Today is our last day of kitchen organization. After tonight, we’ll be ready to throw holiday parties, bake yummy fall treats, cook comfort foods, and entertain guests. From here on out, we just have to maintain our kitchens in good condition, keep ahead of messes and clutters, and keep our sinks and counters wiped down and dishwashers emptied.
QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY:
- Has it been cold enough to use throw blankets at night? If so, need to launder any? I’m washing a red one tonight, as it has an accumulation of orange cat hair and it smells a bit dusty and animal-y.
- Do you have orange juice in the house? Milk? Bread?
- Clean off and declutter mail table if needed
- Take 5 minutes to sweep or vacuum any floors that need it.
- Need to use a mud mask or moisturizing treatment on your face tonight?
TODAY’S PROJECT: Kitchen Appliances
Thoroughly clean the appliances in your kitchen inside and out. Start with the big ones (oven, stove, dishwasher). Then move onto smaller appliances (coffeemaker, espresso machine, deep fryer, panini grill, waffle maker, iced tea maker, mixer, crockpot, rice cooker, Cuisinart, bread maker, juicer, ice cream maker, etc). But only if they truly do need to be cleaned – we should be putting them away clean after using them, so unless they’re dusty, they probably don’t need cleaning.
Besides cleaning the appliances on your countertops, don’t forget to take appliances out of your cupboards, pantry and closets too. Don’t assume something is clean just because it’s been in a cupboard. It may have gotten dusty, or not been cleaned thoroughly before being put away.
SAFETY CHECK:
Before cleaning and disinfecting your appliances, check for wear and tear on electric cords.
CLEANING:
Run the self-clean cycle on your oven. Run a load of white vinegar through your coffee maker and then another load of plain hot water, to clean it out. Run a load of white vinegar through your dishwasher, too. Clean your dishwasher filter. Freshen your garbage disposal by grinding half a lemon through it. (Use the other cut half of the lemon to flavor your water or tea today).
AMOST DONE:
Wipe down your counters again and put the appliances back where they go. See if you can clear off your kitchen counters a bit more – can you find new homes for appliances that sit on the counter but don’t get used every day? (We don’t actually use my toaster every day, I wish I had a cupboard big enough to stash it in!)
Put some thought into getting rid of appliances you honestly don’t use. (Tortilla maker? Electric iced tea maker?) You might have a friend or relative who would like to try out your bread machine you’ve only used twice, your ice cream maker you don’t seem to make time to use, or your espresso machine now that you quit drinking coffee.
SCENT YOUR HOME:
Spritz your kitchen with your favorite home spray. Or you can boil a pot of cinnamon, water and citrus peels to make the kitchen smell nice. (I love how inexpensive cinnamon at Trader Joe’s is, it makes filling your home with cinnamon scents very affordable!)
LOVELY KITCHEN:
