Do you leave the plates in the sink after you eat? How about washing your pots and pans the following day, because you don't have time to do it right after you eat? This week, we will discuss 15 minute kitchen tasks that will keep the space organized.
Follow along and see how you can find time in your day and what kitchen projects you can do to keep your space organized. You are in the kitchen so often throughout the day that taking an extra 15 minutes once a day to do some quick organizing or cleaning tasks is hardly any time at all.
First, let's start with finding those 15 minutes per day. Pinpoint which time of day you have more time. Is it in the morning before you make breakfast or after dinner at night? Determining the lull that happens before and after a task in the kitchen will help you immensely. Below are eight times in the day when you could do some organizing or cleaning.
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Finding 15-Minute Kitchen Tasks Timeslots To Do Your Organizing / Cleaning
- Before making breakfast
- After finishing breakfast
- Before making lunch
- After finishing lunch
- Before making dinner
- While cooking dinner
- After finishing dinner
- Before you go to bed
Wow! Look at how many times you have been in your kitchen. What time of day works best for you? If you had time after these activities in just ONE DAY, you would have organized 2 hours in ONE DAY!
But that's a lot, right? What can you do in fifteen minutes while in the kitchen? Below, I am sharing tasks you can do in 15 minutes or less. Just getting into the habit of doing these tasks each day, you will find that you have transformed your kitchen, and it will be even cleaner and more organized than ever before.
What Kitchen tasks can I do in 15 minutes?
- Clean dishes, dry, and put away. Stop just putting them on the drying rack (affiliate). Put them away after you dry them.
- Clear junk mail off the countertops. Paper clutter can get out of hand quickly. So, have a recycling bin (affiliate) and shredder (affiliate) nearby to take care of the tasks immediately.
- Take out racks and set the self-cleaning feature on your oven. Your oven probably has a self-cleaning feature. Starting it at home can clean the oven while doing something else.
- Clean the inside of the microwave. Wiping down the inside of the microwave with vinegar and water spray will remove any lingering odors.
- Clean the fronts of the dishwasher, stove, and refrigerator. Drip marks are common in front of these appliances. So, taking a few seconds to wipe these areas will make them clean again.
- Take out old leftovers from the refrigerator. Doing this the day before trash pickup will keep your food from spoiling and creating mold and odors in your fridge.
- Take out expired food from the refrigerator. Containers may not be sealed completely, creating mold, and you don't even know it.
- Vacuum (affiliate) and sweep the kitchen floor. Cleaning the crumbs off the floor will instantly make the room cleaner.
- Remove trash and recycling from the kitchen and put them in your outside trash can (affiliate). Overflowing trash makes the room seem less clean, so removing it will make the room appear more organized.
- Pull out a can or two from the back of your cabinet or pantry (affiliate) and use them for dinner. Visit our What to keep in the Pantry post for details on what should be in your pantry (affiliate).
- Another 15-minute kitchen task is to empty the junk drawer. Pulling out the trash and other items you no longer use makes this always-used place well-organized.
- Remove cookbooks you do not use from your collection. If you cook a lot, you can collect many cookbooks in your kitchen. Removing unwanted items and then scanning your favorite recipes will remove clutter and make it easier to find your favorite recipes. Visit my Going Digital with Recipes post for more tips.
Here is an image you can share with all the 15-minute kitchen projects.
Make a habit of doing these tasks daily, and you, too, will keep your kitchen organized. Let's continue the conversation; what is your favorite 15-minute kitchen project you do to keep your space organized? I would love to hear from you.
Please note these are affiliate links through Amazon (affiliate), and at no additional cost to you, I will earn affiliate fees if you decide to make a purchase.
Kitchen Organization Posts
Janet Schiesl says
You are so right! Taking 15 minutes at one of the times you mentioned in your post will make a change. Small changes, like doing just one 15 minute time each day will make a big difference. I like to do a lot of kitchen tasks as I go and I've been pretty successful getting my family on board.
Linda Samuels says
My mom instilled in me the habit of cleaning up before the end of the day and along the way. Part of working on a project or preparing a meal was also the time involved to clean up. So like her, I have a hard time leaving the house or going to bed before the kitchen is set to square one- dishes put away, garbage removed, drawers and cabinets closed.
The other thing I do in the kitchen is that while I'm prepping a meal, I clean up as I go. So by the end, only the last few items are remaining to be dealt with. That makes the final clean-up fast and simple.
Lisa Tonjes Moritz says
Love quick tips!
Nancy Haworth says
Sabrina, I love how you demonstrate how often we have 15 minutes of time in our kitchens to get some of these tasks done. I frequently do many of these things, in particular drying and putting away dishes, while I'm waiting for the kettle to boil or waiting for something that is cooking in the oven. The times just before or after a meal are the perfect time to do just a little something in the kitchen.
Seana Turner says
The kitchen is the perfect room for these little projects because we are often in this space with small snippets of time. Maybe we are waiting for the water to boil, or just sort of hanging out until it is time to head out the door and pick up the kids. I've pinned your list and will be sharing!
Sabrina Quairoli says
Thank you, Seana!
Julie Bestry says
I don’t cook, so my friends joke that I’m the only person who needs to dust her kitchen instead of cleaning it! But these are excellent tips for accomplishing a lot quickly.
Janet Barclay says
Great ideas! Many would take even less than 15 minutes.