Take a breath and relax, because while kitchen messes can accumulate a little bit at a time, they can be faced — even prevented — in the same way. That’s right: we’ve gathered 13 tiny tasks you can do to clean your kitchen, and none of them take more than 60 seconds!

1. Wipe Down Your Faucet

   Has it been a while since you cleaned your faucet? All you’ve got to do is give it a quick spritz with your favorite kitchen spray, then wipe it down with a paper towel. Then bask in the shininess, of course.

2. Clean Your Sink

   This one’s just as easy: spray your sink with your cleaner, then wipe it out with a paper towel. That will banish any water spots, gunk, or stains.

3. Freshen Your Garbage Disposal

   If leaning over your sink makes your eyes water, then it’s high time to freshen it! For a simple way to take on this chore, just cut a lemon and drop some of the peel inside. Run the garbage disposal, and your sink will now smell lemony fresh.

4. Put Dishes Away

   If you’re like me, you have a bad habit of getting dishes clean, then leaving them on the counter or in the dishwasher and completely forgetting about them. To instantly clear space in your kitchen, just spend a minute putting them away!

5. Wipe Down Your Microwave

   The minute you spend occasionally wiping out your microwave will really pay off. Do this regularly, and you won’t ever have to face months of caked-on food in a neglected microwave.

6. Remove Smudges from Your Fridge Doors

   Unexpected stains and smears can show up here, especially if you have a stainless steel or dark appliance. Spray it down with a kitchen cleaner (or stainless steel cleaner), then wipe from top to bottom.

7. Put Stray Things Away

   Look around on your kitchen counters. You might find something like birthday candles you haven’t used in 9 months, or the olive oil you took out for a recipe 2 nights ago, or a tangle of phone chargers that don’t even belong in the kitchen. If so, do yourself a favor and spend 60 seconds putting them away.

8. Wipe Down Countertops

   If everything’s already been put away, then you can concentrate on removing any crumbs, stains, or other messes from your countertops with a simple wipe-down.

9. Fold or Hang Towels

   Any kitchen or dish towels you use might wind up wadded on the counter. If they’re clean, put them on a hanger, or neatly fold them. If they’re dirty, toss them in the wash!

10. Tidy Your Table

    Same principle applies here as for your kitchen counters. If you see any stray items piled up on your kitchen or dining room table, clear them off and enjoy the zen feeling of an uncluttered space.

11. Spot Clean Your Chairs

    Hard chairs (wood, metal, or plastic) can be wiped down with cleaning spray and a cloth. If you have upholstered seats, gently brush away or vacuum up any crumbs. Any stains or spots can be cleaned with a fabric stain remover.

12. Take out the Trash

    This chore’s a great one to think about doing before you have company at home, or anytime you want to make sure your kitchen’s perfectly spotless.

13. Spot Sweep

    Even if you don’t have time to fully clean your kitchen floor, you can grab a broom and dustpan and quickly take care of any obvious mess.

Keep up with these tiny chores, and you’re less likely to wind up facing a monumental task. Think of it as running a series of sprints rather than a marathon. Do you know of any other speedy kitchen cleaning hacks?

Sources:

• The Kitchn
• Reader’s Digest