I have a tiny kitchen. I have a small amount of space where I need to create a good home cooked meal for my family. A freezer in a regular size refrigerator is not big enough to feed a family of four for a month. Unless I plan to go grocery shopping in a weekly bases.
I have a small deep freezer to make up what my fridge freezer lacks in space. As I freeze many fruits and veggies to last all freezer long. I also use the deep freezer to prepare the meals. As it is the higher than the table. Where I don’t have to hunch over to do anything. Plus, I really have no counter space.
I am limited on cupboard space as well. This is my cupboard where I store can foods and boxes. I have another cupboard like this to store dishes and pans.
This is a storage rack I bought to add more stuff. It helps. As you can see I need to sort through things again. As my teenagers will place things anything where hey can shove them. I hate having to hunt for those to cook or eat. I like to be organized. My teenagers are the opposites. Especially my daughter.
To remove clutter from my kitchen. I will go from cupboard to cupboard to organize and rearrange things. As I like things to look neat and easy to find. I tend to do it about every two weeks. If I wait a month I don’t recognize my own kitchen.
Some rules of the kitchen to stay clean and organized :
1. Kitchen table must be cleaned off after each use. Only thing that stays on table is the crock pot.
2. All recyclables must be placed outside in the recycling bin each night.
3. Nothing sits on the deep freezer. Must clear off after each use.
4. Dishes must be done after each meal, dried and put away. Dishes must be done before I could the next meal.
5. Microwave must stay cleaned. If you make a mess clean it up.
6. Counter and stove top cleaned up after each use. Do not store anything but pans on stove top.
7. Groceries are to be put away. As soon as they come in the home. Plastic bags thrown away. Unless from Aldi’s, than keep them under the sink.
8. Brooms, mops, etc are stored on side of refrigerator.
9. Metal steps get place on other side of refrigerator.
10. Floor gets swept each night. Floor gets mopped each weekend.
I re-organize cupboards, shelves, or any storage areas when family is away at school, or work.
What rules do you have in the kitchen? How do you stay organized and clean in the kitchen?
We are lucky in that we have a reasonable sized kitchen. Mind you, I don't have much to do with it - my personal chef takes care of all that! :)
ReplyDeleteI would love to have a nice size kitchen again. This one makes it harder to make a meal. However, not impossible.
DeleteI know what you mean, I have a small kitchen and hardly any space. I do have one wall cabinet off to the side where I can keep food.
ReplyDeleteI store much of what I can get in my fridge or deep freezer. As you can I really don't have room for food and all my pans.
DeleteOur kitchen is small too. And every surface and cabinet are full. We usually do okay if we are in there one at a time, but if both of us are in there at once its insanity and no space at all. If its both of us, both the boys and both the dogs, I usually end up yelling at someone.
ReplyDeleteJust curious...what makes Aldi's bag special?
I paid for them and plan to use them again to get my money out of them. Makes no sense to buy a bag for 10 or 15 cents to throw it away 20 minutes after buying when I get home. Not when it is still useable. Sure the bags don't cost much. However, over time that cents adds up to a lot.
DeleteSecond the motion in favor of cleaning up as you go along. If spilled food is allowed to sit, it draws insects.
ReplyDeleteI learned a long time ago to clean as I go. To me it is less cleaning in the end. Plus, less trip or spill hazards.
DeleteI have to wait for cleanup until enough accumulates to make it cost productive to heat the water. There's only two of us, so dishes don't pile up too high. I put what I can in the dishwasher, and when it's time to do a load, I wash all the dishes that don't go into it just after the dishwasher gets the water hot. If I have actually cooked something, I have to put the running water into containers to use for flushing toilets while the water in the faucet heats up. Things don't look as nice in this situation, but that's what we do in drought conditions to conserve water.
ReplyDeleteI understand conserving water that way. I remember a time when I lived in Florida the community had to do that due to drought. Kids loved it. As I did the dishes to make sure it was done right.
DeleteI dream of having a big kitchen again! But even in a large kitchen, the messes can easily get out of control. These are great rules for keeping the mess down and staying organized.
ReplyDeleteI do want a big kitchen again. Or an open kitchen / living room which makes it look bigger. I find small kitchens harder to move around.
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