This time of year brings families together in the kitchen over home-cooked meals. Is your kitchen ready for all the extra cooking and company?

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If it needs some sprucing up before family and friends arrive, employ these changes you can make to keep your kitchen clean.

1. Add More Storage Options

Without adequate storage space in your kitchen, it’s easy for your cabinets and countertops to become cluttered and difficult to access. Consider using free wall space by installing floating shelves, a magnet board, or additional storage solutions that can help create more space in your kitchen.

With more storage space, you can keep the clutter off your kitchen counters and give your kitchen a cleaner and larger appearance.

2. Keep Food Covered

Whether you’re heating food in the microwave, oven, or toaster oven, you should always try to keep it covered. Place a cooking sheet or pan underneath pizzas and other large items that you slide into the oven—this will keep burnt pieces from falling through the wire racks and burning at the bottom of your oven.

When heating food in the microwave, place a microwave-safe lid or damp paper towel over the food to keep it from splattering during cooking. The oven and microwave are the most annoying places to clean around your kitchen, but these tips will help you prevent the mess in the first place.

3. Replace Your Kitchen Items Regularly

To keep your kitchen clean from a health standpoint, replace certain kitchen items regularly. For example, kitchen towels and sponges can grow bacteria and spread it onto your clean utensils and countertops if you continue to use them without washing them.

Replace your sponges and wash your hand towels regularly, every week at least. Another area of your kitchen that can grow bacteria is your garbage can. Make sure you replace your trash can regularly to avoid kitchen odors and bacteria growth.

These are some changes you can make to keep your kitchen clean throughout the cooking-heavy holiday season and the entire year. Follow these tips, and you can keep your kitchen clean.