There, I said it.
But I want to be an organized person. I'm working towards being an organized person. I'm an organized-person-in-training. That sounds far better.
Anyway, in my quest towards organization, I have discovered a few things that work in keeping the kitchen streamlined.
Because really, who likes spending hours keeping the kitchen clean?
If you do, don't answer that.
Without further ado, here's my top five ways to keep from losing your mind while keeping your kitchen organized and clean.
1. Keep your fridge clean - The night before the trash is supposed to go to the curb, take a bag and open the fridge, removing any spoiled food that might be in there. You'll then know what you need to shop for at the store. After the first few times, this becomes routine. Wiping the fridge out is a whole lot easier when you're not wrestling with three jars of salsa from 2001.
2. Get rid of those wacky kitchen tools that you only use once a year - Do you really use that Zestomatic 2000? Or if you do, could you find another tool that could serve the same purpose and possibly take up less space? The more multi-tasking your tools can do, the less clutter you have rolling about the room.
3. Have a cabinet purge meal once a week - Before you head off to go grocery shopping, take stock of those odd ingredients hanging out in your closet and try to finagle a meal out of them. You'll have fun trying a bit of creative cooking, your family might try something new, and hey, it might actually be tasty. (I make no guarantees). This prevents food from expiring, which saves money. It also allows you to always know what's in your cabinets.
4. Run the dishwasher every night - Seems a bit counterintuative in this green culture and yes, if you only have one cup, this isn't the tip you should follow. But if your dishwasher is halfway full or more, run the load. You can unload in the morning which allows you to keep dishes from accumulating in the sink. Because in our house, dishes that accumulate definitely don't always get done at night, (who has the energy?) and then the food crusties in the bottom of the sink start to grow legs and mouths and it just gets scary.
5. Throw out or recycle mismatched tupperware/gladware - Because the amount of time you'll save from not having to search for matching lids and containers just might allow you to clean the kitchen, clean the living room, paint your toenails, watch a movie, eat some chocolate, and take a 45 minute nap. And that's just in one day.
Those tips work for me. For more Works-For-Me-Wednesday ideas, visit Rocks in My Dryer
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Throwing out all my lid-less plastic containers and my container-less lids was possibly the most liberating thing I've ever done in my kitchen.
ReplyDeleteGood tips!
Great tips! (Except that I am the dishwasher! :) Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteKeep your kitchen clean...have your friends come over on a Friday night and help you clean...and whenever the one that cleaned your fridge out comes know that she will check to see if you're keeping it clean! hahaha! :)
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ReplyDeleteGood tips.. I am a wanna be organized person as well...with a long way to go (I mean, I cleaned out my car yesterday with a trash bag!)
ReplyDeleteLove the tips. I end up doing those things about once every, well, I'd rather not say. Your tips are so easy to fit in to this organized-person-in-training's life. Thanks!
ReplyDelete#2: Chef Alton Brown says the only uni-tasker that should be in your kitchen is your fire extinguisher, LOL! (I admit I don't have one.)
ReplyDeleteAs far as getting organized, don't make yourself nuts. I just read a great article that says time you spend yutzing around with cute baskets and storage bins is time taken away from your family and yourself. Just do what's comfortable for you, what helps you, and leave the "Pottery Barn" organized house to the catalog people.