On a good day, I can clean and organize like a maniac......and I have an 'idea' of how I want this to go down......but I sure would love your input.

I am helping a friend, clean and organize her home. I told her to pick 4 rooms, and we would tackle one room a day. The kitchen is the first room we will do.

Here's my plan, and here's where I would love love love your input / tweeks / ideas.

1. Go into kitchen. EVERYTHING that does not belong in the kitchen is picked up and moved to another room. Once the kitchen ONLY has kitchen things in it:

2. Clean everything out of the fridge and freezer. Throw away all old and out dated / freezer burnt stuff. Clean inside, and put only stuff that is eaten back in.

3. Go through the cabinets. Eliminate all things that never get used or are broken and for the food, everything that is expired, or will not get eaten (what is not rotten, goes to food pantry in town) Organize cabinets so the kitchen 'functions' (pots pans near stove / food where it makes sense to be, etc).
WHEN cabinets are empty, clean.

4. Scrub walls, stove vent, counters, sinks, etc.

What am I missing? How would you do it? I really appreciate your helping me, help my friend!!!

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I am sure of two things: There is a God, and I am not Him.
The movie Rudy

Put all of the kitchen utensils into a shoe box for 7 days. Anything that gets used and washed can go back into the drawer. Anything left in the box is sorted for special occasion only or gets donated. Special occasion utensils can go on the top shelf of the pantry and only come out when needed.

depending on your friend and her kitchen, this may be a multi-day task. it would be at least 2-3 days in my home.

i like to have a command central in my kitchen. it is basically my bar area with my laptop set up sort of like a desk, calendars/planners, etc. it doesn't belong in the kitchen per se, but i love it here.

this may only apply if she gets overwhelmed and shuts down and gets discouraged as i do -

focus on small areas. mine is broken down by table, buffett, microwave countertop, counter to left of stove, counter to right of stove, and the big counter. even if i can't keep it all clean, all the time, i am under one minute of having the microwave counter, and areas to the left and right of the stove cleaned. this gives a sense of accomplishment, so i can tackle the big countertop, which is always a huge chore since this is where everything brought in the house accumulates

good luck! you are a good friend!

one trick that worked for me was to hang the cooking utensils that i reach for every time above my stove. suddenly i had a bunch to donate and an empty drawer.

I think that every kitchen needs a knife strip if you can find a place for one. Mine is over the sink so that when I wash veggies I can grab a knife, it just made sense TO ME.

I agree with getting all of the holiday stuff out of the way. Turkey roaster, serving platters, wine glasses, extra coffee mugs. Anything that you wouldn't use in the average week can find a new home (even if that means having its own cabinet in the kitchen) and gives you much less to deal with on a daily basis. I tossed the dish drainer rack in favor of a new super absorbent pad that gets washed with the dish towels, it's less visually and gets cleaned without trying to navigate a big drainer in the sink. YMMV but that helped me.

I think that the biggest problem in the kitchen is that we have way too much stuff and it becomes such a pain to clean it all. My husband helped me redo my kitchen (I have adult ADD, so it was overwhelming) and he hid so much stuff in the garage. When I'd yell "Honey, where's the so-n-so" he'd unearth it and (just like the shoebox suggestion) I realized that I don't need MOST of the stuff that was taking up space.

~Sounds like a great plan. I like the idea of having a box for donations and one for storing holiday items.

~I try and keep like items together ie: a baking area in one section of my kitchen, tools and ingredients in the same section and favorite recipes on the inside of the cabinet doors. I also like to hang my measuring spoons from those adhesive hooks on the inside of the cabinet doors.

~We also have a coffee/tea area. All of the cups, teas, coffees, sugars and accessories are stored in the cabinets directly above the espresso maker and coffee pot.

~I like to use square containers for refrigerator storage, they are easier to store both in and out of the fridge and allow more room.

~I enjoy listening to praise music while cleaning

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By His Grace, For His Glory,
Sharon

Great tip! I'm definitely going to try this!

You are such a good friend! I don't have any hints, cause it looks like you have gotten some really good tips. Good luck with your project!

Me too, this is a great idea. I have 2 big drawers filled with utensils I don't use.

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It's not just leaving a better planet for our children....
It's leaving better children for our planet.

Here's a little trick I learned from gardening - make one spot immaculate and give it a clean edge. It can carry a world of untidiness. I frequentlly turn my kitchen into a complete wreck, but keeping a section by the door shiney bright and clear makes it look like the place isn't always a tip.

Everytime I really clean the kitchen completely, I always scrub down the walls, appliances, and the cabinets as well. I am kinda OCD though...You really don't realize how grody they get! Yuck!

When you are done could you come help me please?! What a great gift to a friend. I would love it!

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Registered mini jerseys
NW. Ohio

Hmmmm.....NW Ohio.......and it appears you have 'cows'.....and I just happen to LOVE moo cows and would give a good days worth of work to learn how to milk a cow, clean a barn, birth a calf, etc.......
Maybe we can work a deal?

__________________
I am sure of two things: There is a God, and I am not Him.
The movie Rudy

I am always looking for a deal!

__________________
Registered mini jerseys
NW. Ohio

The thing that helps me the most is putting everything that I haven't used in 1 year in a bag and either donate it or give it to people I know. Cuts waaaaay down on the clutter.

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~Winter~Antonio Vivaldi - Concerto No.4 in F minor, Op.8, RV 297~

My husband made a pot rack for me. The most used pans that can be hung are there, three frying pans- different sizes, a couple of saucepans. This freed up the pot drawers and makes it easier to store pots in them because there is less clutter. He also added a place to hang the spatulas and big spoons, again clearing a lot out of the drawers. I can also hang those utensils up after washing before they are dry thus decluttering the dish drainer. I have a metal strip near the sink for the sharp knives, so these get hung up right after washing and I don't have worry about anyone getting cut on them.