Clean the Kitchen Fast with these After-Dinner Cleanup Tips

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free. 

If you have kids like ours then far too often they get up after eating dinner and just leave you there to deal with the dinner mess yourself. We’ve been working on these kids to not just flee after dinner, but to contribute to the cleanup. It teaches them how to be a team player and carry some of the load. After all, it’s not fair for mom or dad to make dinner and have to clean it all up too! So, with some trial and error we’ve come up with some ways to clean the kitchen fast with these after-dinner cleanup tips.

First, give everyone an assignment. Nobody gets to just walk away from the dinner table and carry on with their evening until the work is done. “Many hands make light work.” I will go on to talk about each assignment, but you may have to double up on jobs if you have fewer family members, or add jobs if you have more hands to help. It is everyone’s job to clear their own dishes from the table before moving onto their remaining job(s).

First job is to clear the table. This includes getting any serving dishes off the table and putting leftovers into containers. Hot pads need to get put away, as well as any condiments. 

The second job is to wipe down countertops and table. If there are still dinner prep dishes on the counter then I’ll sometimes have the counter washer help clear these dishes as well.

The third job is to wash the dishes. Large pots and pans may need to be done by hand, but we are big believers in the power of a good dishwasher! A great running dishwasher can make dish cleanup so much easier, and quieter. Less grumbling from the kids too, if they don’t have to wash much by hand. I have always heard amazing things about Bosch being the world’s #1 dishwasher brand and one of these days I will get to own one. For now I get to daydream and research.

I love having a quiet dishwasher because oftentimes there will be homework, movies or family game night after dinner and who wants to have to shout over a loud dishwasher? The Bosch 100 series dishwashers have 18 sound reducing technologies, which “sounds” amazing! I know Bosch is super reliable with a really low repair rate.  A feature the whole family is sure to love is that the 100 series has a 3rd rack that adds 30% loading area. I LOVE not having to run the dishwasher as often because then that saves on water, time and kids arguing about having to wash the dishes yet again!

To aid in that final clean kitchen look, the new 100 series Bosch dishwashers have fingerprint-resistant stainless steel! No more smudges and fingerprints for a constant clean look.

The fourth and final job is the dish putter awayer. Like my made up word there? Okay so this person needs to dry any dishes washed by hand and put them away, as well as empty the dishwasher after it’s run. 

It helps so much to have everyone working together to get the kitchen clean after dinner, and it really does make us parents proud to see everyone getting along to get a job done. If you’re in the market for a new dishwasher to aid in making your dinner and dish night easier, then check out the new Bosch 100 series line of dishwashers because they sound pretty incredible. I am loving the new utility rack, which is perfect for hard to place items like whisks and spatulas!

Happy cleaning and I hope this delegation technique and after-dinner cleanup tips help you get a clean kitchen fast!