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Great ideas on keeping a kitchen tidy!

post #1 of 42
11/3/07 at 7:02am
Thread Starter 
I am so excited. My Dh's sister came to visit for 3 weeks. she is from turkey, big family, almost non-existent kitchen. but, she cooks for groups of 5+ all the time in the closet she calls a kitchen. while she was here she did most of the cooking and i watched her. here is what she did:

- have the dish drainer (or a clean towel) on the counter and ready to receive dishes that are washed or rinsed. if it was just veggies (no meat/dairy etc) rinse the cutting board/knife/tool/whatever immediately and put it in the drainer.

- have the dishwasher empty and don't put anything down on the counter if it can go directly in the dishwasher.

- have a rag out so you can wipe the counter as you go.

- put ingredients away when you are done with them. if you are taking something out of the pantry or the fridge, put something back in before you take the new thing out.

- if something is cooking and you have a few minutes, wash the dishes.

i have gone from the kitchen from he** while i am cooking a big meal, to a wonderful oasis! when we sit down to actually eat dinner, the counters are almost clear, the only thing left to wash are the pots that the food was actually cooked in. it has been months since she left, and my kitchen has only looked like a disaster area once. and i cook several times a week. it truely is heaven!

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post #2 of 42
11/3/07 at 7:49am
Wow! Those really are great tips!

Thanks!
post #3 of 42
11/3/07 at 12:21pm
Another board I go to had a discussion a while ago about "Erase the Evidence", so I try to remember that when I'm working. It's pretty much the same as her system. Work as you go along.

My kitchen actually stays cleaner when I cook a lot because I can't stand to start cooking in a mess.

Thanks for sharing her tips!
post #4 of 42
11/3/07 at 3:39pm
Great tips, the kitchen is my "sore spot." I also love the idea of "erase the evidence." My Grandma was always in the kitchen and it was ALWAYS spotless, she always cleaned as she went though. I don't. Problem meet solution, lol...
post #5 of 42
11/4/07 at 8:34am
Thanks!

I kept mentally repeating "no evidence" last night as I was cooking for company, with great results! I will have to try and make it a habit!
post #6 of 42
11/4/07 at 8:53am
Good ideas
post #7 of 42
11/4/07 at 12:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by rmzbm View Post
Great tips, the kitchen is my "sore spot." I also love the idea of "erase the evidence." My Grandma was always in the kitchen and it was ALWAYS spotless, she always cleaned as she went though. I don't. Problem meet solution, lol...
Ditto! I feel like I'm always saying "I need to clean the kitchen." It gets out of hand so fast. We moved a couple years ago into a house twice the size of our townhouse. I thought the big kitchen would make things much better. Instead, it just gave me more counter space to clutter. and Sigh.
post #8 of 42
11/4/07 at 11:10pm
Most people DO have closets that are bigger than my kitchen. This is definitely a sore spot for us as well....will have to try!

It is just that whole mindset of MAKING yourself do it part that gets me.
post #9 of 42
11/5/07 at 2:13pm
:
post #10 of 42
11/5/07 at 2:21pm
My mom taught me this when I was growing up. She would cook big holiday dinners and by the time it dinner time she would have a spotless kitchen. She would have the dishwasher empty and ready for the dinner dishes and only serving dishes to handwash. She has quite a good system!

My dh is the opposite. He will get some meat out for a sandwich, slice the meat on the cutting board and leave it out while he is eating. He leaves stuff out all over and never wipes up spills. He is really nice about helping cook occasionally, but the mess he leaves is almost not worth it : We don't currently have a working dishwasher and only a small dishrack. I have no choice but to wash dishes as I am cooking. Then when the meal is over I empty the dishrack and wash all the meal dishes and put them on the rack. If I get behind on just one meal it throws the whole day off!
post #11 of 42
11/5/07 at 3:22pm
This was such a great idea - thank you for posting it. I have a hard time staying on top of the mess as it's being made. I played this with my kids like a game yesterday and they loved it. We call it "Erasing the Clues." I think by posting this you may have just made a huge difference in the way I manage clutter! Thank you.
post #12 of 42
11/5/07 at 4:44pm
My dh has been pushing for a dish rack forever (I do all the kitchen stuff but he always has these suggestions on how to make things better -haha/argh!), but this post has definitely inspired me to get one... I've been trying to clean as I go the past few meals and I'm really surprised how well it goes and not having to do anything after dinner is over definitely makes the extra effort worth it (although it's not near as much extra effort as I thought... I always feel so frantic trying to get everything ready for dinner I keep telling myself I just don't have time to put everything away and rinse things off).
post #13 of 42
11/5/07 at 9:07pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ygle View Post
My dh has been pushing for a dish rack forever (I do all the kitchen stuff but he always has these suggestions on how to make things better -haha/argh!), but this post has definitely inspired me to get one... I've been trying to clean as I go the past few meals and I'm really surprised how well it goes and not having to do anything after dinner is over definitely makes the extra effort worth it (although it's not near as much extra effort as I thought... I always feel so frantic trying to get everything ready for dinner I keep telling myself I just don't have time to put everything away and rinse things off).
I recently started using a dishtowel layed out on the counter to receive clean dishes. i had a dishrack and found they are more for plates/glasses etc, not pots/pans. plus i got tired of the yuck that always accumulated in the pan. and the best part is when all the dishes are put away, i can fold up the towel and my counter looks even neater!
post #14 of 42
11/5/07 at 9:53pm
I use a kitchen towel, too. Much easier to store and clean.
post #15 of 42
11/5/07 at 10:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sedalbj View Post
I recently started using a dishtowel layed out on the counter to receive clean dishes. i had a dishrack and found they are more for plates/glasses etc, not pots/pans. plus i got tired of the yuck that always accumulated in the pan. and the best part is when all the dishes are put away, i can fold up the towel and my counter looks even neater!
What a great idea! We have a dishrack in the right side of our sink. It drives me nuts how the silverware compartment always gets a gross film on it and it's hard to clean.

With the towel, do things dry okay? Is there a way to keep them from being completely flat so air can circulate inside them?

Is there another use for the opposite side of the sink?
post #16 of 42
11/5/07 at 10:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by lovemyfamily6 View Post
What a great idea! We have a dishrack in the right side of our sink. It drives me nuts how the silverware compartment always gets a gross film on it and it's hard to clean.

With the towel, do things dry okay? Is there a way to keep them from being completely flat so air can circulate inside them?

Is there another use for the opposite side of the sink?
I used to have a wire rack that sat INTO the sink, and took about half of one of the sides. I didn't have an icky rack taking up what was at the time VERY valuable counter space. Big pots and pans had to be leaned over to the side on a towel though.
post #17 of 42
11/6/07 at 11:40am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by lovemyfamily6 View Post
What a great idea! We have a dishrack in the right side of our sink. It drives me nuts how the silverware compartment always gets a gross film on it and it's hard to clean.

With the towel, do things dry okay? Is there a way to keep them from being completely flat so air can circulate inside them?
i do have the occasional glass etc that doesn't dry because of the lack of air circulation, i just dry it by hand.
post #18 of 42
11/6/07 at 3:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by lovemyfamily6 View Post

With the towel, do things dry okay? Is there a way to keep them from being completely flat so air can circulate inside them?

Is there another use for the opposite side of the sink?
You need to make sure that there's air circulation. If you have a bunch of cups, you can prop them up on a chopstick that's laying flat or something like that.

I use one side of the sink for hot soapy water, and then the other side I place the dishes in it that have been washed until I rinse them. I'm not sure if they have official purposes.
post #19 of 42
11/6/07 at 9:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ygle View Post
My dh has been pushing for a dish rack forever (I do all the kitchen stuff but he always has these suggestions on how to make things better -haha/argh!), but this post has definitely inspired me to get one... I've been trying to clean as I go the past few meals and I'm really surprised how well it goes and not having to do anything after dinner is over definitely makes the extra effort worth it (although it's not near as much extra effort as I thought... I always feel so frantic trying to get everything ready for dinner I keep telling myself I just don't have time to put everything away and rinse things off).

I always find that if things are cleaned and put away, I don't feel quite as frantic. I start feeling really overwhelmed and rushed when the kitchen counters are covered and there's stuff everywhere.
post #20 of 42
11/6/07 at 9:22pm
Listening & learning......

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