This 5-Step Kitchen Cleaning Routine Is A Game-Changer - Try It Today!
Also Read: 5 Mistakes You're Unknowingly Making While Washing Dishes
Here's A 5-Step Formula For A Fast-Forward Kitchen Cleaning Season:
Step 1: Start With The Sink
Dump all used utensils straight into the sink. Avoid stacking them haphazardly on counters.
Turn on the tap and let hot water run for 30 seconds. This loosens up grease and dried food.
Quickly rinse and load them into the dish rack or dishwasher if you use one.
Leave the tough ones like the pressure cooker or kadai soaking with a few drops of dish liquid.
Why this is important? The sink is like your kitchen heartbeat. If it is clean, the whole space feels sorted.
Also Read: How To Prevent Grease Build-Up In Kitchen: 5 Easy Tips For A Sparkling Kitchen
Photo Credit: iStock
Step 2: Wipe The High-Touch Zones
Take a damp microfiber cloth and swipe across the kitchen counters, stovetops, fridge handles and microwave buttons.
Use diluted white vinegar or a spray cleaner for a quick disinfecting effect.
Quick tip: Keep one dedicated cloth for the kitchen to avoid cross-contamination.
Step 3: Tidy Up Visible Clutter
Put away leftovers, sealed packets, spice jars and oil bottles in their rightful place.
If you use a spice box (masala dabba), close it and tuck it back into the drawer.
Stack containers or bags vertically to save space and make it look neat.
Bonus hack: Assign one basket or tray to hold small daily-use items like tea bags, salt box and spoons.
Step 4: Floor Flash Clean
Run a dry mop or kitchen wiper across the visible part of the floor.
If there are spills, use a tissue or damp cloth to spot clean.
Sweep crumbs into a corner or dustpan. No need for full mopping unless absolutely needed.
Why it matters? A crumb-free floor instantly lifts the room and prevents insects and germ build-up.
Step 5: The Final Touch
Light a small agarbatti or open a window to bring in fresh air and erase the foul kitchen smell.
Turn off appliances, push chairs in and align the kitchen towel neatly on the handle.
Refill the water bottles or filter tank so it is ready for tomorrow.
These are the small details that make your kitchen feel like a place you love, not just use.
Also Read: Smelly Kitchen Cloths And Sponges? No More! 5 Best Ways To Fix It
Photo Credit: iStock
How To Make Daily Kitchen Cleaning Feel Effortless?
1. Keep a cleaning caddy within arm's reach:
Think of this as your kitchen's emergency tool kit. A small basket or tub under the sink, stocked with essentials like a microfiber cloth, multipurpose spray, dish scrubber and gloves, makes cleanup less of a chore and more of a quick reflex.
2. Make it a nightly ritual before you call it a day:
Before you hang up your apron, run through this 5-minute routine. It sets the tone for a smooth morning and creates muscle memory. You will start noticing that your kitchen never truly gets messy anymore.
3. Share the load with family or flatmates:
No need to play kitchen martyr. If you live with others, involve them in this mini-routine to make it an easy affair.
Also Read: How To De-Clutter Your Kitchen Counter - 5 Steps Towards A Tidy Kitchen
The Bottom Line:
Cleaning your kitchen everyday prevents mess from growing monstrous. Plus, it trains your mind to associate cleaning with calm. And the best part is that you wake up to a kitchen that welcomes you with open arms.
Advertisement
About Somdatta Saha Explorer- this is what Somdatta likes to call herself. Be it in terms of food, people or places, all she craves for is to know the unknown. A simple aglio olio pasta or daal-chawal and a good movie can make her day.
For the latest food news, health tips and recipes, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and YouTube.
Tags:
Kitchen Cleaning Tips
5-min Kitchen Tips
Easy Kitchen Cleaning Ideas
Show full article
Comments
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Who are the 7 Indians Singapore President invited after they rescued woman from sinkhole? All about them
Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam has invited the seven Indian migrant workers who saved a woman driver from a sinkhole. They have been invited to the Istana presidential palace on August 3. The Indian workers who have been invited to the presidential palace are: Pitchai Udaiyappan Subbiah, 47, and his co-workers Velmurugan Muthusamy, 27, Poomalai Saravanan, 28, Ganesan Veerasekar, 32, Bose Ajithkumar, 26, Narayanasamy Mayakrishnan, 25, and Sathapillai Rajendran, 56. Pitchai Udaiyappan Subbiah is a site foreman whose quick thinking saved the woman. Pitchai Udaiyappan Subbiah and his colleagues were working at a PUB worksite near the One Amber condominium when the incident happened. The migrant workers heard a loud sound and rushed out of the site to see a massive sinkhole on Tanjong Katong Road South. They also saw a black car which had fallen into the sinkhole and a woman trying to come out of it. A concrete component in the shaft "failed" at around 5.50 pm last Saturday, according to the national water agency. Around the same time, a sinkhole formed on the adjacent road, causing a car to fall in. Subbiah then instructed three of his colleagues to throw a nylon rope to the woman and pull her out. One of them offered to go in and help her climb, but Subbiah opted for the rope, reasoning that the rescuer might not be able to get out either. The woman was out of the sinkhole in three-five minutes. Meanwhile, 1,639 donors have contributed SGD72,241 for the seven heroes, according to a Facebook page of the ItsRainingRaincoats (IRR), a Singapore charity. Also Read | Sinkhole swallows whole PMC truck in Pune's Budwar Peth, netizens react: 'Space technology' The President's Office said, 'There will be opportunities for interaction between the guests - including the migrant workers – and the president during the Istana open house.' The workers have been commended by the Ministry of Manpower's (MOM) Assurance, Care and Engagement (ACE) Group, a division that aims to support migrant workers' well-being. The ACE Coin, given to each of the workers, is a "token of appreciation" presented to migrant worker volunteers and partners who have made meaningful contributions towards supporting and caring for the migrant worker community.
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
SWAYAM July 2025 exams to be held by NTA from 11 to 14 December; check official notice here
NTA announces SWAYAM July 2025 exam dates, tests scheduled for December NEW DELHI: The National Testing Agency (NTA), under the Ministry of Education, Government of India, has officially announced the examination dates for the SWAYAM (Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds) July 2025 semester. As per the public notice dated 29 July 2025, the exams will be held on 11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th December 2025. What is SWAYAM? SWAYAM is an initiative by the Government of India aimed at providing accessible, high-quality education through online courses offered by leading Indian institutions. The platform promotes digital learning for students, teachers, and lifelong learners across disciplines and academic levels. Exam Dates & Conduct The SWAYAM-15 examination for the July 2025 semester will be conducted by the NTA over a span of four days in December 2025: • 11 December 2025 (Thursday) • 12 December 2025 (Friday) • 13 December 2025 (Saturday) • 14 December 2025 (Sunday) The exam will cover a range of subjects from humanities and science to commerce and technology, depending on the courses enrolled by candidates. How to Prepare for SWAYAM July 2025 Exams 1. Check Course Requirements: Log in to your SWAYAM course dashboard and review the syllabus, assignments, and examination requirements. 2. Stay Updated: Visit the official NTA website regularly for updates such as admit card release dates, exam centre information, and exam timings. 3. Download Admit Card: Admit cards will likely be released a few weeks before the exam. Ensure all personal and course details are correct. 4. Reach Out for Help: For any issues or clarifications, candidates can contact the NTA Help Desk at +91-11-40759000 or email at swayam@ Direct link to download the official notice here Final Notes Candidates are encouraged to complete their course assignments and practice previous exam questions to improve their performance. The SWAYAM platform remains a key pillar of India's vision for inclusive and digitally-empowered education. For more updates, always refer to the official website and avoid unofficial sources. TOI Education is on WhatsApp now. Follow us here . Ready to navigate global policies? Secure your overseas future. Get expert guidance now!
Indian Express
7 hours ago
- Indian Express
Why India's new NAAC reforms might backfire
The recently proposed reforms at India's National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) have been heralded as a watershed for the country's sprawling higher education system, which counts over 45,000 colleges and nearly 1,100 universities, serving more than 40 million students as per All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) data (2021-22). As NAAC's well-established but often-criticised system of letter grades is poised to give way to new digital dashboards, a binary 'accredited/not accredited' classification, and a five-step maturity matrix, there is an optimistic air of modernisation. At first glance, minimising labour-intensive campus inspections with data-driven processes seems an obvious advance, promising greater objectivity and transparency. However, as the dust settles, it becomes clear that underneath these glitzy digital upgrades, the deeper flaws of Indian accreditation may well persist, if not intensify, unless reforms go beyond the surface. Historically, NAAC's grading system — A++, A+, B+, and so forth – has played a pivotal role in shaping student admissions, staff appointments and, crucially, determining the allocation of government funding. According to UGC reports, the stakes are enormous: In 2022, over 70 per cent of colleges and universities relied on NAAC accreditation to access various central and state government schemes. Even a single notch higher in NAAC ratings can yield crores in research funding, greater autonomy and a surge in student applications. Such high stakes breed perverse incentives. It isn't surprising, then, that a burgeoning industry of consultants specialising in 'Grade Optimisation' services has mushroomed, a phenomenon highlighted in a 2023 Education Ministry internal audit, which noted that nearly 60 per cent of accredited institutions had used external consultants for compliance documentation, leading to growing concerns that self-study reports have become polished brochures rather than honest reflections. The new digital reforms, intended to sanitise the process by emphasising uploaded data, audited metrics and user-friendly dashboards, risk becoming a new arena for performative excellence rather than substantive change. Data laundering can be as insidious as staging a pre-inspection campus clean-up: For example, a 2022 study by the Centre for Policy Research found that 27 per cent of colleges reported inflated faculty research publications, while over 15 per cent admitted to embellishing 'best practices' in their NAAC reports when surveyed anonymously. When the system's rewards are tightly coupled with a handful of quantifiable indicators, such as student-teacher ratios, placement records, or research output, activities inevitably turn toward massaging the numbers. Switching to a binary 'accredited/non-accredited' label or five-tier maturity scale may remove some ambiguity, but it remains susceptible to gaming, especially if monitoring and independent verification are weak. Crucially, the proposal to reduce accreditation validity from five to three years is meant, in theory, to foster a culture of continuous improvement. However, there is a risk that this change will simply triple the bureaucratic burden. Faculty in India already spend substantial time on compliance: A 2021 NAAC survey noted that, on average, preparing for accreditation consumes 8-10 months of labour per cycle, diverting attention from research and teaching. With cycles now more frequent, paper (or digital) pushing may crowd out pedagogy. If the accreditors' gaze becomes more relentless but not fundamentally more discerning, the core mission of educational excellence may recede further behind an ever-thickening curtain of compliance. The human dimension is the crux of meaningful reform, yet India has consistently underestimated its importance. The so-called 'peer reviewers' who form visiting teams are often chosen through obscure or politicised processes. Transparency International's 2022 report on higher education notes that 21 per cent of institutions surveyed believed that accreditation outcomes could be influenced by favours or hospitality, a shameful open secret. By global best practices, peer review relies on independent, trained academics scrutinising institutions with integrity and deep professional commitment. In contrast, India's system too often reduces assessment visits to rituals: Tea, tours, and testimonials, rather than rigorous, constructive critique. Digital platforms will not magically instil ethics or expertise. To fix the foundation, NAAC must invest in assembling a large, diverse, well-trained cadre of reviewers, free from conflicts of interest and subjected to robust oversight, including whistleblower mechanisms and periodic reviews themselves. The essential function of accreditation, in its healthiest form, is not policing but professional development: It should provoke introspection, highlight strengths and gaps, and enable sustained progress. The best models, such as those of the European Quality Assurance Register (EQAR) or Singapore's Committee for Private Education, blend self-assessment with external review, encourage faculty development, and create feedback loops that genuinely improve teaching, research, and student outcomes. Unfortunately, Indian accreditation too often encourages chasing metrics rather than meaning. The Higher Education Quality Council's 2023 analysis underscored this, finding that while 93 per cent of accredited colleges improved on NAAC-mandated metrics, only 36 per cent showed convincing gains in student learning or faculty research output over five years. To be fair, digital tools can aid in streamlining data collection and improving transparency, but they are no substitute for a culture grounded in trust, integrity, and aspiration. The government's renewed efforts must reimagine NAAC not just as a gatekeeper, but as a mentor. This calls for serious investment in capacity building, radical transparency, and real accountability, for both reviewers and institutions, something dashboards alone cannot ensure. As India aims for global academic stature, accreditation reform must rest on ethics, autonomy, and ambition. Technology may impress, but only a shift in institutional culture and incentives can turn superficial compliance into meaningful change. The real test for NAAC is not how efficiently it counts colleges, but whether it can inspire them to count for more. The writer is former professor and dean, Christ University, Bengaluru
