Fresh in TenThe 10-minute kitchen reset
Six small steps that take a kitchen from “where do I even start” to ready to use, in ten minutes.
A reset is not a deep clean. It gets the kitchen back to “ready to use”, and nothing more. Set a timer for ten minutes and stop when it rings.
Before you start
You need one cloth, washing-up liquid and a timer. Leave the oven, the fridge shelves and the mop for another day. They are their own tasks.
The ten minutes
- Minute 1: give the dirty things somewhere to go. Fill the sink or a bowl with hot soapy water, or open the dishwasher. Now every dirty thing has a destination.
- Minutes 2 to 4: dishes. Collect them from the whole room first. Load the dishwasher, or wash glasses first and pans last. Anything stuck goes in the water to soak while you carry on.
- Minutes 5 and 6: clear the worktops. Food goes back in the cupboard or fridge. Rubbish goes in the bin. Things that live in another room go in one pile by the door.
- Minutes 7 and 8: wipe. Worktops from the back to the front, then the hob, then the table. Wipe in one direction so the crumbs travel together.
- Minute 9: the sink. Wash whatever was soaking, rinse the sink and wipe the tap. Hang the cloth up so it can dry.
- Minute 10: look down. Pick up what you can see on the floor. Take the rubbish out if the bin is full.
When the timer rings
Stop, even if something is left. A kitchen that is three quarters reset is far easier to walk into tomorrow than one that was never started, and whatever is left becomes tomorrow’s ten minutes.
Make the next one quicker
- Do step 1 before you cook. A sink of soapy water waiting for you makes the dishes land in it.
- Wipe the hob while it is still slightly warm, when spills lift easily. Wait until it is safe to touch.
- Keep the pile by the door small by carrying it out as you leave the room.
In Fresh in Ten these are separate tasks, so the app can pick the one that matters most today: wipe counters, wash dishes, take out the rubbish and clean the hob.