where returning smells usually start, as our fridge odour guide explains. When you restock, SFA advises storing raw food in sealed containers below cooked or ready-to-eat food.
6. Backsplash and Grout
Wash the tiles behind the hob with warm soapy water, then work baking soda paste into the grout with an old toothbrush. Rinse and dry.
7. Sink and Drain
Scrub the sink with baking soda paste on a soft cloth, along the grain, then rinse and dry. Skip steel wool and bleach, which cause the orange spots our stainless steel rust guide deals with. Don’t pour cooking oil down the sink, because it hardens in the bottle trap. If the water already drains slowly, our clogged kitchen sink guide shows the safe fixes.
8. Floor
Sweep, then mop with warm water and a little dish soap, and dry it. Pull the bin out and get into the gap beside the fridge, where crumbs collect.
How Do You Clean a Greasy Kitchen Without Damaging Surfaces?
Match the cleaner to the surface, and give it time.
- Aluminium filters: no caustic oven cleaner. It darkens and pits the metal.
- Marble and natural stone: no vinegar or lemon. Acid etches the surface.
- Any surface: never mix bleach with vinegar, ammonia or other cleaners.
NEA notes that pests need food, water and shelter to survive, and its guidance for food shops includes keeping the areas below the cooking range and sinks dry and clean. A greasy, damp cabinet under the sink offers all three. Finish by washing chopping boards, knives and tongs with hot water and soap, as SFA recommends for food-contact utensils.
What Can You Do Yourself, and When Should You Call a Professional?
Everything in the 8 steps is a fair DIY job. A few things are not:
- Gas piping or a gas smell. Turn off the gas and contact your gas supplier. Never DIY gas.
- Hood wiring, the motor or the ducting beyond the removable filter.
- Grease hardened into a crust over a year or more, which needs steam and heavy-duty tools, not more scrubbing.
Getting the whole flat ready for Chinese New Year? Our CNY cleaning checklist shows where the kitchen fits in the order. Urban Company’s Kitchen Deep Cleaning uses high-temperature steam and heavy-duty scrubbing tools, from $199 in Singapore. Book a kitchen deep clean in Singapore, or browse more deep cleaning guides.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to deep clean a kitchen?
About 3 to 4 hours for one person in a typical HDB or condo kitchen, longer if the hood hasn’t been touched in a year. Much of that is waiting for soaks to work, so start the hood filter soaking first and clean elsewhere while it sits.
How often should you deep clean your kitchen?
Every 3 months suits a kitchen where someone cooks most days, especially with a wok. If you mostly reheat and order in, twice a year is usually enough. Wipe the hob and counters daily, and the quarterly deep clean stays a morning’s job.
What cuts kitchen grease without harsh chemicals?
Warm water with a good squeeze of dish soap handles most fresh grease. For sticky, older film, add a baking soda paste and give it 10 minutes before you wipe. Grease softens with time and warmth, so letting the cleaner sit does more than scrubbing harder.
Can you use vinegar on kitchen grease?
Vinegar is weak on grease, because grease is oil and dish soap shifts oil better. Vinegar is useful afterwards for water spots and light limescale on taps and stainless steel. Keep it off marble and natural stone, and never mix it with bleach, which releases a toxic gas.
Why clean the kitchen from top to bottom?
Dust and greasy drips fall as you clean. Wipe the counter first and then do the hood, and you clean the counter twice. Working from the hood and cabinet tops down to the floor means every surface is cleaned once, with the floor last.
What should a kitchen deep cleaning checklist include?
The hood and its filter, cabinet tops and doors, the hob, the oven and microwave, the fridge, the backsplash and grout, the sink and drain, and the floor, in that order. Add the bin, the area under the sink and the gap beside the fridge, where crumbs collect.