How to Curate the Ultimate Kitchen Cleaning Kit, According to Martha

Before you followed Martha on Instagram, you looked forward to learning from her on the air—and you still can. The Best of the Martha Show takes you right back into our founder's studio to rediscover her most timeless homekeeping tips and Good Things, galore.

Leave it to Martha to assemble a tried-and-true cleaning kit that you can easily carry around the kitchen to tackle an array of tasks. In the above clip from one of Martha's on-air episodes, she shares everything inside her go-to kitchen cleaning kit—which is actually a handy plastic bin that you can squeeze under your sink or inside your cleaning closet—and teaches us how to use the products effectively to clean the hearts of our home from top to bottom. Needless to say, her advice still holds up today.

Soft Scrub

Luckily, her kit stands up to a myriad of common kitchen surfaces. If you're cleaning white laminate, found on countertops and in plastic cutting boards, Martha says you can't go wrong with Soft Scrub Cleanser with Bleach ($2.89, amazon.com). All you have to do is apply the product to the soiled area, rub it in with a dampened sponge, and allow it to stand for a few minutes. Rinse well and there you have it: Your stained white surfaces will be sparkling again in no time.

Steel Wool Scouring Pads and Comet

To deep clean stainless steel pots and pans in seconds, Martha also recommends adding steel wool scouring pads, like those from Brillo ($1.97 for 10, walmart.com), to your kitchen cleaning kit. Put on a pair of rubber gloves—which Martha says you should also keep on hand—then wet the pad with water to scrub off the grease and buildup. She also says you can use Comet ($0.99, target.com), or a similar scouring powder, to brighten up this type of cookware—just make sure to rinse them thoroughly after cleaning.

Silver Polish and Cleaning Wax

If you thought silver polish was for your fancy flatware only, then you'd be mistaken. Martha recommends keeping this product—try Wright's Silver Cream ($8.98, amazon.com)—in your cleaning kit to clean and polish your sink faucet and fixtures. You can also use this solution on any other chrome, pewter, porcelain, and nickel surfaces throughout your kitchen. Not only will it get everything nice and shiny, but it'll also protect your surfaces from water stains.

Oven Cleaner

Rid your oven and grills of burnt-on grease and grime with a can of Easy-Off Heavy Duty Oven Cleaner ($4.24, walmart.com), advises Martha. After spraying down your cold oven or grill with Easy-Off and wiping clean, she suggests throwing a few apples in to bake so that your kitchen doesn't "smell like cleaning supplies" (genius!) as the machine warms and cleanses itself.

Glass Spray

To clean large stainless steel appliances throughout your kitchen, Martha says to keep a bottle of glass-cleaning spray, like Windex ($2.94, amazon.com), in your basket of essentials. Not only will wiping down these surfaces with a glass window cleaner help keep grease and grime at bay, but she says it will also help keep those surfaces looking new and shiny. Just remember to use paper towels—and never steel wool pads or an abrasive sponge—to wipe off the glass cleaning spray, or you'll wind up with unsightly scratches.

All-Purpose Cleanser and Microfiber Cloths

For everyday cleaning around the kitchen—and hard-to-reach areas—Martha says to look no further than a good, old multi-purpose spray, like Fantastik All-Purpose Cleaner ($9.25, amazon.com); Mr. Clean's iteration ($3.17, walmart.com) is worth having, too, especially if you have linoleum or tile floors.

Dish Soap

Of course, no kitchen cleaning kit would be complete without a mild dish soap, like Dawn Platinum ($4.69, target.com), to cleanse or (pre-wash) dirty dishes. Martha suggests keeping a large bottle of the liquid in your kit and filling smaller decorative bottles that you can show off on your kitchen sink.