I don’t know about you, but the school holidays spells more footfall in our kitchen. And that generally means more mess…one way or another. From crumbs to little spills here and there…not to mentions the endless stream of used cups from the children.
But I may have cracked it during the school holidays this Easter – here’s how:
1. Plastic bags
They might not be eco-friendly, but they can really come in handing when cleaning.
If you’ve ever watched any of the food programmes, you wonder where half the mess goes. I used to have an image in my mind that they swiped everything off the counter and onto the floor or something to keep everything looking good for TV, but that really can’t be the case. There must be a bag or container of some sort collecting the waste as they go. So, I’ve adopted this very thing. As I chop and cut during cooking, I have a carrier bag at hand where all the onion peels and unwanted sweet pepper seeds are discarded. So, no more endless trips to the bin, then washing hands before touching the food or utensils again. I get dizzy just thinking about it! This means cooking is a seamless and efficient process, which leaves little more than the washing and wiping counters to do at the end. Job well done!
The carrier bag trick is also good for cleaning rooms. It means that any rubbish can be picked up along the cleaning journey and thrown out at the end, without making a pile of mess to then discard at the end when you’re tired.
2. Use a weekly plan
It may sound a little too formal, but with everything else there is to do at home not can be easy to forget some things…like forgetting to do an oven deep clean, or cleaning behind the fridge. We are human after all.
Using a chore chart really helps. At the very least you don’t have to think about what you’re doing – you just do it. It’s also a great way to get the children involved. American mums are hot on chore charts…we’ll. Charts about just about everything and we all know where the Stepford Wives came from. You don’t have to turn into a robot – it just helps to be a little bit more organised.
3. Clear the clutter
What’s in your kitchen counter? A toaster? A bread bin? A food processor? A cupcake maker? The traditional sugar, tea and coffee jars? Even with a mammoth-sized kitchen, utensils cause clutter and make a.harder job of cleaning. Do you really need to have every electric gadget on display? Yes, it makes it easy to reach, but if you last made those cupcakes six months ago, must you keep the gadget on the counter? If you know you’ll never use it, why not give it away?
Decluttering is one sure way of keeping your kitchen clean. Ditch the extras and you’ll start to enjoy more of your kitchen.
