The kitchen is one room in the house that everyone seems to gather in! Friends meet over coffee, family reunites at the end of the day to share the day’s adventures over dinner, and couples catch that rare one-on-one time over a glass of wine. With all this face time, the kitchen seems to also be that place that is continuously made a mess! Here are some quick tips to keep your kitchen family friendly and guestroom ready!
1. If you take it out, put it back! This tip may sound simple, but many surfaces tend to get crowded and left a general mess because coffee filters and condiments are left out. Get into the habit of returning items to their proper space immediately after use. This will save both space and time in the long run.
2. Get organized! Do you love collecting exotic spices? Shot glasses? Wine? Well feel free to keep collecting, but get the right tools to make your collection an organized one. Find a rotating spice rack; invest in a wine cooler or china cabinet to keep things in reach but out of the way!
3. If you don’t use it, get rid of it! The average kitchen has a collection gadgets and gizmos accumulated that never get used. This results in overcrowded drawers, cupboards, and counters. Make a rule—if it hasn’t been used in a year, get rid of it. You can give it away, donate it, or if in rough shape send it to the curb! Keep your space uncluttered, neat, and tidy.
4. Clean before you dirty! This may sound counterintuitive but ensuring your kitchen is free of pots, pans, and grime before your prepare the next meal ensure a quicker clean up post-prep. A mountain of dishes is more intimating than a few, so always start with a fresh surface to keep your kitchen under control! Be sure to keep bins to sort recycling, green waste, and garbage so it doesn’t add up in the kitchen.
5. Wipe down surfaces—often! Every day you should may a habit of wiping down your counters with hot, soapy water. Remove caked on food, built-up grime, or better yet—do it before they have a chance to cake on and build up! Just because you can’t see surface grit, doesn’t mean it’s not there so be vigilant in your surface cleaning. Counters should be done daily, floors and appliances should be scrubbed weekly, and cupboards and high-level ledges should be wiped down monthly.
6. Create a cleaning schedule! If simple tips don’t seem to do the trick, post a cleaning check-list for your family. Be sure to list all the expectations you have for your kitchen, and include age-appropriate tasks that kids can tackle too! Post it on the fridge to help remind the whole family what a clean and germ-free kitchen looks like—and remind them it’s great for their health (and allowances too!).
For more tips on organizing your kitchen, check out the following link:
IKEA: How to organize your kitchen
Martha Stewart Organization
Real Simple: Home Organization