Keeping your kitchen clean – Part 3
Kitchens are often the central point of a household for they endure constant foot traffic, cooking and eating of multiple meals and assorted tasks throughout each day. Keeping the kitchen clean is essential to a pleasant and healthy home, so adding a few simple steps to your daily routine will keep the kitchen sparkling between deep cleanings.
Organize
You know the old adage: a place for everything and everything in its place. The first step to clean kitchen maintenance is to find the kitchen beyond the clutter.
Designate areas in your cabinets for cookbooks, utensils and seldom used appliances. Not only does less counter clutter make cleaning easier, but also it leaves more workspace for cooking. Employ a “junk drawer” in the area to keep all of the miscellaneous items that collect around the kitchen, i.e. rubber bands, coupons, pens.
During seasonal cleaning, or when time permits, sort through kitchen contents to rid of items no longer needed or wanted. Donate the appliance that has done nothing but collect dust for the last two years. Recycle that collection of plastic bags and throw away the odd ends pushed into the rear corners of cupboards. Getting rid of so many items may feel difficult, but it cannot compete with the rewards of more space and simple living.
Dishes
Keeping up with dirty dishes is usually the hardest part of keeping the kitchen clean; therefore, a routine for washing dishes is crucial. Washing dishes immediately after each meal is ideal, but not always possible.
Always scrape remains from dishes and rinse them off directly after use to ease the washing. Soak them in a sink full of soapy hot water or load them into the dishwasher after use and wash as soon as possible. Allow dishes to dry and return them to their rightful places.
Rinse out the sink following each load of dirty dishes. Keep a sponge nearby to wipe down the sides and knobs of the sink. Empty the strainer into disposal, compost or garbage following each meal or dish load. Scour the sink with a deep cleaner, such as Comet, weekly or as needed.
Ask family to return dishes to the sink when they are finished with them and gather stray dishes when you are heading for the kitchen. When too busy to wash dishes directly after a meal, make it routine to wash them before bedtime. Waking up to a clean kitchen brightens the day and helps maintain the routine.
Counters
A frequent wiping of the counters and table keeps them clean and
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Tagged with: Knobs • Rubber Bands • Scrape
Filed under: Kitchen Photos
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