Keeping a Tidy Kitchen

The kitchen is the center of most our homes. It’s the place where we cook, bake, eat our meals, grab a snack, work, finish homework, play, congregate with family and so much more... The kitchen can therefore also tend to get cluttered from all the different activities that take place in this special room. Let's work on some simple ways to keep the kitchen the neat and clean place we want it to be! 

1. Countertops 

On a regular basis work on decluttering the countertops and only keeping the most necessary items out. Certain small kitchen appliances that go nicely with the rest of the kitchen design could be left out but avoid having a whole lineup of toaster, kettle, stand mixer, blender etc... Keeps just a few decorative items out. The kitchen gets covered in cooking grease, spills and splashes, so you want to be able to regularly wipe or rinse off your décor as needed. Also you want to be able to easily wipe off countertops corner to corner. And of course the wet-it is the best for that! 

 2. Catch-all drawer  

Mail, stray little screws, keys, coupons, and all sorts of little odds and ends often end up in the kitchen. Be sure these don’t just get dumped in a place in the counter, or shoved into a drawer. It is often necessary for a catch-all drawer but keep it neat and organized so mail does not get overlooked, it is easy to grab a key, and when you realize where the little screw came from, it is easy to find it! 

3. Child Cabinet 

Try to keep baby-toddler-child items to one assigned cabinet. If space allows, try to put the bottle drying racks in a cabinet. This was the most cluttered part of our counters. Simply placing the racks with the bottles on a shelf in a cabinet helped tremendously. You also don’t always have to put bottle/sippy cups together until they are ready to be used. This ensures all parts completely dry out and no mildew occurs. Keeping cups, bottles, plates, bibs, etc. in one special spot helps a lot. 

4. Consistently clean counters, floors and cabinet doors

After cooking, or after just simply grabbing an evening snack, the counters are covered in crumbs, spills and cooking grease. Keep your Wet-it handy for consistent and easy cleanup. Kitchen floors tend to get dirty fast. Especially with children, or if the kitchen is in a centered location of your home. But keep that broom or small vacuum handy and try to use it often. Make it a point to wipe counters and clean the floors often. Doing this, will help you not feel so overwhelmed with kitchen cleanup. 

5. Pantry and food storage  

Clean out the pantry periodically. There is often crackers and cereal that’s forgotten and stale. Consolidate and organize things by food type. If you can't afford spiffing up the whole pantry, go for nice and neat bins to keep on the shelves. this will brighten any pantry nook.  

6. Wash and put dishes away as you go  

Don’t let them accumulate and fill up the sink – you won't be motivated to wash 3 meals worth of dishes. It simply is not clean and welcoming either. Load the dishwasher. Promptly after a meal and run it every evening. Having a set schedule when the dishwasher is run can help a lot too.  

7. Keep the Fridge spotless  

Regularly sort through food and leftover containers in the fridge, wipe things clean as you see them, don’t wait for a big, messy, long outdrawn fridge cleanup, when you find a little spill wipe it up, when you notice some leftovers won't be eaten, throw it out. A smelly fridge is not pleasant. 

8. Grab the trash 

Grab trash on the way out the door, don’t let it overflow and make the house smell. Keep new trash bags nearby so it is easy to replace.  

9. Keep a spot for damp kitchen towels 

You don’t want a whole lineup of kitchen towels on the oven handle or draped over sink and faucet. Keep a hook on a cabinet door where they can easily be stored. Check the towels often to ensure smell  does not occur 

10. Don’t cover the fridge with mail  

A refrigerator covered in magnets, bills, coupons, sticky notes, or old family photos is simply a cluttered look. Maybe keep one small designated section for a note or a couple decorative photos or eliminate them completely if it tends to become a "catch-all-wall" 

11. Keep stainless steel polished  

We just recently switched to stainless appliances and we know the fingerprints get all over the place. Especially with little ones. The wet-it is very convenient. Just use a damp cloth and wipe appliances off and you're all good! 

These are just a few simple yet important steps we try to implement every day and it really works in a busy household. If you do it all regularly, keeping the kitchen clean, or the whole house for that matter, will not feel overwhelming anymore!