A professional cleaner shares how to spring-clean your kitchen after a year at home

• Many people spent more time at home this past year, making spring cleaning a little more necessary.
• Home expert Bailey Carson suggests deep-cleaning all areas of the kitchen.
• From sponges to the pantry, here's how Carson recommends spring-cleaning the kitchen step-by-step.

Over the last year, many people have been spending less time in restaurants and more time cooking, baking, and eating in their kitchens.

Bailey Carson, a professional cleaner and home expert at the household services app Angi, told Insider that even if you've been eating nothing but takeout lately, your kitchen likely needs a deep clean.

"There are a surprising number of areas that are often ignored in day-to-day cleaning," Carson said. "It's worth it to take some extra time to tackle the kitchen and make sure you have a fresh, clean place to feed yourself and your family."

Here's how Carson recommends spring cleaning your kitchen, step-by-step.

Start by cleaning the sponges

Carson said that the first and last thing you should do when deep-cleaning your kitchen is to microwave your damp sponges on high for one minute to disinfect them.

Since they can harbor hundreds of bacteria species, sponges are often one of the dirtiest kitchen items, she previously told Insider.

Next, empty the fridge. After you wipe down all the shelves and drawers, check each item before putting it back inside and get rid of anything that has gone bad, Carson said.

To spring-clean the sink, Carson recommends scrubbing it with a bleach solution.

Carson said you should sanitize and wipe several surfaces in the kitchen, including the inside of the oven, microwave, toaster oven, dishwasher, air fryer, and stovetop.

Carson previously shared her recipe for the ultimate all-natural DIY cleaning solution. The hack involves vinegar, water, lemon, and rosemary, but should not be used on surfaces that can be damaged by acidity, like wood and stone countertops.

To make it, put all the ingredients in a spray bottle and shake it up. Then, let the bottle sit for one week to give essential oils from the lemon rinds and rosemary enough time to infuse throughout the solution.

Another all-natural way to wipe down countertops is to dip half a lemon in baking soda and wipe it over surfaces, Carson said.

To clean the hood on your oven, remove it from the oven and clean it with dish soap and a brush.

In the pantry, Carson says to clear every item from the shelves and wipe them down from top to bottom. Consider reorganizing and consolidating your pantry items before returning them to the shelves.

Then, follow the same steps with the drawers and cabinets.

"Wipe them down, and only put back what you actually use," Carson said. "Then donate or discard the rest."

Lastly, Carson said to remember to vacuum and mop the floors. To save a little money on the mopping, try this TikTok hack to reuse disposable spray mops refills, which Carson gave her seal of approval.

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