Tips for keeping your kitchen clean when you cook – Part 21

Sunday, March 15th, 2009 at 12:56 pm

My mother has a phrase that she lives by: clean as you go. I’ve found this advice to be especially true when it comes to maintaining a clean kitchen.

When I cook a meal for my husband and I, I like to fill the sink with hot, soapy water in anticipation of the impending pile of dishes. Once the meal is served, you put the empty pots and pans into the sink to soak while you eat. As for spills, clean them as soon as they happen; depending on the type of flooring or counter tops you have, getting the stain out later may prove impossible.

After the meal, wash the dishes and put them in the dish rack to dry. You can put them away the next morning. Or, if you’re like me, and you hate doing dishes by hand, this is a good time to load the dishwasher. Dishes left out in the sink tend to attract a surprising array of critters that do not make pleasant house guests.

Finally, wipe the counter down with one of the many sanitizing wipes available at your local supermarket. If you find a lot of crumbs, runaway peas, or escaped popcorn kernels underfoot, give the floor a quick sweep. There’s no need to mop now; save that as a task you perform weekly. After all, it’s likely tomorrow will bring an entirely new mess to the kitchen, especially if you have children.

Keeping your kitchen clean doesn’t have to be exhausting and time consuming, nor does it mean keeping it closed to thru traffic. Fifteen minutes at the end of each day, along with a more thorough cleaning once a week, can keep the center of your home looking inviting, instead of frightening.

Happy cleaning!

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