Clean and Organize a Little at a Time ~ KATS Kreative Life

Since I have been home for the last month, I have spent a lot of time cleaning and organizing the kitchen. Usually it just starts with something simple like cleaning the sink which morphs into cleaning the drain rack. Then I notice the cabinet under it needs cleaning, then I moved the toaster, then the microwave, etc… I did a deep clean on that area and then rearranged the way they were on the cabinet. I love it, angling the microwave made it easier to use and it looks so much better. I never would have thought of it if I hadn’t moved everything around to clean.

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This morning I saw a post on Pinterest that used a Drawer Organizer in the refrigerator to store snacks. I have had trouble figuring out how to store the yogurts that my kids love and eat a lot. I have stacked them on shelves, put them in the crisper drawer, nothing has really worked. I had one of the drawer units in my closet so I decided to see how it worked before buying another one. Well since I pulled a lot of stuff out of the crisper drawer, then I decided to clean it. When I removed it, then I could see that something had been spilled down the back at sometime, so I ended up grabbing the cooler and put all the stuff from the bottom shelf and both drawers in the cooler. Then I cleaned the entire fridge, it really needed a good cleaning. It looks so much better.

I get used to things being a certain way and really don’t see the dirt or disorganization, or if I do notice, I just think, well I don’t have time to deal with it now. I put it off and off until it it much harder to clean than it should be. If I spent 5-10 minutes cleaning up spills when they happened then I wouldn’t have to spend hours scrubbing the fridge when I finally get around to it. I don’t know if I will like the drawer system yet, but I know I really like the clean refrigerator. I don’t know if the kids will notice that I cleaned it, they will notice I moved stuff around again, but I know my husband will notice. He loves it when I deep clean something that had been put off for way too long.
Doing little tasks everyday helps to prevent things from getting out of hand, but if things are already too far gone for this to work now, start getting your kitchen deep cleaned a section at a time. It will still take more time initially to get it all clean, but little by little it can be done. If you have 15 minutes, empty out a drawer, clean it well and then put back the items that belong and that you use. Everything else either needs to be put where it belongs or if you don’t need it, get rid of it.

If you have an hour, move everything off your counter top or a section of the counter and really scrub it down good. Then decide if the stuff that was on your counter needs to be there, like a toaster or microwave, or if it would be better in a cabinet or even donated if it is something you thought you would use but don’t.

It is easier to keep your kitchen clean if you have less stuff on the counter top, so when possible store your items in a cabinet or closet instead of leaving them on top of the counter. If you have a small kitchen like mine, you may have to find alternate storage for items that you only use occasionally. This will free up your cabinets for items that you use daily or weekly. If you own an ice cream maker that you only use a few times during the summer, it doesn’t need to be stored in your kitchen. It could be stored in the basement, garage, or storage building. You will know where to look for it when you need it and the space you free up by moving it can be used for something that you use more often.

Sometime I move things and then decide that I liked them better the way I had it, or decide to try something else. Nothing you do has to be permanent. Give it a chance though, just because it is different doesn’t mean it won’t work. My kids hate change, so I expected them to hate it when I moved the microwave and toaster, but my daughter surprised me when she got home. She noticed right away and said that she liked it. My son said he didn’t think he would like the toaster that way, but hasn’t mentioned it again. If you move something and decide after awhile that it isn’t working, try something else. Organization is like cleaning, it is never really done. We constantly buy new things that need a home, so to give them a home, something else has to go. Sometimes that is done by donating, selling, or just moving something, but something has to be done. I don’t aim for perfection, just progress and anything I do makes progress. Some days I don’t make much progress, but everything I do makes a difference and it all adds up to a cleaner, less cluttered and more organized house.

Update: I was wrong, my husband did not notice that I cleaned the refrigerator, at least he didn’t mention it if he did. We did not like the drawer system in the fridge, the drawers were not quite tall enough for the yogurts and other items I wanted to store. When we tried to open a drawer, either the items caught on the front or it pulled out the drawer above with it. I decided to try a Lazy Susan instead and so far it is working for us.

I might be able to stack more in the space, but the items are easy to see, find and grab without having to move a bunch of other stuff. Since it is open it can accommodate a lot of different size containers and nothing gets hid behind larger ones because you just spin to see what is in the back.

To find out more ways to organize, read Creative Organizing in the Kitchen and Organizing My Daughter’s Bedroom

How do you clean? What tips do you have? Leave a comment below and let me know if you have a better way to store the yogurt containers.