Even when your kitchen is a disaster, you don't need all day to clean it up. Follow these steps to get it done in just 15 minutes!

How To Clean Your Kitchen In 15 Minutes (Even When It’s A Wreck)

For me, and I doubt I’m alone in this, there are few things that make me feel quite deflated as seeing a huge mess in my kitchen. Just the sight of those stacks of dirty dishes, the splatters on the stovetop, and the crumbs across the counters and floors is enough to take the wind out of my sails!

But as we all know, ignoring a mess like that doesn’t make you feel any better, and ultimately the mess just gets worse! Even though it’s best to just clean your kitchen right away, that doesn’t mean you have to spend hours scrubbing your kitchen back to spotlessness!

In fact, you only really need about 15 minutes to significantly improve the state of a messy kitchen. And in today’s post, I’ll be sharing a simple 7-step process you can use to do just that: clean your kitchen in only 15 minutes! :-)

And the next time your kitchen is in a serious state, you’ll know exactly what to do to whip it back into shape (and in less time than it takes to watch an episode of your favorite TV sitcom!)

How To Clean Your Kitchen In Just 15 Minutes

You’ll need:

Sink stopper

Dish soap

Basket or other container

Sponge or scrub brush

All-purpose cleaner

Microfiber cloth or dish towel

Broom or vacuum

Step 1 – Soak Dishes In Hot, Soapy Water

Put a sink stopper in the drain and fill your sink with hot, soapy water. (If you have a double sink with a garbage disposal on one side, fill the side without the disposal.)

Determine which dishes around the kitchen are going to give you or your dishwasher the most trouble and put those in the soapy water to soak. If you have large dishes like pans and bowls that need to soak but won’t fit in the sink, fill those with hot, soapy water as well and set them near the sink to soak.

Step 2 – Gather And Discard Trash

While the dishes are soaking, do a lap of the kitchen to gather trash. Don’t worry about clutter at this point—just pick up anything that qualifies as garbage from the floor, countertops, and cupboards and throw it away.

Step 3 – Collect Misplaced Items In A Basket

Next, grab a basket (plastic bin, empty box, or whatever container you happen to have on hand) and do another lap of your kitchen. This time, gather up any items that don’t belong in the kitchen and place them in your basket.

Then either set the basket aside for the time being, or recruit a helper to return the items in the basket to their rightful places.

Step 4 – Put Away Kitchen Items

After clearing away everything that doesn’t belong in the kitchen, you can focus on the things that do belong there! Take anything that isn’t in its rightful place and return it to wherever it goes, which may include emptying the dishwasher if it’s full of clean dishes.

(Do your best to stay focused on simply putting stuff away, and not on organizing cupboards or rethinking your storage. Those are tasks for another time!)

Step 5 – Load The Dishwasher

Next, load dirty dishes into your dishwasher, including the ones that have been soaking in the sink. If you have dishes that don’t fit in your dishwasher, wash and dry those by hand.

If you don’t have a dishwasher, tackling dirty dishes is probably going to take a bit more time. (If possible, recruit a helper or two so you can focus on washing and rinsing while they handle the drying and putting away.)

Once the sink is empty, drain the dirty water.

Step 6 – Wipe Down Countertops, Appliances, And The Sink

Use your preferred all-purpose cleaning spray and a microfiber cloth or dish towel to clean your kitchen countertops and appliances. (Keep your focus on what’s visible, and don’t get sidetracked by things like wiping out the microwave or getting crumbs out of the toaster!)

Wipe out the sink as well, then rinse out your cleaning cloths. If needed, put them with your dirty laundry so you can wash them later.

Step 7 – Clean The Floors And Finish Up

Grab your broom or vacuum and clean your kitchen floors of crumbs, dust, and debris. And finally, if your trash can is full, take the trash out to your garbage can and line your trash can with a clean bag. Done!

Remember: Think FAST!

Even if this sounds like a lot to accomplish in just 15 minutes, just give it a try! I think you’ll be surprised at how much cleaning and tidying you can accomplish if you stay focused on doing each step quickly rather than perfectly.

So the next time your kitchen looks like a disaster area, set your phone’s timer for 15 minutes and follow these simple steps. Your kitchen will look so much better when you’re done, and you’ll feel better too!

What’s your best tip or trick to clean your kitchen fast?

I may receive compensation when you click through and purchase from links contained on this website. I always offer my own genuine recommendation. Learn more.