9 Tips to Keep Your Kitchen Neat and Tidy
The kitchen always represents a flurry of activities. It’s a high-foot-traffic area where dishes pile up before you even start cooking. Keeping it spotless while using it all the time sounds counterproductive, but it is possible and achievable.
What you need is a clean slate for these ideas.
Clear Your Counters
Aside from wiping spills, splashes, and stains, keep the countertops clutter-free. That means removing food containers, small gadgets, and kitchen utensils taking up space. Better to stow these in the cabinets.
You can keep the essential accessories or those you will need every day on the counters for easy reach. It should thus be painless to clean the countertops now.
Cook with a Plan
A screenshot of a recipe can streamline the process of preparing and cooking a meal. You can assemble the utensils, pick out the ingredients from the refrigerator, and start the cook fest on a clean kitchen. To avoid dealing with a huge pile to wash, deal with the current load of dirty dishes, and put them away before you start cooking.
Clean as You Go
Food preparation is not an excuse for sloppiness. Depending on the dish, you will have downtime to clear the utensils and bowls holding the ingredients, washing and loading them in the dishwasher, putting back the condiments and supplies, and yes, wiping the counters and your Coloured Splashbacks. Don’t wait for the ketchup to become a stubborn stain.
Tidy Up after You Eat
Whether you are eating solo or with your family, clear the table afterward. Clear the sink of dirty dishes and food scraps, which you have to dispose of properly so that they don’t leave a foul smell in the kitchen. For leftover dishes, pack them right and tight to hold out for a few days in the refrigerator.
Tote a Towel
Have a dishcloth nearby to wipe your hands, handle hot grips, and deal with crumbs. The towel is a cost-effective and eco-friendly substitute for paper towels. Tuck this in your pocket or wherever accessible for you.
Clean and Deodorize Homemade-Style
Cleaning products take a chunk of your monthly household budget. As an alternative, you can rely on baking soda, apple cider, white vinegar, and even citrus peels to concoct all-purpose cleaning agents for the kitchen and any part of the house. Some of them are also great as natural deodorizers. Also, used coffee grounds stored in a container with holes on the lid can absorb bad odors in the kitchen.
Mop the Floors
How often do you have to clean the floors? Or which cleaner to use with the mop? The answers depend on the level of activity and the type of flooring. Just make sure you have vacuumed or swept the floors cleaned first. Also, mopheads get worn often, and to trim down the costs, think of replacing them with old towels or rags.
Schedule Your Tasks
On a small board or a piece of paper under a ref magnet, jot down the tasks you need to do for the kitchen. They can be as simple as taking out expired food to time-consuming ones like arranging the contents of the cupboards. If you feel overwhelmed about the tasks, try to accomplish the simpler or urgent ones.
Install a Pump
It sounds great having a second kitchen in the basement or garage, but what should you do with the graywater from the sink and dishwasher? You may be able to cut the process of configuring and installing pipes short by installing a pump to take away the wastewater. When using the greywater pump, take care not to drain oil, solvents, or any corrosive substance.
The kitchen is where good food is made and shared with the family and friends. The place doesn’t have to be perfect, but preferably, it should be neat and tidy. Cleanliness is an all-important practice when it comes to preparing food.
