There is nothing more annoying than having a kitchen that is a mess.Not a dirty mess but a mess that we call clutter,now clutter is a funny word a few years ago no one had heard the word clutter,but some now it has arrived into our vocabulary,and we seem to use it every day. In our work place,and in our homes.Clutter brings in memories of an untidy person,a person that works around a mess,we don’t mean to be untidy but we are.It just creeps up on us,and we only notice it when we go to some one Else’s home,and see how tidy there home is,nothing out of place,and there kitchen is to die for.

Have you always wondered why that is so.Well I dare bet that before you have arrived they had a good old clean up,that is what we do in our home my wife bless,her nearly has an heart attack when some one we know comes around,we have to have a good old clean up and I have to make the place look spotless.

Would it not be better if rather than scurrying around like headless chickens,we got rid of all the unwanted items that just sit there in the kitchen,just gathering dust,you know the items that I am on about,the old food mixer that your grandma got for your wedding nearly thirty years ago.That old coffee maker that does not work,but you don’t want to get rid of it because it looks OK sitting there,and you cant get rid Read the rest of this entry

Cleaning anything can be tiring, but one of the most used rooms of the house can easily slip into a mess and get overwhelming. Leave it for too long, and you’ll find yourself scrubbing up old food crumbs and grease piles for days just to get it back into tip top condition! Believe me, It happened all too often until I realized the tips and tricks that keeps the kitchen warm and more clean then I had seen it in years!

The first rule in a house cleaning situation, or any mess in general, is not to get overwhelmed. Simply work the cleaning into something you are undertaking at the moment. What do you do in the kitchen? Fry, bake, microwave maybe? Right there is grease, crumbs on your pans, some food splatters that will require some heavy duty sponges to scrape off if you leave them until the next day or even a few hours. Just take the time to clean them out as you go. Chances are your food will be too hot to eat right off, so let it cool and rinse out that pot!

I personally find that if you have cleaning supplies, new cleaning supplies, life is much easier and cleaning is even fun (imagine that!). There is nothing more wholesome as the aroma of a fruity dish soap added to whatever you are baking at the moment. It brings the kitchen to life! Then go ahead and spray/wipe up the counters with that cleaner you have Read the rest of this entry

Redecorating your home is a huge undertaking; no matter if you’re looking for a small piece of furniture, or taking on the grueling process of upgrading your cabinets. There are plenty of simple ways to update your home though without breaking the bank, or breaking your back! Here are a few inexpensive ways to redecorate, like a new kitchen island design or painting in new colors.

1. Lighten up a little. Painting a room can change the whole persona of your home, and the best part is that it doesn’t cost a fortune! A bucket of paint costs about 10 dollars a gallon, and yet has the ability to enlarge the look of a room, brighten up your day, or both! The lighter the paint, the larger your room will look. So, if you’re working on a small bathroom, try a light yellow, or green to inspire your day from start to finish.

2. Refresh your memory. Try adding some life to your living room by printing out a few of your favorite pictures from your camera. Get a few in 8 by 10 inch size, and a couple in 5 by 8 inch size. You can have these printed out directly from your home with photo paper, or you can fill out a form online from your home, and pick them in an hour at your local photo store! These should run you about ten dollars for ten of them! Then all you need are a few Read the rest of this entry

The best way to keep your kitchen free from clutter and organized is to designate areas within your kitchen for multiple uses. Divide your kitchen into spaces by determining what your family uses the kitchen for most. Some ideas would be areas for food storage, food preparation, cooking and baking, recycling, kids dishes and supplies, fine dishes and linens, cleaning supplies and a homework and bill paying area.

To create a pantry or food storage area that is organized and easy to use is simple. Purchase clear plastic containers in many different sizes to store and keep your pantry foods fresh. These containers stack easily on top of each other and allows you to see what it holds. Place labels on each container, that way once the container is empty you will know what was inside. This system makes your pantry look amazing, as well as, gives you more space and makes writing a grocery list a breeze.

Designate a large counter space that is near the refrigerator and sink for your food preparation and cooking/baking area. This way you will be able to access the foods in the refrigerator easily and also will be able to move your dirty dishes directly to the sink. Use the cupboards and drawers directly around this area to house all of the items that you will need. Purchase inexpensive drawer dividers to hold spatulas, potato peelers, can openers, knives, measuring cups and spoons. This makes finding exactly what you need easy Read the rest of this entry

The increasing popularity of open living spaces, kitchen family room combinations and great rooms means that the whole family can be better connected physically. It is a great picture to imagine, the kids doing their homework or watching TV, the parents preparing dinner or using the family computer. Everyone happy and contented. When it works, it is fantastic. However, the rather unwelcome side effect of the blurring of the lines between the rooms in our homes is that all the clutter seems to invade the kitchen.

Once the counters are messy and littered with books and papers, even laptops, it makes cooking at best chaotic and at worst impossible. Without clean landing space it is tempting to precariously balance hat hot tray on top of the pans on the stove, or to just plop the chopping board on top of that pile of papers. The papers usually end up covered in food and turn out to be spelling homework. The result is chaos and more stress.

Rule number one has to be to always start cooking in a clean kitchen. Unfortunately with todays hectic lives if we have to start cleaning before we cook, dinner would not be ready until midnight. The key is organization. The clutter has to be removed from the kitchen. Everything has to have it’s own easily accessible storage spot.

Start by looking at how your family uses the kitchen for things other than cooking. If you open the mail in your kitchen, and there is Read the rest of this entry

Having a clean home is important, but for some it’s a struggle to know where to start and how to get it really clean to the point where it will stay clean with minimal management. It is achievable, but realistically speaking minimal management will not be a constant. No matter how much you clean a room in one day you will need to deep clean it again at least once a month if not more.

The two most important areas to keep good and clean are the bathroom and the kitchen. They need to be neat and sanitary most of the time. But, this is not truer for any room than that of the kitchen. The kitchen is where we prepare and maybe even eat our meals. Keeping it clean and tidy is very important. It won’t only look good, but will save you money. Don’t believe it? Read on.

Decluttering the kitchen is the first step. Start at the top and work your way down. Go through your “junk pile” and trinkets and get a donation box started. With each level of the kitchen you finish get the cleaners out and do the dusting and scrubbing that will need to be done.

When the non-food items are cleaned away, cleaned up and put away, its time to start in on your pantry and refrigerator. Having an organized pantry is a time saver. Having a place Read the rest of this entry

A Revolutionary Design Idea, but first… the world must recognize the dishwasher.

It’s about time we recognize the dishwasher!

 Why can’t kitchen designers, sink manufacturers and the general public recognize the dishwasher? I must say, I have no clue. The modern dishwasher cleans all dishes, glasses, silverware and most pots and pans, does it not? About the only items a dishwasher will not handle are large cookie sheets, oversized pots and pans, and other large items. If this is true, why are sink manufacturers still designing old fashioned, double bowl sinks? Why are designers specifying them for today’s kitchens? Why does the public accept this? Again, I have no idea… well I might have an idea as to why.

 Humans are notorious inventors. We have invented all kinds of things over the past 100 years. Humans are also very single minded most of the time. It is only a noted few who think outside the box. Those humans are called eccentric; sometimes they are kindly called visionaries. In any event, the vast population of humans is incredibly talented at refining inventions; few are talented or successful at changing paradigms. Allow me to illustrate.

Let’s take the automobile for example. I believe Mercedes Benz was the very first automobile invented, well over 100 years ago. It not only amazes me, but it frustrates me to realize that we are still driving that same invention – merely refined, not re-invented. We are still using a piston engine, gasoline sucking vehicle. Is Read the rest of this entry

For some reason the kitchen is the biggest place that gets cluttered. The kids come in from school and backpacks get put on the floor or table. Keys get thrown somewhere, mail, groceries, jackets, books, shoes and anything else that you bring in from outside. It is every person in the house that contributes to clutter. To eliminate this problem, you need to make everyone keep walking and don’t stop at the kitchen. Instead, go to the bedroom or den and put your stuff where it really belongs. You should have a place for everything like keys, they should be hung up and away from unwanted hands like small children. Your mail you should be put in a basket. Backpacks and jackets should be put in your child’s bedroom. Shoes and boots should either be put in a closet near the door or inside the garage. If they are not wet take the shoes to your room.

Counter tops are another place that can get cluttered fast. Appliances that you don’t use like food processors, mixers, coffee grinders and sandwich makers are things you don’t use everyday so hide them. As for radios and even coffee makers you can hang space savers under your cabinets. The only thing that should be on your counter is maybe a microwave and your cannister set for flour, sugar, tea and whatever else you use. I’ve noticed in many homes people put pictures, telephones, answering machines, mail, tools, clothes, knick knacks, books and Read the rest of this entry

Due to lack of time or motivation, kitchens are often the first area of our houses to need cleaning. However, it doesn’t have to be this way. There are several tools that are indispensable when cooking and allow you to keep your kitchen spic ‘n’ span while making your cooking experience more efficient and effective.

1. The largest cutting board you can find- by getting the largest cutting board that your kitchen space allows, you minimize contact of ingredients with counter tops, and are able to work with many different ingredients at once. As a chef, quite often having to work on multiple orders at once, to me it’s undeniably clear that a large cutting surface is an underrated chef’s tool. However, don’t get a glass one- it’ll destroy your knife and shatter easily if dropped.

2. Kitchen cloth- always have a wet cloth on hand. This can be used for many things, picking up hot pots, wiping down accidental spills, or wiping off that huge cutting surface. When you’re cooking you also have to regularly clean your knife blade, and wipe your fingers. It is recommended to clean the blade of your knife after every few slices so that nothing is obstructing your cutting path. So don’t forget the wipe!

3. An empty sink- before you begin cooking, always make sure the dishes have been done. If not, you will tend to pile dishes and pots and pans Read the rest of this entry

Perhaps it is the primal spirit in us, bringing out the homing instinct, but it seems that everyone likes the idea of having a newly renovated kitchen! Experts tell us that it need not cost a lot of money and that it will likely return at least three quarters of it back to you when you sell the home.

While many home-owners can push the kitchen renovating bill up and over the $40,000 mark, it is possible to spend half that. According to Money Magazine, the average kitchen can be renovated for less than $20,000.

This includes new counter tops, a new island, a fitted pantry, new lighting, the latest appliances and refurbished cabinets. Many home-owners do not realize that brand new cabinet doors are fairly inexpensive and almost free of labor costs.

Another option is to have your cabinet doors “re-faced”. This entails the removal of your cabinet doors and drawers, a wood veneer is then applied and they are returned to your kitchen.

If spending this $20,000 will, in fact, add an extra $15,000 to the value of your home, then what’s holding you back? To bring your kitchen up to date, Money Magazine suggests that a kitchen island and a pantry are the latest ‘must-haves’ for kitchens.

If you do not have an island, you may wish to consider taking out a wall to make room for one. Perhaps this could be where you would build in a pantry if you do not have a closet that Read the rest of this entry