Your kitchen is likely one of the most high traffic areas in your home.

It goes without saying that by getting the most attention, it also needs the most attention to keep it clean. The last thing you want is to spend hours cleaning, only to have it destroyed in a matter of seconds! Here are some quick and easy tips to maintain it in 10 minutes (or less) a day!

1)  Gather all supplies

This part is key to saving time! Prepare all the products and tools you will need for the tasks you choose to include in your 10 minute sweep. I suggest having an all-purpose cleaner, dish soap, a sponge, paper towel, a disinfectant, garbage bags and cloths. For floors, you will need a broom or vacuum, and a mop and bucket. Each product will have a different purpose while cleaning, so it’s best to have everything you might need on hand. You’ll also want to have a trash can available for quick disposal and a basket or bag for any belongings from other areas in the home.

2)  De-clutter

Working in one direction (I like to work clockwise), start by throwing out any garbage you find. If you notice the garbage filling up, change it! Don’t wait for someone else to do it (a childhood habit of mine I really had to break). As you scan your surroundings, put any items that are out of place back where they belong. Ideally, everything in your kitchen should have a home and if not, it would be worth taking time later on to get organized. Try not to get distracted by rearranging cabinets and drawers – it can be a task unto itself! For things that don’t belong in the kitchen, throw them into a bin or basket to put away afterwards. You will only waste time (and get sidetracked) if you start running around to put everything away at once. Been there, trust me!

3)  Wipe it Away

After everything’s been put away, it’s time to start working top to bottom. You’ll want to begin at the top to avoid having to go over any areas as you clean down. The first step is to spot clean. Areas like the front of cupboards, drawers or back splashes may not get a lot of use, but can get the odd fingerprint or splash of grease around high traffic areas. Generally, this would be towards the bottom of cupboards, above or beside sink and stove areas, or around handles and knobs. To clean these areas, simply apply a squirt of blue Dawn to a damp sponge and wipe, then rinse with a clean cloth and buff dry. Greasy fingerprints are no challenge for this stuff, it’s truly my kitchen cleaning secret weapon!

Once you’ve worked your way down, wipe the entirety of your counters and stove top. Grease doesn’t always play by the rules so when it escapes your frying pan, again, just use Dawn to remove it from most kitchen surfaces by using it on a sponge, as mentioned earlier. You can use your sink to dispose of any crumbs or debris to prevent it from falling to the floor or spreading onto cleaned surfaces. Be sure to rinse your cloth or sponge as needed so you’re always working with clean tools. Dry the surface with a paper towel or dry cloth and that’s it. Now your countertops are clean enough to eat off. But don’t do that – nobody wants crumbs.

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4)  Disinfect Points of Contact

Points of contact like handles, knobs, and light switches can let germs and other bacteria fester if not managed regularly. Using a disinfectant, be sure to wipe fridge handles, knobs, phones and light switches to prevent the spread of germs. When using a disinfectant, you’ll want to let it sit, wet, for 5-10 minutes as directed (this is called contact time, or dwell time) before wiping off. Remember that a cleaner doesn’t disinfect, and a disinfectant doesn’t clean. You’ll also want to spray your countertops to kill most bacteria and viruses, especially in the winter months when cold and flus are common.

5)  Clean the Sink

Be sure you give your sink its due attention by cleaning it regularly with dish soap. To do this, dampen a sponge, add a squirt of blue Dawn (I have it on demand in my kitchen’s soap pump), scrunch the sponge a few times to get it sudsy, and wipe down all surfaces in the sink. Get into the nooks and crannies around all handles, the faucet, seals around the sinks and drains. It’s easy and it works so well!

6) Fast Floors

You don’t necessarily have to break out the vacuum, but give your floors a good sweep or dust mop to pick up any crumbs and debris that may have fallen to the floor. You can either spot clean problem areas with a damp sponge or cloth, or break out the mop and bucket for a squeaky clean finish (although, if we’re talking about time saving here, I’d leave that for a full cleaning, but it’s your call!).

Put all products and tools away – don’t leave them out! You can finish by putting away anything that belongs to other areas in your home.

It’s important to take at least 10 minutes each day to keep your kitchen in tip top shape. More people means more people to clean up after, so try making cleaning the kitchen a family chore. If each person does their part, you’ll have your kitchen cleaned (and kept clean) in less time! Keeping a regular cleaning routine will help make the inevitable deep cleans significantly less overwhelming. Each home is different so be sure to customize your kitchen routine based on the needs of your home.

For more cleaning secrets check out our E-Book Bundle! It has 3 e-books (The Complete Guide to Essential Oils, My 3 Wave Cleaning System, 50 DIY Cleaning Recipes) and will get you started with all your cleaning needs!

To learn more cool and unexpected ways you can use Dawn around the house, visit dawn-dish.com/beyond the sink!

Disclaimer: I’ve created this post with my friends at Dawn to share some great ‘new’ uses for it that you can try at home!