Jean MeriamWhen it Comes to Cleaning Less Can be More
September 11th 2009 19:56
I was reading on another cooking site this morning that to keep the kitchen clean you should empty your fridge completely once every seven days and wash it down. Great idea if you have the time. Here's how it works for me. I empty the fridge onto the kitchen counter. The three year old runs away with food, usually chocolate frosting or some other goodie. While I chase the the three year old, the kitten jumps up onto the counter and attempts to eat the lunch meat. I race the kitten to a bedroom to lock it up while the three year old soaks the floor trying to help me out. This is generally when the phone rings with a call from whoever feels most longwinded that day. The three year old swings on the fridge door as I attempt to get off the phone, then throws a raging tantrum as I physically detach her from my refrigerator while balancing the cordless phone between my chin and shoulder. Anyone with small children at home is probably nodding in agreement right now.
A better idea, I have found is to just tackle one shelf a day while you are in the kitchen. It's easy to pull the items off one shelf and give it a good wipe while you wait for the potatoes to boil. It might not even set off the kids "Mom's busy, yell for for her" radar.You are already in the kitchen and will not feel as overwhelmed as you would seeing the entire contents of your refrigerator swamping the kitchen counters. Over the course of the week your fridge will get cleaned entirely and you won't lose motivation trying to find the time to tackle the whole job at once.
I know. This is not how your mother did it, or your grandmother, or the woman up the street whose spices are organized alphabetically and children's toys by educational purpose, color and size. These women might be a bit chagrined to open your fridge and find only three clean shelves. The best way to keep your home and kitchen running smoothly, though, is to do what works for you. If all you can manage is five or ten minutes while the kids eat a snack at a table use that time to do something you noticed earlier needed doing. The more little jobs you tackle in short spaces of time, the less big jobs will be left for later. If you see something you can do in thirty seconds, do it.
Another easy way to keep all rooms cleaner is to not have things in them that you will never use. Do you have spices taking up space that have been there for ages? You probably thought you would use them someday or needed them for a new recipe you tried and didn't like. Throw them out. If your plastic container cupboard is always full you have too many containers. If they're in the cupboard they'r e not being used. Don't feel too guilty about the wasted money. Adding wasted space to the wasted money will not make you feel better. The less you have in your cupboards and on your counters, the easier it will become to keep things clean.
Read this earlier post I wrote for great ideas and shortcuts to help you keep the kitchen more organized so you can devote your time in it cooking instead of scouring.
The Big Clean Made Easier
A better idea, I have found is to just tackle one shelf a day while you are in the kitchen. It's easy to pull the items off one shelf and give it a good wipe while you wait for the potatoes to boil. It might not even set off the kids "Mom's busy, yell for for her" radar.You are already in the kitchen and will not feel as overwhelmed as you would seeing the entire contents of your refrigerator swamping the kitchen counters. Over the course of the week your fridge will get cleaned entirely and you won't lose motivation trying to find the time to tackle the whole job at once.
I know. This is not how your mother did it, or your grandmother, or the woman up the street whose spices are organized alphabetically and children's toys by educational purpose, color and size. These women might be a bit chagrined to open your fridge and find only three clean shelves. The best way to keep your home and kitchen running smoothly, though, is to do what works for you. If all you can manage is five or ten minutes while the kids eat a snack at a table use that time to do something you noticed earlier needed doing. The more little jobs you tackle in short spaces of time, the less big jobs will be left for later. If you see something you can do in thirty seconds, do it.
Another easy way to keep all rooms cleaner is to not have things in them that you will never use. Do you have spices taking up space that have been there for ages? You probably thought you would use them someday or needed them for a new recipe you tried and didn't like. Throw them out. If your plastic container cupboard is always full you have too many containers. If they're in the cupboard they'r e not being used. Don't feel too guilty about the wasted money. Adding wasted space to the wasted money will not make you feel better. The less you have in your cupboards and on your counters, the easier it will become to keep things clean.
Read this earlier post I wrote for great ideas and shortcuts to help you keep the kitchen more organized so you can devote your time in it cooking instead of scouring.
The Big Clean Made Easier
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