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Between work and school, appointments and activities, modern life is hectic.
All too often, cleaning the house effectively falls rather low down the list of priorities.
The kitchen is one area of the home that can rapidly become a disaster area if neglected. It’s crucial to keep things clean, though. It’s a question of more than aesthetics. Proper hygiene when preparing food is essential if you want to avoid picking up any nasty bugs.
While the occasional deep clean is a must, clearly you won’t do that on a daily basis.
Luckily, there’s a great deal you can accomplish in 60 seconds or less that can pay real dividends.
We’ll give some handy pointers right now so you can make use of a spare minute with maximum reward.
The Sink Area
It’s amazing how quickly the sink area gets dirty. It can become an all-around eyesore in the kitchen.
Here are a few shotgun tasks you can carry out to shine the sink up and make it less unsightly even if you don’t have much time on your hands…
Wipe the Sink Basin
Sure, there’s no substitute for getting out the scrubbing brush to give your sink a thorough clean, but today we’re talking quick tasks.
There’s no need for any fancy tools here. Simply douse your sink with a good multipurpose cleaning spray, wipe it down to remove the grease and gunk then spray the grime away.
Job done well within a minute!
Clean the Faucet
This is a small but worthwhile little job you can take care of quick-smart.
Spray the faucet with your cleaner and wipe it down with a clean cloth. The way it shines will enhance the look of the sink area in general with minimum effort.
Fall into the routine of doing this each night before bed.
Clean the Disposal
While you’re cleaning the sink, you might want to work on the waste disposal if you have one.
Food particles can easily get trapped creating a nasty odor. Cleanliness isn’t just about the way thing look. You want everything to smell fresh too.
Drop some citrus peels down the disposal drain and run some hot water. Oranges work well.
Flip the switch and let it run for a minute. Not only will it smell better, the citrus oils break down any slimy grease leaving your waste disposal glimmering and also in better working order.
Take Care of the Dishes
Doing the dishes is a dull and tiresome task.
Unfortunately, this is another job that becomes more problematic if it’s neglected. Not only do dirty dishes stacked in the sink look bad, food sticks on even more making it still harder to remove.
What can you do to make your life easier?
Soak Your Dishes
Instead of just piling your used pots and pans in the sink, make your eventual task of scrubbing them easier. When you are done eating, squirt a bit of soap into the dishes and fill them with hot water.
If you’ve got other dishes waiting their turn to be cleaned but you don’t have time to wash them right now, fill your sink with hot soapy water and soak them.
Try to keep your glasses separate from the other dishes so that they don’t get that unsightly greasy film on them.
You can kickstart the cleaning process without physically doing much. Also, any lingering smells will be drowned out by the soapy water.
Put Away Clean Dishes
It’s common to overlook putting away the clean dishes.
Take a minute to gather these from the drying rack next to the sink and put them away where they belong. Now the area is empty and free of clutter and should appear naturally cleaner.
If you’ve got a dishwasher full of dishes, take 60 seconds to put away as many as you can. Not only does this accomplish a small job in no time, it will create more space for you to actually clean the dishes in the sink when you can make the time.
Tidy the Countertops
Clutter tends to accumulate on flat surfaces and your kitchen counters are no different than any other area.
How can you lessen this?
Put Things Away
Gather up all stray utensils from the counters.
Put the bread and spices away in the cupboards or the pantry.
Put the mail where it belongs.
Deal with the dozens of appliances and charging cables strewn about.
If you don’t have much time but need the counters clear, grab a laundry basket and scoop everything into it to be handled later.
Clear the Crumbs
This 60-second task list is not calling for a deep clean but tackling a few rogue crumbs is quick and easy.
Once you’ve cleared as much clutter as possible from the counters, use a dry cloth to wipe any crumbs away.
If you have more than a minute to spare, give your counters a spritz with your cleaning spray and wipe them down with a damp cloth.
These little but important tasks make all the difference.
Spot Clean the Floors
Take a look at your floors…
Even if you’re not going to mop or vacuum the whole area, you’ll likely notice a few areas that are dirtier than others. Give these areas a spot sweep using a small hand-held broom. If you have a smaller kitchen, you might even blitz the whole floor in 60 seconds if you work fast!
With any particularly grimy areas, give them a quick wipe down using your multipurpose cleaning spray and a damp cloth.
Appliances
Your refrigerator and microwave probably see a lot of action and are likely covered in fingerprints and general griminess. Stainless steel appliances are especially bad when it comes to showing stains.
Give these a quick wipe down with your spray and damp rag. Focus on any larger exposed areas like the doors and make sure the handles get a thorough wipe down.
Extras
Alongside these other quick tasks, you can help your kitchen look and smell better by replacing any dirty towels with fresh ones.
Throw out your sponge after a couple of uses as well. When you’re finished with your quick tidy, take out the trash.
Now step back and take a look at your tidy kitchen…
Spending very little time, you can make quite a difference to the level of cleanliness.
Little and often works well in the kitchen.
Don’t overlook that deep clean when the time is right, though!
A Final Word
Well, we hope you’ve found some easily actionable tips in this brief look at quickly cleaning up your kitchen.
If there’s anything you’d like us to cover here on the site, just drop us a line. We’re also highly responsive to feedback so don’t be shy, get in touch!
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