Your Guide to Cleaning Your Kitchen after a Major, Messy Accident

We’ve all been there: When something goes drastically wrong in your kitchen, it can feel like an extra low blow. You’ve spent huge amounts of time and effort layering your lasagna, emptying your fridge or stewing your family’s favorite chili — when the pot cracks, the baking pan tips off the counter or your toddler comes through and starts throwing jars on the floor. These things happen. You step out of the kitchen for one minute, and before you know it, there’s marinara in (seemingly) every crack and crevice of your tile, countertop and stove. You know it’s just a matter of time before the sauce hardens down into an unforgiving gunk that will be impossible to clean. How are you going to get this done? Here’s what to do.

Your Go-To Plan for Cleaning Major Messes Up Quickly (And Safely, And Effectively)

Take a moment to breathe. When faced with a kitchen covered in bits of food, hot cooking utensils and other carnage, it’s tempting to panic. Close your eyes, take three deep breaths and get ready to handle this. It won’t be as bad as you think.

Your first step is to make sure that your kitchen is safe to walk around. If you were using any heating elements before the messy accident, turn them off. Go put on shoes if you don’t already have them on. If you have young ones or other people in your home with you, make sure that they’re otherwise occupied (or at least aware of the situation). Next, survey the scene and determine whether anything broke during the accident (e.g., a glass bowl). Pick up the pieces carefully and sweep or vacuum up any shards. Keep the vacuum out—you’ll repeat this step at the end to make sure you didn’t miss anything.

Your next step is to get rid of the bulk of the soil, so you have a working surface. To give your cleaners a chance to work their magic, you’re going to have to clear the way. Using paper towels, old rags, or even a dustpan, scoop and clear away any large piles of messes that may be sitting on your floor or countertop. Try to scoop, dab, or blot up as much extraneous substance as possible without grinding anything into your surfaces.

Now, it’s time to put your products to work for you. This is where a frustrating, out-of-hand messy kitchen disaster can become manageable. You’ve put in the hard work; now it’s time to work smart! Select a kitchen surface cleaner that’s safe for your floors and countertops. This is not the time to pull a Pinterest cleaning hack out of desperation; instead, rely on products you know will actually work. Spray the cleaner liberally on your surfaces and wait for a few minutes to allow the product to cut through your oil and grime. (Check the manufacturer’s instructions to see if there are any specific recommendations for wait time.) Then, use a lint-free cloth or paper towel to wipe your surfaces dry. If needed, repeat. Once your surfaces are clear, take a break. You’ve taken care of a lot in the past few minutes! Then, sweep or vacuum a final time to make 100% sure your kitchen floor is free of anything painful or dangerous, and you should be good to go.

Rely on Specially Formulated Stone Cleaners to Get Work Done Well (And Fast)

When you’re overwhelmed by a large mess, the last thing that you need is a cleaner that just moves dirt around instead of cleaning it up effectively. You also don’t need a cleaner that damages your stone while you’re just trying to resolve a kitchen crisis. That’s why we carefully produced a line of stone care products, including a Daily Cleaner and a Squeeze & Mop Floor Cleaner, that truly leverage and maximize the work you put into your home without harming your beautiful surfaces. Next time you need to clean up a large mess fast, turn to the pros and keep our handy tips in mind for an efficient, stress-free clean. Lastly, be sure your granite and other natural-stone surfaces are sealed to protect against stains, etches and soil build-up; we created a product for that, too – check out our Sealer.