Clean and Organize the Items Your Kitchen!

Face it. We’ve all had days where the kitchen was in such a disastrous state that we didn’t even want to look at it. The daunting task for those who cook at home- how to keep it in the shape it needs to be to minimize the mess.

A few tricks of the trade can be time- and life- savers. Cleaning, organizing, and rejuvenating are just a few steps away!

Cleaning:

Tip #1: Save time. As you prepare meals, do other things while the food cooks, especially for food you have to watch. Make other parts, mix ingredients for the next step, or wash dishes in between steps. This will cut down the time of making a meal, and if half the dishes get clean in the process, the more time after dinner you will have.

Tip #2: Use common items to help control messes. Use foil to line the bottom of the oven and the stove plates for spills, and as a liner for casserole dishes to avoid baked on scrubbing. Use paper towels or wax paper on the shelves of the fridge to keep sticky substances to a minimum. When pouring, pour over the sink, or for solid ingredients, over a paper plate that can be turned into a funnel and save the fallen ingredient for the next usage.

Tip #3: Save water. Run the dishwasher at a full load, or turn off the water in between plates and cups when washing by hand. A little water adds up to a lot of water in the long run.

Organizing:

Tip #1: Save containers. Containers that food comes in, such as soup from Chinese restaurants, or boxes of brown sugar, are great when cleaned out and reused. Not only do you save money from not buying extra containers, but you also help the environment. Need bottled juice or water for the car? Fill up old water bottles, and reuse after a run through the dishwasher.

Tip #2: Have a shelf for everything. In the fridge, freezer, and pantry, keep a shelf designated for types of items. In the fridge, keep drinks, fresh fruits and vegetables, and packaged items separate. The freezer should be divided between fresh frozen foods and packaged foods. In the pantry, separate by cooking ingredients, snacks, and dinner supplements. Not only will this save time finding items, it will help you see what is still fresh, and what items you are running low on.

Tip #3: Keep items in order of importance. Appliances, utensils, containers, and ingredients you use more often should be stored closer to the front than items you rarely use. If you have a waffle maker that you use once a year, and a blender that you are constantly trying to dig out from under it, shift the items so that you can get to the blender easier. This small time saver will help you not only pull out the items you use faster, but also help you remember where that gravy boat you use on Thanksgiving is at- behind items you use everyday.

Rejuvenating:

Tip #1: Refrigerator too full of magnets and art? Decorate the cabinet doors. A little bit of double sided tape will help space out the colors and even out the focal point of the large cluttered fridge. Magnets, of course, will have to stay on the fridge.

Tip #2: Themes are always eye pleasing, and what do you probably have the most of? Your dinnerware. Use plate holders to display your dinnerware as art and decoration, then grab it off the wall at dinner time. Use your bowls that you bought way too many of to hold small kitchen trinkets or the salt and pepper shakers. Don’t be afraid to use old coffee tins or beat up clear juice containers as not only a way to store flour and sugar, but also a friendly café atmosphere. Have an old bottle cap collection? Secure them onto pieces of posterboard and reface your cabinet doors.

Tip #3: Sometimes it is just best to start over. Take a picture of your kitchen, then clear off everything from the counters, including the microwave and toaster. Once it is completely empty, take a picture of the counters, and make a note of what you would like to have on them. Ask friends or family members for recommendations on what to do, look through a home magazine, or go visit some model homes. After a day or two of intense thinking, you’re then allowed to put everything you need back on, and the rest should find a new home. It’s easier to clean counters and appliances when there are fewer things on the counter.

There are so many ways to clean, organize, and rejuvenate kitchens, but starting with the basics always helps!