Day 3: 15 Minutes to a Cleaner Kitchen

Don't get overwhelmed by the mess.

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Welcome to Day 3!   Mélanie Berliet, General Manager For many of us, the kitchen is the heart of the home. And with so much activity, it's no wonder the kitchen quickly becomes cluttered and chaotic. Dishes pile up, mail and homework end up on the countertops, and the floors turn into a minefield of crumbs and debris.   While it's important to keep your kitchen clean, it doesn't have to take hours. Every couple of days, it's easy to set aside 15 minutes to declutter and do a quick sweep of the room so you can stay on top of things and avoid being overwhelmed by the mess. Supplies You'll Need • A trash container • A basket or box • Dish soap • Other cleansers you normally use • Dishrag or sponge • Scrubber for stuck on food • Broom, mop or vacuum • Housekeeping gloves The 15-Minute Kitchen Clean-Up Follow these steps for the most efficient use of your time!   Soak Your Dishes Run a sink of hot, soapy water. The water should be as hot as you can tolerate as it will cool as you use it.   Scrape off all the dishes into the trash or garbage disposal. If you don't have a double sink and your disposal is blocked, scrape the dishes off onto a dirty plate.   Place dishes that need to soak into the water. Choose the dishes that are going to give you or your dishwasher the most trouble to get clean. Put the heavily soiled dishes on the bottom. Fill large dishes like pans and bowls with hot soapy water and set them on the counter to soak.   Tidy Away While the dishes are soaking, go through the kitchen clearing out trash from your floor, countertop, and cupboards. Focus only on trash.   Move on to gathering all the items that do not belong in the kitchen. Put all these items into a basket. Put the items in their proper place later—maintain your focus on the kitchen.   Put away all of the items that belong in the kitchen but are not in their proper places. Don't allow yourself to get distracted by rearranging cabinets, drawers, etc. Simply place the items back where they belong.   Wash Your Dishes and Countertops Load the dishwasher or wash by hand. If you do not have a dishwasher or don't like to use it, this process of cleaning dishes may take more time. If you don't use a dishwasher, this process of cleaning dishes may take more time. Add the plate to the dishwasher.   Wash down your countertop, appliances, and sink. Rinse out sponges and rags. Quickly wipe down the outside of your microwave and toaster.   Final Steps Sweep and mop, or vacuum the floor.   Take out the trash. If the trash is full, or tomorrow is trash day, take the trash outside and reline the trash container. If You Want a Deeper Clean : 7 Clever Ideas for Organizing Your Pantry This Is the Easiest Way to Clean Your Microwave How to Deep Clean Your Kitchen Cabinets Quickly Organize, Declutter, and Store Kitchen Appliances You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to The Spruce Up. Unsubscribe © 2021 Dotdash.com — All rights reserved. Privacy Policy. A DOTDASH BRAND 28 Liberty Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10005