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Great ideas on keeping a kitchen tidy! - Page 2

post #21 of 42
11/7/07 at 3:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by rainyday View Post
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.

Definitely true, I'm finding!

Well, thanks for the warning on the dish racks, everyone... I guess it's not the perfect answer I was hoping for. I do do the towel on the counter, but I'd like to get the airflow and not use up so much counter space... I was hoping to have something to prop up my baking pans and be able to stack my mixing bowls, for example. It almost seems easier to just stack the dishes all together or throw them in the dishwasher just so they are more out of the way than to give them a quick wash and have to spread them all out. Also, I was hoping for a more definitive indication of what's clean because my kids tend to pile up dirty stuff onto the clean stuff drying on the towel.
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post #22 of 42
11/8/07 at 8:49am
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!
I found the same thing! Dishrack is in the basement, clean towel on the counter.....
post #23 of 42
11/8/07 at 9:43am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ygle View Post
Definitely true, I'm finding!

Well, thanks for the warning on the dish racks, everyone... I guess it's not the perfect answer I was hoping for. I do do the towel on the counter, but I'd like to get the airflow and not use up so much counter space... I was hoping to have something to prop up my baking pans and be able to stack my mixing bowls, for example. It almost seems easier to just stack the dishes all together or throw them in the dishwasher just so they are more out of the way than to give them a quick wash and have to spread them all out. Also, I was hoping for a more definitive indication of what's clean because my kids tend to pile up dirty stuff onto the clean stuff drying on the towel.
I also have a glass pan thingy i use when i am washing lots of stemware after a party. i think i found it at bed bath and beyond. it is white, flat (1 in high), maybe 10x15 inches. it is a 'pan' w/ a grid in it so you can put your stemware etc upside down on the grid and still get lots of air circ.

it still collects gunk, but it fits in my dishwasher and stores a lot easier.

this is kinda the idea, mine was cheaper and had the grid instead of the little pins sticking up
http://www.wineenthusiast.com//E/det...AB66&AfID=ZNXT
post #24 of 42
11/8/07 at 11:46am
I really like the idea to immediately put things into the dishwasher while cooking. So often the dishwasher is full of clean dishes so the dirty ones go into the sink. Then after dinner we have to empty the dishwasher then load it again. I'm definitely going to make a better effort to have all the clean dishes put away before I start making dinner so clean-up afterwards is easier.
post #25 of 42
11/8/07 at 4:37pm
Coincidentally (as I'm just reading this thread for the first time) I just made a quickbread with the kids and happened to have an empty dishwasher at the same time... as we finished with each dish (and cooking with two three-year-old helpers means lots of dishes/measuring cups/etc.!) I put it right into the dishwasher. The bread is about to come out of the oven, and the only mess in the kitchen is the mess that was there *before* we started cooking!
post #26 of 42
11/8/07 at 6:59pm
I agree with everything you all said, right down to slobby-cook dh LOL.
post #27 of 42
11/9/07 at 1:08am
Quote:
Originally Posted by celestialdreamer View Post
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 :
Celestialdreamer... could we possibly be married to the same man???
post #28 of 42
11/9/07 at 1:20am
The only model I ever saw of this growing up was on holidays. My mom without fail received my dad's clean-up crew presence while she cooked. The second she was done with something he washed it and put it away. So to me, the idea that the kitchen is clean when you sit down is well, something it takes two to accomplish.

DP is constantly confusing me when he cooks by having the kitchen pretty much clean when we sit down. When I cook, it's a disaster and I wind up lingering at the table longer just to delay diving into the heap. The heap, which sours the taste of practically any meal, no?

So I'll give it a go. Thanks for the tips!
post #29 of 42
11/12/07 at 12:47pm
In my house, the kitchen is totally view-able from the front door (bad design!), so I try hard to clean up as I go along. I love to cook, and I always look for new ideas on how to be efficient about cleaning up.

A few things that I do that help also:

Have a “garbage bowl” (a la chef Rachael Ray) out whenever you cook or clean up, esp if your garbage can is not very convenient. If you compost, you already do something like this. Having somewhere to put scraps or trash right near your chopping board helps a lot with the mess of cooking. (It’s kind of funny that she is actually selling a “garbage bowl” of her own...) If you use a pretty bowl, and empty it and wash it each time, it really helps keep your kitchen neat.

Be strict about emptying the dishwasher if you have one. (Already mentioned in the thread, I know...)A friend of mine says that she always empties it the minute she walks into the kitchen if the dishes are clean. When my kids were little, I found this a big burden, though, so I would put a dishpan under the sink. If I had a few stray dishes before I had a chance to unload, I would put them in the dishpan. This helps keep your kitchen tidy. If the dishpan under the sink was full, my delaying time for emptying the dishwasher was officially over.

I have a big stack of cloth napkins along with a whole bunch of kitchen towels. I use them to wipe up and dry things as I go along. I launder them all separately in hot water. It also cuts down on the use of paper towels (yes, I still use them, but try to use as few as possible).

Put everything back immediately. I have heard that you should imagine a string is attached to every item you get out, linking it with its “place.” But I like “erase the evidence” even better.

Take as much out of your kitchen as you can and keep it as spare as possible. My kitchen is also the back entrance to our house, the one that our family uses. So I have to patrol it and protect it from kid clutter, etc. It’s a lot harder to cook and keep clean if there is a lot of stuff in your kitchen.

Thanks again for everyone’s tips!
post #30 of 42
11/15/07 at 3:01am
I just have to say this method has been working for me. Thank you!
post #31 of 42
11/15/07 at 5:51pm
Wow! Best ideas are always the simplest! I just tried it out and it works just great!!!! Thank you, my kitchen tonight took 5min to clear after dinner. Off to empty the dishwasher now and I'll have the whole evening to myself! THANK YOU
post #32 of 42
11/17/07 at 1:32pm
Thread Starter 
I'm glad the tips are helping, and I have learned a few more by reading thru the posts. My sister was visiting last weekend, and I kept clearing, washing, and loading the dishwasher throughout the day, and she finally asked if i was ill or something, she had never seen my kitchen consistently neat before. More tips please!
post #33 of 42
11/17/07 at 2:22pm
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post #34 of 42
11/18/07 at 11:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by amyamanda View Post
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.
Ooh Ilove the idea of "Erasing the clues" I might have to post this as a motto for us.
post #35 of 42
11/18/07 at 11:58am
Thank you for the tip. I have a closet kitchen too. I have try to employ some of these methods, but i never realy follow all of them. After the holidays I ma turning over a new leaf and trying to become more steamilned im my approach to housekeeping.
post #36 of 42
11/18/07 at 12:10pm
Thanks for the simple ideas!

My problem is that I *hate* emptying the dishwasher - I have no idea why.... A few months ago, I timed myself, and I can unload it in 3 minutes. It is kind of hard to really hate to do something that actually only takes 3 minutes.... Knowing that helped me get over that silly hurdle.... Most of the time....
post #37 of 42
11/18/07 at 12:16pm
Just popping in to say ...
I've been going around as I cook dinner chanting quietly "...leave no evidence...leave no evidence.." My husband is looking at me like I'm a bit nuts, but he likes the results! I'm getting there! Thanks!
post #38 of 42
11/18/07 at 2:47pm
Thread Starter 
Found a cool dish drainer called the 'dish turtle'.

http://www.casabella.com/Merchant2/m...gory_code=5100
post #39 of 42
11/19/07 at 1:21am
We just got rid of our last grotty dishrack - nothing ever fit quite right and it took up so much room - and went to dishtowel only and it's great.

I've been focusing on the kitchen for several months, but haven't gotten things going really smoothly yet. I'm going to go and practice "no evidence" dinner prep right now!
post #40 of 42
11/19/07 at 4:50pm
I've been using a dishtowel too and love it! The sink seems to stay much cleaner. I'm not there yet, but getting much better in the kitchen!