It’s that time of the evening when you have just finished dinner, ready to relax and then you walk into the kitchen and see all the dirty dishes, aah they need cleaning. Do you do them at night, or the next day? Each to their own preference, I prefer to do it in the evenings straight after dinner as I love waking up to a clean kitchen….all ready to mess up again! This is how I maintain a clean kitchen:

1. I only do the dishes once a day. Life’s to short to be washing dishes more than that, I have better things to do. They can happily pile up in the sink for the evening clean, however I do pack the dishwasher through the day as dishes are used.
2. Straight after dinner I start the dishes, I wash all pots, pans, cutting boards, Tupperware, lunch boxes, drink bottles etc. I also use my dishwasher daily, washing all crockery, cutlery and cups.
3. Next, clear away the clutter kids have dropped on the kitchen bench. Your bench will not look tidy until all clutter is removed. I have a basket where I place all their toys, books, paper…stuff they leave around the house. The kids clear the basket each night and put their belongings away. I don’t do it as they need to take responsibility for their own things.
4. I wipe down the bench using spray and wipe (I hope to try and go green soon using water and vinegar), wiping down the stools and dining table as well.
5. Empty sink. One squirt spray and wipe on the sponge and wipe down the sink.
6. Place all sponges in the dishwasher and turn the dishwasher on.
7. Reality is I don’t dry dishes, they drip dry overnight and I put them away in the morning when I unpack the dishwasher. I know there is alot of other people out there to tell you otherwise it should be done, but who really has the time to dry dishes…certainly not me.
8. All done, now my benches and sink are sparkling! Usually only takes 15 minutes, then I read the kids a book and put them to bed.
9. In the morning I put away all the dishes in the rack, unpack the dishwasher and then start making lunches. After lunches are made the kids have usually finished their breakfast I then put their dishes in the dishwasher as well as all the other items I used to make lunches. Then wipe down the bench and it’s as good as new!

CREATE A NEW HABIT AND ROUTINE FOR YOURSELF

Make your benches and sink sparkle EVERY NIGHT before you go to bed so you rise to a beautiful clean kitchen, your day will be so much better for it.

Below, my super sparkly sink!

© 2010 The Organised Housewife | All rights reserved - This post {From the Archives} Make your bench and sink sparkle is provided for the convenience of The Organised Housewife readers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited.

It’s that time of the evening when you have just finished dinner, ready to relax and then you walk into the kitchen and see all the dirty dishes, aah they need cleaning.  Do you do them at night, or the next day?  Each to their own preference, I prefer to do it in the evenings straight after dinner as I love waking up to a clean kitchen….all ready to mess up again!  This is how I maintain a clean kitchen:

1. I only do the dishes once a day.  Life’s to short to be washing dishes more than that, I have better things to do.  They can happily pile up in the sink for the evening clean, however I do pack the dishwasher through the day as dishes are used.
2. Straight after dinner I start the dishes, I wash all pots, pans, cutting boards, Tupperware, lunch boxes, drink bottles  etc.  I also use my dishwasher daily, washing all crockery, cutlery and cups.
3. Next, clear away the clutter kids have dropped on the kitchen bench. Your bench will not look tidy until all clutter is removed.  I have a basket where I place all their toys, books, paper…stuff they leave around the house.  The kids clear the basket each night and put their belongings away.  I don’t do it as they need to take responsibility for their own things.
4. I wipe down the bench using spray and wipe (I hope to try and go green soon using water and vinegar), wiping down the stools and dining table as well.
5. Empty sink.  One squirt spray and wipe on the sponge and wipe down the sink.
6. Place all sponges in the dishwasher and turn the dishwasher on.
7. Reality is I don’t dry dishes, they drip dry overnight and I put them away in the morning when I unpack the dishwasher.  I know there is alot of other people out there to tell you otherwise it should be done, but who really has the time to dry dishes…certainly not me.
8. All done, now my benches and sink are sparkling!  Usually only takes 15 minutes, then I read the kids a book and put them to bed.
9. In the morning I put away all the dishes in the rack, unpack the dishwasher and then start making lunches.  After lunches are made the kids have usually finished their breakfast I then put their dishes in the dishwasher as well as all the other items I used to make lunches. Then wipe down the bench and it’s as good as new!

CREATE A NEW HABIT AND ROUTINE FOR YOURSELF

Make your benches and sink sparkle EVERY NIGHT before you go to bed so you rise to a beautiful clean kitchen, your day will be so much better for it.

Below, my super sparkly sink!

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© 2010 The Organised Housewife | All rights reserved - This post Make your bench and sink sparkle is provided for the convenience of The Organised Housewife readers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited.

This week and continuing next week, if needed, we are going to concentrate on organising the kitchen.  I thought that we start with the kitchen because it is the heart of the home.  If your kitchen is like mine, it is seen by everybody that visits the house, so you want it looking it’s best.  Are you ready to get your kitchen organised?

Organising can be an overwhelming experience, especially if you are cleaning and decluttering as you go along. So let’s take small steps, these smalls steps will soon form as a new habit and long-lasting change to your routine.  I’d like you to try one task each day.  We aren’t looking for perfection, you will soon see that forming automatically once you have learnt new habits and welcomed your changing routine.

STEP 1 – Clean Fridge

Today we are starting with the fridge.  As the fridge is the most commonly used item in the kitchen thought it was fitting to make a start here.

Every so often a fridge needs to be cleaned. I clean my fridge every 2-3 months, however I give it a quick wipe over each week the night before I grocery shop.  Today, let’s give it a good clean.

1. Open fridge door and take note of what the temperature is.  Now turn inside temperature control to ‘off’, save you electricity.
2. Throw away anything that is out of date or spoiled. You’ll be surprised what you’ll find.
3. Move all other items to bench.
4. Take all removable parts and wash in warm soapy water in the sink.
5. While they are drying, wipe the inside of the fridge using warm soapy water and sponge, remembering the door shelves.
6. If your fridge has an odour, make up 1tsp of bicarbonate soda to 500ml of warm water and use to wipe fridge then rinse.  To give my fridge a fresh smell I use McLintocks Vanilla fridge wipe , smells yummy.
7. Return all shelves and items back into the fridge.  Place like items together.
8. If needed place a box of bicarbonate of soda in fridge to eliminate odours.
9. Turn temperature control back to recommended setting.  Close fridge door.
10. Wipe down the outside of the fridge with hot soapy water, rinse and wipe dry to prevent streaks.

Step back take a look, how do you feel?  You have completed 1 step…great job!!

Remember I said we are taking it slowly 1 step at a time…now go spend some time with hubby or the kids.  Tomorrow we’ll be organising the fridge.

NEW HABIT - The day before your grocery shopping day, empty fridge of all spoiled food and quickly wipe down the shelves.  This shouldn’t take any longer 5 minutes.

Benefit quick clean the day before grocery shopping:

• all clean before a new load of food arrives.
• You may not spend as much at the shops because you know what’s in your fridge.
• You may have some good food in there that you can use for meals during the week, eliminating the need to by too much when grocery shopping.

My fridge wiped clean ready for grocery shopping.

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Here are some tips and a routine chart for the kids to help organise your mornings.

It may be good idea to prepare a few things the night before to reduce the amount you need to do in the morning. You could:

• Lay uniforms on beds or make sure they are in their cupboards ready
• Have breakfast bowls and spoon out ready for cereal to be added.
• Have their lunchboxes out ready for stocking up.
• Fill their drink bottles and put in the fridge.  Or half fill and put in freezer for hot days.
• Put clothes and detergent in washing machine, if your machine has a delay button press delay to start in morning, otherwise press start as soon as you wake up.  Even better, I put my clothes on the line the evening before as I don’t have time in my mornings to be hanging washing.
• Bath the kids the night before not only are they clean for their bedsheets, also eliminates precious morning time.

If your children are old enough allow them some independence making their own breakfast.  Move those cereal containers/boxes from the top shelf to the bottom for them to easily access.  They can be eating breakfast while you shower or prepare lunches.

Click this link to view my Morning Routine chart, it will help your kids get ready each morning.  Print (laminate if you can) and blu-tak to a wall for their viewing.  This can help the kids recognise each day what they need to do and the order to do it in without you nagging them to hurry up.  Each child has different needs therefore you may need to personalise a routine.  Rewarding them for good behavior is a great idea like TV can’t be turned on until they have completed all the tasks, you could give them a special treat in their lunchbox or $1 at the end of the week to spend at tuckshop.  You will soon learn what works and what changes may suit you.

Morning Chart available in store, click HERE for details

This is my typical morning routine:

5.30am – wake to go to gym

7.00am – arrive home, wake kids, shower for me

7.05am – kids make their own breakfast

7.15am – make my bed

7.20am – start preparing lunches for kids and hubby (lunchbox ideas HERE)

7.30am – kids finish breakfast & start  morning routine, hubby leaves for work

7.40am - time for me to have breakfast and relax for 5 minutes

7.45am - put away dishes washed from night before, empty dishwasher and wipe down kitchen bench

7.50am - brush and style (braids or ponytails) girls hair

8.10am - check my emails

8.15am - time to get myself presentable for the day (hair and make-up)

8.25am - check all bags are packed

8.30am - in car driving to school drop off

Every household is different, what suits me may not suit you, but I do hope this may help you create a new routine to make your mornings a little less caotic…let me know how you go!

 Other charts available:  Afternoon | Evening | Reward | Responsibility

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Habit #1

Every morning once you get out of bed, within the first 10 min of being up make sure you have made your bed and open the blinds/curtains.  It will help make your room look fresh and clean.  It is a good start to the day.

© 2010 The Organised Housewife | All rights reserved - This post New Habit #1 is provided for the convenience of The Organised Housewife readers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited.