The Great Kitchen Clean-Up! (Week 3)
Excerpted from Just Clean Enough ON Jan 3, 2011 at 12:34PM
The Kitchen Calls
Week 3: Monday
Evaluate Your Oven Mitts
10 minutes
What’s the current oven mitt situation in your kitchen? Do you have too many and have trouble finding a place to put them all? You only need two oven mitts (because you only have two hands) and maybe three or four potholders in your kitchen. More than that are unnecessary and will take up space needed for other things. Are your oven mitts and potholders old, burned, torn, or otherwise ineffectual? Make sure these items are of high quality and are thick enough so you don’t feel any heat coming through them. The minute one of these pops a hole, throw it out. A third-degree burn will not help you in your reorganization efforts.
Week 3: Tuesday
Start Composting
5 minutes
Banana peels, eggshells, coffee grounds, and other food scraps may seem like garbage, but they can actually have a second life as compost. If you’re a gardener, decomposed food scraps can provide rich nutrients to your soil. Instead of scraping off your plates into the trashcan or garbage disposal, put fruit and vegetable scraps into an airtight jug. As these items slowly decompose, add them to your soil for the health of your plants. You can also buy small, discreet countertop compost pails at many home stores. These items make it easy to gather food waste indoors while keeping odors to a minimum. You can store a compost pail under the sink, on the counter, or in a cabinet for accessibility.
Week 3: Wednesday
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
15 minutes
Yes, recycling is important, but so is a system that works for you—and having recyclables stacked willy-nilly in your kitchen isn’t it. Instead, purchase a recycling sorter with at least two different bins: one for plastic and glass, one for paper products. Keep in mind, however, that, like trash, even well-rinsed bottles and cans will create a sticky, stinky residue in your bin. Wash it frequently to keep your kitchen smelling fresh.
Week 3: Thursday
Create a Family Message Center
20 minutes
If you share your household with other people, chances are you all have very different schedules that are hard to coordinate. To make things easier—and to avoid accumulating piles of calendars and to-do lists—create a family message center in the kitchen. This message center may include a large corkboard or dry-erase board for posting messages and slots for sorting mail. You can also maintain a food-shopping list that all members of the family can contribute to. Everyone in the family will know to check the message board so that even when schedules conflict, you and your family members can communicate about upcoming events and household chores.
Week 3: Friday
Establish a Coupon System
20 minutes
How would you like to save $5, $10, or even $20 every time you shop for groceries? If this sounds appealing, coupon clipping may be for you. Searching for and clipping coupons from the newspaper or from advertising circulars can be a timeconsuming task, but many people enjoy it as a relaxing rainyday activity. Use a binder with clear pockets to sort, categorize, and store your coupons. For example, you may have categories called Cleaning Products and Pet Care Products, and you simply place all related coupons in that category within the same pocket. An alternative is to use a small file box and store your coupons alphabetically, either by product name or brand name. As a general rule, clip and store coupons for only those products you already use or definitely want to try. If you're not careful, your coupon file could easily get cluttered with coupons you have no intention of using.
Week 3: Saturday
Round Up Your Recipes
20 minutes
If you enjoy cooking, chances are you’ve acquired many recipes in many different forms—from cookbooks and magazine clippings to printouts from the Internet and handwritten notes from friends and family. Instead of shoving crumpled pieces of paper in all available nooks and crannies and struggling to find the recipe you want when you want it, pick up a three-ring binder with dividers along with a bunch of clear plastic sleeves that you can insert papers into. Divide the binder into sections, such as Appetizers, Chicken Dishes, Desserts, and so on, and then file your recipes within the binder. Keep it with your cookbooks, on a shelf in the kitchen. An alternative is to file your recipes in a file cabinet or recipe box.
Week 3: Sunday
Take a Look at Lighting
30 minutes
The way that you light your kitchen will have a dramatic effect on how you work and feel in that space. Oftentimes kitchens have harsh overhead lights that glare on all who enter. Ideally, you’ll have a few different types of lighting so that you can alternate them depending on your needs and the time of day. Invest in lighting that you love—lamps can work in a kitchen, as can beam or spot lights that will give you soft, steady light
in exactly the place where you need it. Soft, ample light can increase your efficiency, improve your mood, and transform your kitchen into a place of peace and hospitality.
MY THOUGHTS
come to think of it, why is this kitchen clean-up for the whole week? how about us working ladies? well, there are weekends. an uncluttered kitchen will save you a lot of food preparation time during the busy weekdays. why is it i don't have a single oven mitt?
Excerpted from Just Clean Enough ON Jan 3, 2011 at 12:34PM
The Kitchen Calls
Week 3: Monday
Evaluate Your Oven Mitts
10 minutes
What’s the current oven mitt situation in your kitchen? Do you have too many and have trouble finding a place to put them all? You only need two oven mitts (because you only have two hands) and maybe three or four potholders in your kitchen. More than that are unnecessary and will take up space needed for other things. Are your oven mitts and potholders old, burned, torn, or otherwise ineffectual? Make sure these items are of high quality and are thick enough so you don’t feel any heat coming through them. The minute one of these pops a hole, throw it out. A third-degree burn will not help you in your reorganization efforts.
Week 3: Tuesday
Start Composting
5 minutes
Banana peels, eggshells, coffee grounds, and other food scraps may seem like garbage, but they can actually have a second life as compost. If you’re a gardener, decomposed food scraps can provide rich nutrients to your soil. Instead of scraping off your plates into the trashcan or garbage disposal, put fruit and vegetable scraps into an airtight jug. As these items slowly decompose, add them to your soil for the health of your plants. You can also buy small, discreet countertop compost pails at many home stores. These items make it easy to gather food waste indoors while keeping odors to a minimum. You can store a compost pail under the sink, on the counter, or in a cabinet for accessibility.
Week 3: Wednesday
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
15 minutes
Yes, recycling is important, but so is a system that works for you—and having recyclables stacked willy-nilly in your kitchen isn’t it. Instead, purchase a recycling sorter with at least two different bins: one for plastic and glass, one for paper products. Keep in mind, however, that, like trash, even well-rinsed bottles and cans will create a sticky, stinky residue in your bin. Wash it frequently to keep your kitchen smelling fresh.
Week 3: Thursday
Create a Family Message Center
20 minutes
If you share your household with other people, chances are you all have very different schedules that are hard to coordinate. To make things easier—and to avoid accumulating piles of calendars and to-do lists—create a family message center in the kitchen. This message center may include a large corkboard or dry-erase board for posting messages and slots for sorting mail. You can also maintain a food-shopping list that all members of the family can contribute to. Everyone in the family will know to check the message board so that even when schedules conflict, you and your family members can communicate about upcoming events and household chores.
Week 3: Friday
Establish a Coupon System
20 minutes
How would you like to save $5, $10, or even $20 every time you shop for groceries? If this sounds appealing, coupon clipping may be for you. Searching for and clipping coupons from the newspaper or from advertising circulars can be a timeconsuming task, but many people enjoy it as a relaxing rainyday activity. Use a binder with clear pockets to sort, categorize, and store your coupons. For example, you may have categories called Cleaning Products and Pet Care Products, and you simply place all related coupons in that category within the same pocket. An alternative is to use a small file box and store your coupons alphabetically, either by product name or brand name. As a general rule, clip and store coupons for only those products you already use or definitely want to try. If you're not careful, your coupon file could easily get cluttered with coupons you have no intention of using.
Week 3: Saturday
Round Up Your Recipes
20 minutes
If you enjoy cooking, chances are you’ve acquired many recipes in many different forms—from cookbooks and magazine clippings to printouts from the Internet and handwritten notes from friends and family. Instead of shoving crumpled pieces of paper in all available nooks and crannies and struggling to find the recipe you want when you want it, pick up a three-ring binder with dividers along with a bunch of clear plastic sleeves that you can insert papers into. Divide the binder into sections, such as Appetizers, Chicken Dishes, Desserts, and so on, and then file your recipes within the binder. Keep it with your cookbooks, on a shelf in the kitchen. An alternative is to file your recipes in a file cabinet or recipe box.
Week 3: Sunday
Take a Look at Lighting
30 minutes
The way that you light your kitchen will have a dramatic effect on how you work and feel in that space. Oftentimes kitchens have harsh overhead lights that glare on all who enter. Ideally, you’ll have a few different types of lighting so that you can alternate them depending on your needs and the time of day. Invest in lighting that you love—lamps can work in a kitchen, as can beam or spot lights that will give you soft, steady light
in exactly the place where you need it. Soft, ample light can increase your efficiency, improve your mood, and transform your kitchen into a place of peace and hospitality.
MY THOUGHTS
come to think of it, why is this kitchen clean-up for the whole week? how about us working ladies? well, there are weekends. an uncluttered kitchen will save you a lot of food preparation time during the busy weekdays. why is it i don't have a single oven mitt?
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