diff --git a/crates/dekaf/src/api_client.rs b/crates/dekaf/src/api_client.rs
index 044743dbc4..88c666c40c 100644
--- a/crates/dekaf/src/api_client.rs
+++ b/crates/dekaf/src/api_client.rs
@@ -375,9 +375,9 @@ impl KafkaApiClient {
         // It seems that after running for a while, connections can get into
         // a broken state where every response returns an error. This, plus
         // the healthcheck when recycling a connection solves that problem.
-        let reap_interval = Duration::from_secs(30);
+        let reap_interval = Duration::from_secs(5);
         let max_age = Duration::from_secs(60 * 30);
-        let max_idle = Duration::from_secs(60 * 5);
+        let max_idle = Duration::from_secs(0);
         let reaper = tokio_util::task::AbortOnDropHandle::new(tokio::spawn({
             let pool = pool.clone();
             let broker_url = broker_url.to_string();