Spring Cleaning Party: Tackling the Kitchen

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Today we’re finishing off the first week of the Spring Cleaning Party with Day 2 in the kitchen. Be sure to link to your before and after pictures in the comments of Tsh’s post so we can see what you’ve accomplished!

Organizing and Cleaning the Kitchen

Tsh has some great before and after shots today of her cabinets as she describes the process for organizing food staples, pots and pans, kids dishes, storage containers and more.

Last week, I shared pictures of my kitchen, which I love because of its simplicity and function. My lower cabinets are organized in theory, but my 19-month-old thinks they are a treasure trove created just for her playing pleasure –and I think kids playing in the kitchen cabinets is one of the simple pleasures of life – so they rarely look organized.

I’ve also shared before about the many benefits of having an organized pantry. Organizing your ingredients not only saves you time and money, but also makes grocery shopping easier because you know what you have and what you need.

And finally, while you’ve got your drawers and cabinets cleared out anyway, consider reorganizing some of your kitchen, making use of “zones” to create a more efficient and functional space.

On the cleaning side of things, be sure to clean out the vent on the bottom front of your refrigerator, vacuum under the oven (if you have a drawer, they often pull right out) and get rid of any gadgets with broken or missing parts.

I think the kitchen is often the most cluttered room in the house because so much of it can be judged as useful as we try to justify its presence. Try taking a radical approach and packing up as many of the gadgets as you can to see how having more space actually makes your kitchen more user-friendly than the gadgets themselves do!

Quick Tip: Cleaning Stainless Steel Appliances

While stainless steel appliances are pretty, they can often be a pain to keep clean and fingerprint free. Rather than buying expensive stainless steel cleaners, simply grab a bottle of baby oil next time you’re at the store. Use just a little bit, wiping it on with one rag and buffing it off with a clean, dry rag, for shiny appliances that can be touched up throughout the week!

Enjoy your weekend, and rest up as we get ready to tackle the rest of our homes next week!

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About the Author

Mandi Ehman

Hi. My name is Mandi and I’m an organizing junkie. I’m also a wife, and Momma to four little girls (5, 3.5, 2 and a new baby!). I've worked at home since our oldest was a baby, and like a lot of other moms, my life is a constant balancing act of caring for my family and my home, meeting my obligations and finding time for hobbies in there somewhere. Oh, yeah, in the interest of full disclosure, I’m somewhat of a kitchen dunce and I only like to pretend that I’m crafty. Read more here!

4 Responses to “ Spring Cleaning Party: Tackling the Kitchen ”

  1. [...] It’s wonderful to have the kitchen back up to speed. Today, Mandi has written some good reminders about where to clean, and shares a nifty cleaning hack for stainless steel appliances.  And I love [...]

  2. I “cleaned” under my fridge yesterday….and GROSSS. Thanks for the oven drawer take-out tip. I saved that side of the kitchen for the weekend when my husband can watch the kiddos.
    I find that multi-use appliances save me money and space. I love my Cuisinart because I can shred, chop, puree, make pie dough and bread dough with one appliance. I don’t have room, or the nerves to deal with many single-use appliances.
    Thanks for such a wonderful post. Here are my before, during, and after pics! http://www.organizing-life.com/spring-cleaning-party-day-5/
    Have a wonderful Mother’s Day all!
    Abbie

    Abbie’s last blog post…Spring Cleaning Party Day 5

    [Reply]

  3. Just wanted to wish you a lovely Mother’s Day Mandi! Hugs :)

    Angie @ The Creative Mama’s last blog post…10 things I have learned about surviving Motherhood so far…

    [Reply]

  4. I am on Day One of the kitchen (I am a bit behind)and today I tackled the dreaded “snack cupboard”. Wow what an eye opener! Pop over to my blog for a few giggles and some before and after pics. happy cleaning!

    [Reply]

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