Good day to all of you!
Well today is the day that we will start with the room that is used
the most in our homes.
Kitchen!
Yes, it's time to get organized in your kitchen. This is a big project for a lot of people and one important thing you have to remember is take it slow, do not rush! For some of you it's a one day thing, for most it'll take a couple of day, and then their are some that will take a bit longer. And that is OK! For me, well it will be few days, probably until the end of this week. Kids came to me yesterday and they want to be done with their homeschooling by the end of May. So we have to put our energy into it this next month. It'll be a challenge, but I think we can make it!
So, I pray for all of you that are working hard on organizing you home and Spring Cleaning it. May your days be filled with satisfaction of accomplishment! And remember at the end of the day be thankful for all finished and unfinished projects.
Blessings to all of you!
Posted by Sylvia
Today I have a devotional from last year’s Spring Cleaning session. There were a lot of responses to it and I think it is a timeless lesson from God’s Word. I hope it blesses you today…….
That Elusive Gentle Spirit
Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Galatians 6:1
… let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. 1 Peter 4:3
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:29
…to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. Titus 3:2
Gentleness is one of the hallmarks of a Christian who knows Jesus and reflects His character traits. Matthew 12:20 gives us the perfect picture of how Jesus deals with us in gentleness, “a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, til he leads justice to victory.”
Bruised reeds and smoldering wicks are people who are hurting, spiritually weak or weak in faith. Jesus does not condemn us for our weaknesses and rule breaking, but in gentleness leads us to the place where we need to be. Not only is this Jesus’ way for dealing with his people, it is our pattern when we are dealing with others.
Paul made appeals to the church at Corinth, he didn’t demand that they obey him or Christ. In doing this he exercised the spiritual gift of Gentleness.
Genuine Christians treat others with gentleness in all areas. A Pharisee-like Christian will adhere to rules and laws in favor of offering grace in gentleness to those who are struggling. They are always asking, “Is it in line with the law?” The gentle person asks, “Is it kind or the right thing to say or do?” I’ve been in churches where the leadership nearly destroyed people with their lack of gentleness in dealing with sin and failings. But that’s not the only area where lack of gentleness is obvious.
How tactful are you in your speech? Some people think it a mark of honesty to be blunt and abrupt in their speech. Are we not to answer all people with sensitivity and consideration? I personally know people who are blunt and yet tactful and kind with their words. Often though, bluntness and lack of tact can be signs that we are impatient and thinking only of ourselves and just want to get our message out. When we think of others first, we use gentle words… no matter how desperate the situation. If you tend to be blunt and tactless, examine yourself for motives.
How gentle are you in dealing with those who fail?
How much compassion do you show those who are involved in sin?
Are you gentle with your spouse when he fails in some way?
What about that elusive Gentle Spirit? Do you have a gentle spirit? Are you, at your very core, gentle and kind? Paul compares gentleness to a mother nursing her baby. You who have nursed or bottle-fed your babies, you know what that means. You can bring back to your mind those feelings of care and protectiveness. This is the gentleness we are use in dealing with others. That amazes me! I don’t naturally feel that way toward others, do you? And because of that, the Spirit moves to give us the fruit of gentleness with His presence in our lives. He gently leads us so that we can treat others with gentleness.
If you ask the Holy Spirit to make you aware of every time gentleness is needed, He will do so. First though you have to decide that you want to be gentle. You will have to let go of your love of rules and regulations. You will have to put people first, just like Jesus did if you want to care for people and show gentleness.
Philippians 4:5
“Let your gentleness be known to all.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Kitchen
We will spend two days in the kitchen.
The kitchen is usually the hardest room to Spring Clean in because we use it so much and its hard to have it out of commission for a day in some families. So I suggest that you utilize your crock pot or other means of having supper tonight so that you can concentrate on cleaning instead of breaking to cook.
Take a good look at your kitchen….. does it need:
…to be majorly decluttered? - Then you may need to take several days in this room.
…to be degreased? If you are using natural cleaners, a good mild dish soap will work wonders.
…to have structural work done? Can you clean the are and apply paint or get it ready to paint?
…to be emptied out and started over? Just kidding
You must choose what you need to do in your kitchen today. Do you have time to devote to this project? Maybe you should not get in to a really deep, deep cleaning of the kitchen today. Perhaps you should do a medium clean. You just find your happy place and get in the groove, OK?
First Things First:
* Take out trash.
* Pick up countertops
* Take everything out of the kitchen that doesn’t go in the kitchen… use your 4 bags/boxes/baskets!
* Take down curtains - wash
* Take up rugs - wash
The kitchen can become a catch-all if you’re not careful. If your family has a habit of depositing things in the kitchen, and you’re OK with that, try to have a receptacle for all their stuff. Baskets are great for keys, change, pocket contents.
Mail really clutters up kitchen counter tops! Try using a box or basket to hold mail, both outgoing and incoming.
Move out furniture and take everything off your countertops that you possibly can. I will use my living room to store these things while I am cleaning because I have just cleaned my dining room and I don’t want to mess it up!
I will use laundry baskets to hold everything.
Two two big areas to clean in most kitchens are the refrigerator and the oven. Today we will clean the frig, tomorrow, the oven.
Here are steps to cleaning out the frig.
* Make a sink or large tub of hot soapy water.
* Empty the frig.
* Throw away outdated, old food.
* Pull out shelves and drawers that can be taken out.
* Wash all the shelves and drawers with your hot soapy water (WARNING: Don’t put a cold glass shelf or glass drawer in warm or hot water!!! Don’t ask….)
* Wipe down the inside of the frig with your natural cleaner or cleaner of choice. Rinse well.
* Wipe down gaskets and outer portions of the door, also clean the vent under the door.
* Replace drawers and shelves.
* Wipe down jars and food containers.
* Replace food.
On with the Kitchen Cleaning…………..
Next
1. Sweep down cobwebs
2. Make a sink of hot soapy water or use your chemical cleaner. Get out your rags and start washing down
3. the ceiling if needed, door frames, window frames, baseboards and walls. Wash windows.
4. Take up your rugs and put them in to wash. Take down curtains and wash.
5. Put a load of dishes in to wash while you work, or go ahead and wash all the dishes by hand.
6. Clean the top of the refrigerator, the stove exhaust hood, all large appliances. Go ahead and spray cleaner in the oven if you’re adventurous. Take out the drip pans and put them in a pan of hot soapy water to soak.
7. Clean of shelves and inside cabinets. Wash them down. Order and organize your pantry food and your pots and pans.
8. Wash inside your cabinets while they are empty.
9. Re-line cabinets if needed. Did you know that in the “old days” we used to use newspaper for this??
10. Replace everything that goes in the cabinets, washing and dusting off as you go.
11. Wash down the outside of the cabinets, use de-greaser if needed or a wood soap. Dry them and then polish them with lemon oil if they are finished wood. This is going to be the really hard, arm-breaking scrubby part for me today. My cabinets just need a really good deep scrub. But when its done, it will make the whole kitchen look better!
12. Don’t forget the areas over the stove!
13. Change your wash water if needed.
14. Wash down all the bottles, canisters, containers, etc. that sit on your counter tops.
15. Scrub the counter tops. Wash and replace the drip pans.
16. Sweep the floor. Make up your mop water and get to scrubbing. I will use a scrub brush this morning and scrub under the stove and all around the cabinets. Then I’ll mop the rest of the floor.
17. Can you move the stove and clean under it? That would probably be a good idea.
Consider setting up a Baking Center if you cook and bake a lot. I sat mine up in one of my cabinets. I put these items in the Baking Center:
Mixer
Food processor
Flours
Yeast
Baking powder and soda
Salt
Cornmeal
Shortening
Oil
Spices
You could put more in it, like measuring spoons and mixing bowls. It really is a time saver for me!
Finally…
* Put all your curtains and dry rugs back down when the floor is dry. Give the appliances one more look and a polish.
* Rearrange all your counter top things.
* Check out Robin’s thread for ideas regarding kitchen storage and organization.
* Light yourself some candles, make some tea and enjoy your kitchen!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
De-Cluttering and Organizing the Kitchen
By Robin D.
Most kitchens suffer from a complete clutter overload! The clutter usually consists of at least a few of the following: gadgets, unused appliances, paper, junk drawers, etc.
Here are a few quick suggestions for dealing with some of these clutter issues.
*Work out the organization ideas in your mind, and then on paper, before you actually jump in and begin re-organizing your kitchen. That way you will be better able to decide where you want to start and what changes you want to make.
*As you organize, keep in mind you want your kitchen to “flow”. That means you don’t want to be constantly running to and fro in the kitchen when you’re cooking, serving meals, etc.
Try, as much as possible, to group items together according to their use.
For instance, you would probably want to place your coffee cups and drinking glasses in the same cupboard. ~And you would want your coffee cups near the coffee pot! Make sense?
This would be a great time to work on creating “work centers” in your kitchen.
*If you have any storage containers for things like flour, sugar, or other household goods, now would the time to make sure they’re labeled clearly.
*Take this opportunity to make a pantry inventory, spice inventory, etc.
*Too many magnets and/or paper/junk on the fridge will make any kitchen look unkempt. See if you can streamline some of these items.
*If you have metal cabinets the inside of the cabinet is a great place to use magnets and hang phone numbers, etc.
*Keep the top of your fridge clutter free. If you must store items on top, take a few moments to organize them and make the space user friendly.
*It’s not only unsightly to have a lot of clutter on your counter-tops; it also makes cleaning more difficult. Take a long hard look at your counter space and make some decisions concerning clutter and ease of use. You may need to eliminate some items and/or re-organize.
*Don’t make things harder than they have to be!
Think carefully and take a few minutes to plan before you replace your items in the cabinets after cleaning. Think “user-friendly”! Stacking is fine, but think ahead and try not to stack items you use frequently on the bottom or in the back!
*Streamline when possible. Be honest with yourself when it comes to de-cluttering.
Often there are many items in the kitchen that go unused year after year. For instance, how many of your casserole dishes do you really use?
As you organize your kitchen, are you coming across items you don’t use?
Sometimes it’s good to keep a specialty item even if it isn’t used that much. For instance, most people have a turkey platter. It’s something that you may only use a few times a year, but you do use it and need it!
On the other hand; seldom do you need eight muffin pans!
So, if there are items you no longer need or don’t want now is the time to find a new home for them. Share the wealth!
*Check your window sills. It’s easy to let clutter accumulate their as well. Too many plants, decorations, etc.
*Take a deep breath and tackle that junk drawer! (Or drawers!)
There is seldom a true need for a junk drawer. To be honest, most of the time it’s simply a “catch-all” for items we haven’t taken the time to put in their proper place. ~Or that we haven’t taken the time to create a place for.
Be brutal! Tools can be kept with the rest of their kind in the tool box. Kitchen gadgets should have their own place. Take stock of the contents and organize them! Usually there is a collection of old phone books, take-out menus, bread ties, etc. in these drawers, weed out the undesirables and organize the rest.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Kitchen
We will spend two days in the kitchen.
The kitchen is usually the hardest room to Spring Clean in because we use it so much and its hard to have it out of commission for a day in some families. So I suggest that you utilize your crock pot or other means of having supper tonight so that you can concentrate on cleaning instead of breaking to cook.
Take a good look at your kitchen….. does it need:
…to be majorly decluttered? - Then you may need to take several days in this room.
…to be degreased? If you are using natural cleaners, a good mild dish soap will work wonders.
…to have structural work done? Can you clean the are and apply paint or get it ready to paint?
…to be emptied out and started over? laugh.gif Just kidding wink.gif
You must choose what you need to do in your kitchen today. Do you have time to devote to this project? Maybe you should not get in to a really deep, deep cleaning of the kitchen today. Perhaps you should do a medium clean. You just find your happy place and get in the groove, OK?
First Things First:
* Take out trash.
* Pick up countertops
* Take everything out of the kitchen that doesn’t go in the kitchen… use your 4 bags/boxes/baskets!
* Take down curtains - wash
* Take up rugs - wash
The kitchen can become a catch-all if you’re not careful. If your family has a habit of depositing things in the kitchen, and you’re OK with that, try to have a receptacle for all their stuff. Baskets are great for keys, change, pocket contents.
Mail really clutters up kitchen counter tops! Try using a box or basket to hold mail, both outgoing and incoming.
Move out furniture and take everything off your countertops that you possibly can. I will use my living room to store these things while I am cleaning because I have just cleaned my dining room and I don’t want to mess it up!
I will use laundry baskets to hold everything.
Two two big areas to clean in most kitchens are the refrigerator and the oven. Today we will clean the frig, tomorrow, the oven.
Here are steps to cleaning out the frig.
* Make a sink or large tub of hot soapy water.
* Empty the frig.
* Throw away outdated, old food.
* Pull out shelves and drawers that can be taken out.
* Wash all the shelves and drawers with your hot soapy water (WARNING: Don’t put a cold glass shelf or glass drawer in warm or hot water!!! Don’t ask….)
* Wipe down the inside of the frig with your natural cleaner or cleaner of choice. Rinse well.
* Wipe down gaskets and outer portions of the door, also clean the vent under the door.
* Replace drawers and shelves.
* Wipe down jars and food containers.
* Replace food.
On with the Kitchen Cleaning…………..
Next
1. Sweep down cobwebs
2. Make a sink of hot soapy water or use your chemical cleaner. Get out your rags and start washing down
3. the ceiling if needed, door frames, window frames, baseboards and walls. Wash windows.
4. Take up your rugs and put them in to wash. Take down curtains and wash.
5. Put a load of dishes in to wash while you work, or go ahead and wash all the dishes by hand.
6. Clean the top of the refrigerator, the stove exhaust hood, all large appliances. Go ahead and spray cleaner in the oven if you’re adventurous. Take out the drip pans and put them in a pan of hot soapy water to soak.
7. Clean of shelves and inside cabinets. Wash them down. Order and organize your pantry food and your pots and pans.
8. Wash inside your cabinets while they are empty.
9. Re-line cabinets if needed. Did you know that in the “old days” we used to use newspaper for this??
10. Replace everything that goes in the cabinets, washing and dusting off as you go.
11. Wash down the outside of the cabinets, use de-greaser if needed or a wood soap. Dry them and then polish them with lemon oil if they are finished wood. This is going to be the really hard, arm-breaking scrubby part for me today. My cabinets just need a really good deep scrub. But when its done, it will make the whole kitchen look better!
12. Don’t forget the areas over the stove!
13. Change your wash water if needed.
14. Wash down all the bottles, canisters, containers, etc. that sit on your counter tops.
15. Scrub the counter tops. Wash and replace the drip pans.
16. Sweep the floor. Make up your mop water and get to scrubbing. I will use a scrub brush this morning and scrub under the stove and all around the cabinets. Then I’ll mop the rest of the floor.
17. Can you move the stove and clean under it? That would probably be a good idea.
Consider setting up a Baking Center if you cook and bake a lot. I sat mine up in one of my cabinets. I put these items in the Baking Center:
Mixer
Food processor
Flours
Yeast
Baking powder and soda
Salt
Cornmeal
Shortening
Oil
Spices
You could put more in it, like measuring spoons and mixing bowls. It really is a time saver for me!
Finally…
* Put all your curtains and dry rugs back down when the floor is dry. Give the appliances one more look and a polish.
* Rearrange all your counter top things.
* Check out Robin’s thread for ideas regarding kitchen storage and organization.
* Light yourself some candles, make some tea and enjoy your kitchen!
De-Cluttering and Organizing the Kitchen
By Robin D.
Most kitchens suffer from a complete clutter overload! The clutter usually consists of at least a few of the following: gadgets, unused appliances, paper, junk drawers, etc.
Here are a few quick suggestions for dealing with some of these clutter issues.
*Work out the organization ideas in your mind, and then on paper, before you actually jump in and begin re-organizing your kitchen. That way you will be better able to decide where you want to start and what changes you want to make.
*As you organize, keep in mind you want your kitchen to “flow”. That means you don’t want to be constantly running to and fro in the kitchen when you’re cooking, serving meals, etc.
Try, as much as possible, to group items together according to their use.
For instance, you would probably want to place your coffee cups and drinking glasses in the same cupboard. ~And you would want your coffee cups near the coffee pot! Make sense?
This would be a great time to work on creating “work centers” in your kitchen.
*If you have any storage containers for things like flour, sugar, or other household goods, now would the time to make sure they’re labeled clearly.
*Take this opportunity to make a pantry inventory, spice inventory, etc.
*Too many magnets and/or paper/junk on the fridge will make any kitchen look unkempt. See if you can streamline some of these items.
*If you have metal cabinets the inside of the cabinet is a great place to use magnets and hang phone numbers, etc.
*Keep the top of your fridge clutter free. If you must store items on top, take a few moments to organize them and make the space user friendly.
*It’s not only unsightly to have a lot of clutter on your counter-tops; it also makes cleaning more difficult. Take a long hard look at your counter space and make some decisions concerning clutter and ease of use. You may need to eliminate some items and/or re-organize.
*Don’t make things harder than they have to be!
Think carefully and take a few minutes to plan before you replace your items in the cabinets after cleaning. Think “user-friendly”! Stacking is fine, but think ahead and try not to stack items you use frequently on the bottom or in the back!
*Streamline when possible. Be honest with yourself when it comes to de-cluttering.
Often there are many items in the kitchen that go unused year after year. For instance, how many of your casserole dishes do you really use?
As you organize your kitchen, are you coming across items you don’t use?
Sometimes it’s good to keep a specialty item even if it isn’t used that much. For instance, most people have a turkey platter. It’s something that you may only use a few times a year, but you do use it and need it!
On the other hand; seldom do you need eight muffin pans!
So, if there are items you no longer need or don’t want now is the time to find a new home for them. Share the wealth!
*Check your window sills. It’s easy to let clutter accumulate their as well. Too many plants, decorations, etc.
*Take a deep breath and tackle that junk drawer! (Or drawers!)
There is seldom a true need for a junk drawer. To be honest, most of the time it’s simply a “catch-all” for items we haven’t taken the time to put in their proper place. ~Or that we haven’t taken the time to create a place for.
Be brutal! Tools can be kept with the rest of their kind in the tool box. Kitchen gadgets should have their own place. Take stock of the contents and organize them! Usually there is a collection of old phone books, take-out menus, bread ties, etc. in these drawers, weed out the undesirables and organize the rest.
Well today is the day that we will start with the room that is used
the most in our homes.
Kitchen!
Yes, it's time to get organized in your kitchen. This is a big project for a lot of people and one important thing you have to remember is take it slow, do not rush! For some of you it's a one day thing, for most it'll take a couple of day, and then their are some that will take a bit longer. And that is OK! For me, well it will be few days, probably until the end of this week. Kids came to me yesterday and they want to be done with their homeschooling by the end of May. So we have to put our energy into it this next month. It'll be a challenge, but I think we can make it!
So, I pray for all of you that are working hard on organizing you home and Spring Cleaning it. May your days be filled with satisfaction of accomplishment! And remember at the end of the day be thankful for all finished and unfinished projects.
Blessings to all of you!
Posted by Sylvia
Today I have a devotional from last year’s Spring Cleaning session. There were a lot of responses to it and I think it is a timeless lesson from God’s Word. I hope it blesses you today…….
That Elusive Gentle Spirit
Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Galatians 6:1
… let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. 1 Peter 4:3
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:29
…to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. Titus 3:2
Gentleness is one of the hallmarks of a Christian who knows Jesus and reflects His character traits. Matthew 12:20 gives us the perfect picture of how Jesus deals with us in gentleness, “a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, til he leads justice to victory.”
Bruised reeds and smoldering wicks are people who are hurting, spiritually weak or weak in faith. Jesus does not condemn us for our weaknesses and rule breaking, but in gentleness leads us to the place where we need to be. Not only is this Jesus’ way for dealing with his people, it is our pattern when we are dealing with others.
Paul made appeals to the church at Corinth, he didn’t demand that they obey him or Christ. In doing this he exercised the spiritual gift of Gentleness.
Genuine Christians treat others with gentleness in all areas. A Pharisee-like Christian will adhere to rules and laws in favor of offering grace in gentleness to those who are struggling. They are always asking, “Is it in line with the law?” The gentle person asks, “Is it kind or the right thing to say or do?” I’ve been in churches where the leadership nearly destroyed people with their lack of gentleness in dealing with sin and failings. But that’s not the only area where lack of gentleness is obvious.
How tactful are you in your speech? Some people think it a mark of honesty to be blunt and abrupt in their speech. Are we not to answer all people with sensitivity and consideration? I personally know people who are blunt and yet tactful and kind with their words. Often though, bluntness and lack of tact can be signs that we are impatient and thinking only of ourselves and just want to get our message out. When we think of others first, we use gentle words… no matter how desperate the situation. If you tend to be blunt and tactless, examine yourself for motives.
How gentle are you in dealing with those who fail?
How much compassion do you show those who are involved in sin?
Are you gentle with your spouse when he fails in some way?
What about that elusive Gentle Spirit? Do you have a gentle spirit? Are you, at your very core, gentle and kind? Paul compares gentleness to a mother nursing her baby. You who have nursed or bottle-fed your babies, you know what that means. You can bring back to your mind those feelings of care and protectiveness. This is the gentleness we are use in dealing with others. That amazes me! I don’t naturally feel that way toward others, do you? And because of that, the Spirit moves to give us the fruit of gentleness with His presence in our lives. He gently leads us so that we can treat others with gentleness.
If you ask the Holy Spirit to make you aware of every time gentleness is needed, He will do so. First though you have to decide that you want to be gentle. You will have to let go of your love of rules and regulations. You will have to put people first, just like Jesus did if you want to care for people and show gentleness.
Philippians 4:5
“Let your gentleness be known to all.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Kitchen
We will spend two days in the kitchen.
The kitchen is usually the hardest room to Spring Clean in because we use it so much and its hard to have it out of commission for a day in some families. So I suggest that you utilize your crock pot or other means of having supper tonight so that you can concentrate on cleaning instead of breaking to cook.
Take a good look at your kitchen….. does it need:
…to be majorly decluttered? - Then you may need to take several days in this room.
…to be degreased? If you are using natural cleaners, a good mild dish soap will work wonders.
…to have structural work done? Can you clean the are and apply paint or get it ready to paint?
…to be emptied out and started over? Just kidding
You must choose what you need to do in your kitchen today. Do you have time to devote to this project? Maybe you should not get in to a really deep, deep cleaning of the kitchen today. Perhaps you should do a medium clean. You just find your happy place and get in the groove, OK?
First Things First:
* Take out trash.
* Pick up countertops
* Take everything out of the kitchen that doesn’t go in the kitchen… use your 4 bags/boxes/baskets!
* Take down curtains - wash
* Take up rugs - wash
The kitchen can become a catch-all if you’re not careful. If your family has a habit of depositing things in the kitchen, and you’re OK with that, try to have a receptacle for all their stuff. Baskets are great for keys, change, pocket contents.
Mail really clutters up kitchen counter tops! Try using a box or basket to hold mail, both outgoing and incoming.
Move out furniture and take everything off your countertops that you possibly can. I will use my living room to store these things while I am cleaning because I have just cleaned my dining room and I don’t want to mess it up!
I will use laundry baskets to hold everything.
Two two big areas to clean in most kitchens are the refrigerator and the oven. Today we will clean the frig, tomorrow, the oven.
Here are steps to cleaning out the frig.
* Make a sink or large tub of hot soapy water.
* Empty the frig.
* Throw away outdated, old food.
* Pull out shelves and drawers that can be taken out.
* Wash all the shelves and drawers with your hot soapy water (WARNING: Don’t put a cold glass shelf or glass drawer in warm or hot water!!! Don’t ask….)
* Wipe down the inside of the frig with your natural cleaner or cleaner of choice. Rinse well.
* Wipe down gaskets and outer portions of the door, also clean the vent under the door.
* Replace drawers and shelves.
* Wipe down jars and food containers.
* Replace food.
On with the Kitchen Cleaning…………..
Next
1. Sweep down cobwebs
2. Make a sink of hot soapy water or use your chemical cleaner. Get out your rags and start washing down
3. the ceiling if needed, door frames, window frames, baseboards and walls. Wash windows.
4. Take up your rugs and put them in to wash. Take down curtains and wash.
5. Put a load of dishes in to wash while you work, or go ahead and wash all the dishes by hand.
6. Clean the top of the refrigerator, the stove exhaust hood, all large appliances. Go ahead and spray cleaner in the oven if you’re adventurous. Take out the drip pans and put them in a pan of hot soapy water to soak.
7. Clean of shelves and inside cabinets. Wash them down. Order and organize your pantry food and your pots and pans.
8. Wash inside your cabinets while they are empty.
9. Re-line cabinets if needed. Did you know that in the “old days” we used to use newspaper for this??
10. Replace everything that goes in the cabinets, washing and dusting off as you go.
11. Wash down the outside of the cabinets, use de-greaser if needed or a wood soap. Dry them and then polish them with lemon oil if they are finished wood. This is going to be the really hard, arm-breaking scrubby part for me today. My cabinets just need a really good deep scrub. But when its done, it will make the whole kitchen look better!
12. Don’t forget the areas over the stove!
13. Change your wash water if needed.
14. Wash down all the bottles, canisters, containers, etc. that sit on your counter tops.
15. Scrub the counter tops. Wash and replace the drip pans.
16. Sweep the floor. Make up your mop water and get to scrubbing. I will use a scrub brush this morning and scrub under the stove and all around the cabinets. Then I’ll mop the rest of the floor.
17. Can you move the stove and clean under it? That would probably be a good idea.
Consider setting up a Baking Center if you cook and bake a lot. I sat mine up in one of my cabinets. I put these items in the Baking Center:
Mixer
Food processor
Flours
Yeast
Baking powder and soda
Salt
Cornmeal
Shortening
Oil
Spices
You could put more in it, like measuring spoons and mixing bowls. It really is a time saver for me!
Finally…
* Put all your curtains and dry rugs back down when the floor is dry. Give the appliances one more look and a polish.
* Rearrange all your counter top things.
* Check out Robin’s thread for ideas regarding kitchen storage and organization.
* Light yourself some candles, make some tea and enjoy your kitchen!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
De-Cluttering and Organizing the Kitchen
By Robin D.
Most kitchens suffer from a complete clutter overload! The clutter usually consists of at least a few of the following: gadgets, unused appliances, paper, junk drawers, etc.
Here are a few quick suggestions for dealing with some of these clutter issues.
*Work out the organization ideas in your mind, and then on paper, before you actually jump in and begin re-organizing your kitchen. That way you will be better able to decide where you want to start and what changes you want to make.
*As you organize, keep in mind you want your kitchen to “flow”. That means you don’t want to be constantly running to and fro in the kitchen when you’re cooking, serving meals, etc.
Try, as much as possible, to group items together according to their use.
For instance, you would probably want to place your coffee cups and drinking glasses in the same cupboard. ~And you would want your coffee cups near the coffee pot! Make sense?
This would be a great time to work on creating “work centers” in your kitchen.
*If you have any storage containers for things like flour, sugar, or other household goods, now would the time to make sure they’re labeled clearly.
*Take this opportunity to make a pantry inventory, spice inventory, etc.
*Too many magnets and/or paper/junk on the fridge will make any kitchen look unkempt. See if you can streamline some of these items.
*If you have metal cabinets the inside of the cabinet is a great place to use magnets and hang phone numbers, etc.
*Keep the top of your fridge clutter free. If you must store items on top, take a few moments to organize them and make the space user friendly.
*It’s not only unsightly to have a lot of clutter on your counter-tops; it also makes cleaning more difficult. Take a long hard look at your counter space and make some decisions concerning clutter and ease of use. You may need to eliminate some items and/or re-organize.
*Don’t make things harder than they have to be!
Think carefully and take a few minutes to plan before you replace your items in the cabinets after cleaning. Think “user-friendly”! Stacking is fine, but think ahead and try not to stack items you use frequently on the bottom or in the back!
*Streamline when possible. Be honest with yourself when it comes to de-cluttering.
Often there are many items in the kitchen that go unused year after year. For instance, how many of your casserole dishes do you really use?
As you organize your kitchen, are you coming across items you don’t use?
Sometimes it’s good to keep a specialty item even if it isn’t used that much. For instance, most people have a turkey platter. It’s something that you may only use a few times a year, but you do use it and need it!
On the other hand; seldom do you need eight muffin pans!
So, if there are items you no longer need or don’t want now is the time to find a new home for them. Share the wealth!
*Check your window sills. It’s easy to let clutter accumulate their as well. Too many plants, decorations, etc.
*Take a deep breath and tackle that junk drawer! (Or drawers!)
There is seldom a true need for a junk drawer. To be honest, most of the time it’s simply a “catch-all” for items we haven’t taken the time to put in their proper place. ~Or that we haven’t taken the time to create a place for.
Be brutal! Tools can be kept with the rest of their kind in the tool box. Kitchen gadgets should have their own place. Take stock of the contents and organize them! Usually there is a collection of old phone books, take-out menus, bread ties, etc. in these drawers, weed out the undesirables and organize the rest.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Kitchen
We will spend two days in the kitchen.
The kitchen is usually the hardest room to Spring Clean in because we use it so much and its hard to have it out of commission for a day in some families. So I suggest that you utilize your crock pot or other means of having supper tonight so that you can concentrate on cleaning instead of breaking to cook.
Take a good look at your kitchen….. does it need:
…to be majorly decluttered? - Then you may need to take several days in this room.
…to be degreased? If you are using natural cleaners, a good mild dish soap will work wonders.
…to have structural work done? Can you clean the are and apply paint or get it ready to paint?
…to be emptied out and started over? laugh.gif Just kidding wink.gif
You must choose what you need to do in your kitchen today. Do you have time to devote to this project? Maybe you should not get in to a really deep, deep cleaning of the kitchen today. Perhaps you should do a medium clean. You just find your happy place and get in the groove, OK?
First Things First:
* Take out trash.
* Pick up countertops
* Take everything out of the kitchen that doesn’t go in the kitchen… use your 4 bags/boxes/baskets!
* Take down curtains - wash
* Take up rugs - wash
The kitchen can become a catch-all if you’re not careful. If your family has a habit of depositing things in the kitchen, and you’re OK with that, try to have a receptacle for all their stuff. Baskets are great for keys, change, pocket contents.
Mail really clutters up kitchen counter tops! Try using a box or basket to hold mail, both outgoing and incoming.
Move out furniture and take everything off your countertops that you possibly can. I will use my living room to store these things while I am cleaning because I have just cleaned my dining room and I don’t want to mess it up!
I will use laundry baskets to hold everything.
Two two big areas to clean in most kitchens are the refrigerator and the oven. Today we will clean the frig, tomorrow, the oven.
Here are steps to cleaning out the frig.
* Make a sink or large tub of hot soapy water.
* Empty the frig.
* Throw away outdated, old food.
* Pull out shelves and drawers that can be taken out.
* Wash all the shelves and drawers with your hot soapy water (WARNING: Don’t put a cold glass shelf or glass drawer in warm or hot water!!! Don’t ask….)
* Wipe down the inside of the frig with your natural cleaner or cleaner of choice. Rinse well.
* Wipe down gaskets and outer portions of the door, also clean the vent under the door.
* Replace drawers and shelves.
* Wipe down jars and food containers.
* Replace food.
On with the Kitchen Cleaning…………..
Next
1. Sweep down cobwebs
2. Make a sink of hot soapy water or use your chemical cleaner. Get out your rags and start washing down
3. the ceiling if needed, door frames, window frames, baseboards and walls. Wash windows.
4. Take up your rugs and put them in to wash. Take down curtains and wash.
5. Put a load of dishes in to wash while you work, or go ahead and wash all the dishes by hand.
6. Clean the top of the refrigerator, the stove exhaust hood, all large appliances. Go ahead and spray cleaner in the oven if you’re adventurous. Take out the drip pans and put them in a pan of hot soapy water to soak.
7. Clean of shelves and inside cabinets. Wash them down. Order and organize your pantry food and your pots and pans.
8. Wash inside your cabinets while they are empty.
9. Re-line cabinets if needed. Did you know that in the “old days” we used to use newspaper for this??
10. Replace everything that goes in the cabinets, washing and dusting off as you go.
11. Wash down the outside of the cabinets, use de-greaser if needed or a wood soap. Dry them and then polish them with lemon oil if they are finished wood. This is going to be the really hard, arm-breaking scrubby part for me today. My cabinets just need a really good deep scrub. But when its done, it will make the whole kitchen look better!
12. Don’t forget the areas over the stove!
13. Change your wash water if needed.
14. Wash down all the bottles, canisters, containers, etc. that sit on your counter tops.
15. Scrub the counter tops. Wash and replace the drip pans.
16. Sweep the floor. Make up your mop water and get to scrubbing. I will use a scrub brush this morning and scrub under the stove and all around the cabinets. Then I’ll mop the rest of the floor.
17. Can you move the stove and clean under it? That would probably be a good idea.
Consider setting up a Baking Center if you cook and bake a lot. I sat mine up in one of my cabinets. I put these items in the Baking Center:
Mixer
Food processor
Flours
Yeast
Baking powder and soda
Salt
Cornmeal
Shortening
Oil
Spices
You could put more in it, like measuring spoons and mixing bowls. It really is a time saver for me!
Finally…
* Put all your curtains and dry rugs back down when the floor is dry. Give the appliances one more look and a polish.
* Rearrange all your counter top things.
* Check out Robin’s thread for ideas regarding kitchen storage and organization.
* Light yourself some candles, make some tea and enjoy your kitchen!
De-Cluttering and Organizing the Kitchen
By Robin D.
Most kitchens suffer from a complete clutter overload! The clutter usually consists of at least a few of the following: gadgets, unused appliances, paper, junk drawers, etc.
Here are a few quick suggestions for dealing with some of these clutter issues.
*Work out the organization ideas in your mind, and then on paper, before you actually jump in and begin re-organizing your kitchen. That way you will be better able to decide where you want to start and what changes you want to make.
*As you organize, keep in mind you want your kitchen to “flow”. That means you don’t want to be constantly running to and fro in the kitchen when you’re cooking, serving meals, etc.
Try, as much as possible, to group items together according to their use.
For instance, you would probably want to place your coffee cups and drinking glasses in the same cupboard. ~And you would want your coffee cups near the coffee pot! Make sense?
This would be a great time to work on creating “work centers” in your kitchen.
*If you have any storage containers for things like flour, sugar, or other household goods, now would the time to make sure they’re labeled clearly.
*Take this opportunity to make a pantry inventory, spice inventory, etc.
*Too many magnets and/or paper/junk on the fridge will make any kitchen look unkempt. See if you can streamline some of these items.
*If you have metal cabinets the inside of the cabinet is a great place to use magnets and hang phone numbers, etc.
*Keep the top of your fridge clutter free. If you must store items on top, take a few moments to organize them and make the space user friendly.
*It’s not only unsightly to have a lot of clutter on your counter-tops; it also makes cleaning more difficult. Take a long hard look at your counter space and make some decisions concerning clutter and ease of use. You may need to eliminate some items and/or re-organize.
*Don’t make things harder than they have to be!
Think carefully and take a few minutes to plan before you replace your items in the cabinets after cleaning. Think “user-friendly”! Stacking is fine, but think ahead and try not to stack items you use frequently on the bottom or in the back!
*Streamline when possible. Be honest with yourself when it comes to de-cluttering.
Often there are many items in the kitchen that go unused year after year. For instance, how many of your casserole dishes do you really use?
As you organize your kitchen, are you coming across items you don’t use?
Sometimes it’s good to keep a specialty item even if it isn’t used that much. For instance, most people have a turkey platter. It’s something that you may only use a few times a year, but you do use it and need it!
On the other hand; seldom do you need eight muffin pans!
So, if there are items you no longer need or don’t want now is the time to find a new home for them. Share the wealth!
*Check your window sills. It’s easy to let clutter accumulate their as well. Too many plants, decorations, etc.
*Take a deep breath and tackle that junk drawer! (Or drawers!)
There is seldom a true need for a junk drawer. To be honest, most of the time it’s simply a “catch-all” for items we haven’t taken the time to put in their proper place. ~Or that we haven’t taken the time to create a place for.
Be brutal! Tools can be kept with the rest of their kind in the tool box. Kitchen gadgets should have their own place. Take stock of the contents and organize them! Usually there is a collection of old phone books, take-out menus, bread ties, etc. in these drawers, weed out the undesirables and organize the rest.
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