How to Speed-Clean Your Kitchen
The best time-saving tips, techniques, and to-do lists for polishing off the kitchen. Kitchen Cleaning To-Do List When cleaning the kitchen always start with the sink. "Keep it empty and shining," says Marla Cilley, author of Sink Reflections (Bantam, $15, amazon.com) and creator of FlyLady.net, a housekeeping website. A sparkling sink becomes your kitchen's benchmark for hygiene and tidiness, inspiring you to load the dishwasher immediately and keep counters, refrigerator doors, and the stove top spick-and-span, too. Every Day Wipe down the sink after doing the dishes or loading the dishwasher (30 seconds). Wipe down the stove top (one minute). Wipe down the counters (one minute). Sweep, Swiffer, or vacuum the floor (two minutes). Every Week Mop the floor (five minutes). Wipe the cabinets, backsplashes, and appliances (10 minutes). Wash the dish rack (four minutes). Wipe the switch plates and phone (one minute). (!?) Wipe the inside of the garbage can (one minute). Every...