When we’re in the house, we spend many of our waking hours in the kitchen, preparing food, grabbing snacks, getting cold drinks, and eating at the kitchen table or the kitchen bar (if you have one). Like many pet owners, maybe you keep the dog’s food and water dish there, too. Because so much happens in the kitchen, it can get cluttered and dirty quickly, and stay that way, often for days, and nobody pays much attention to it.
But then – Surprise! – you get a call from a friend, or your mom, or relatives from out of town and they tell you they want to stop over to say ‘Hi’, or drop off a birthday gift, or return some borrowed cooking dishes, or whatever! They’ll be there in 30 minutes. Suddenly, you’ve only got 30 minutes to clean up that messy kitchen. What do you do?
The key to making any cleaning job go quickly is organization! It’s like painting a room: preparation is 80% of the job and if you do it, the painting goes quickly and smoothly. To help make things go quickly when cleaning your kitchen, here’s a list that will get you organized and get the job done well enough so you won’t be embarrassed when company arrives.
- Microwave Your Sponge: Clean your sponge in the Microwave: Sponges are the dirtiest cleaning tool in the kitchen. They not only absorb dirt, grime, and grease, the moisture they retain creates a breeding ground for germs. That’s why older sponges have that yucky odor we always smell. You don’t want to wipe down your countertops or stove and leave that yucky odor on those surfaces for your guests to smell. Instead, soak your sponge thoroughly in clean water and rinse it out to get rid of any loose dirt or grime. Then microwave it for 1 minute. This will clean and disinfect your sponge so you can use it with confidence on all your kitchen surfaces. Plus, you’ll get more use out of it and not have to change sponges so often. Time: Approximately 1 minute.
- Clear Away Clutter: Throughout the week, lots of stuff lands on the kitchen counter – mail, car keys, dishes waiting to be washed or put in the dishwasher, sunglasses, and other flotsam. Grab all that clutter into a small box and hide it away for now so your countertops are clear and open. Time: Approximately 2-3 minutes.
- Put All Food Away: Often, we leave cereal boxes out on the counter, salt and pepper shakers, the sugar bag, the syrup bottle for the pancakes, even juice, and pop bottles. They’re invisible normally, but when company is on the way, suddenly they loom large in our vision. It doesn’t take long to put them back in the cupboard or lazy Susan. Time: Approximately 2 minutes.
- Load the Dishwasher: If you have a dishwasher, now’s the time to take all the dishes that have accumulated in the sink and load them into the dishwasher. Why we don’t do that in the first place is a mystery, but many of us don’t, so take a couple of minutes – if that – and clear them away. You’ll run it at the very end of your cleaning routine when you know you’ve found every last coffee cup or fork lurking in the corners or under old newspapers or napkins. Time: Approximately 2 minutes.
- Clean the Countertops: Now that your countertops are clear of all the dishes and clutter, you can clean them quickly and easily. Use a multi-surface, disinfectant cleaner, one with bleach, spray evenly, and wipe them with a paper towel or cleaning cloth. With no countertop clutter, you’ll be done in no time and your countertops will look bright and smell clean and fresh. Time: Approximately 3 minutes.
- Clean the Stovetop: You don’t need to do a heavy-duty cleaning right now. With company coming and time a factor, just remove the grates, sweep up the crumbs, and flotsam with a dry paper towel, then use a wet paper towel to get the remains and wipe away any grease stains. Time: Approximately 3 minutes.
- Do a Quick Clean of the Refrigerator & Dishwasher: Take your newly cleaned and disinfected sponge and do a quick wipe of your refrigerator and dishwasher doors. These big appliances are highly visible to visitors. If you have refrigerator magnets with notes and coupons, etc., pull those off quickly and put them in a drawer or bag so you have an open, uncluttered surface – far more attractive. And if you have a quick moment, wipe down the inside of your microwave. Time: Approximately 5-6 minutes.
- Sweep the Floor: Whether you realize it or not, while you’re looking at countertops and appliances, people notice your floors. And with all the daily food prep, crumbs and flotsam end up on the kitchen floor, accumulating day after day. So be sure to take your broom and do a quick sweep, especially around the base of your cupboards and appliances because that’s where the crumbs and flotsam seem to accumulate the most. Time: Approximately 3 minutes.
- Empty the Trash: Although it’s probably not something your guests will see, your kitchen trash container may be full of old food scraps, some of which may be starting to spoil and smell. Take a couple of minutes, tie up and toss the trash bag, and put a fresh one in place so you don’t have to worry about any unpleasant odors seeping out. Time: Approximately 2 minutes.
These quick steps will ensure that your kitchen looks bright and attractive when guests arrive unexpectedly.
