Clean as you go— Trained cooks are taught to wash pots, pans, and utensils as a soon as they’re done using them, but you can start by emptying your dishwasher before you cook. Then put dirty items directly into it instead of cluttering the sink.

Contain Messes — Measure and level ingredients like flour, sugar and salt over the sink or a sheet of waxed paper so you can rinse away or contain spills and keep counters clean.