This week’s selection of Bites from Tsh Oxenreider covers two topics near and dear to my heart. Keeping an organized house – whether you live alone or have more crotchfruit than the Duggars requires constant vigilance.
#11: Clean as you go
Best cleaning hack there is – if something spills, or gets dirty, clean it up right away. A few minutes of time can really add up when it comes to keeping your home under control. I know either F or I make the bed every morning as soon as we get up. It takes two minutes and it makes the room look that much less like ass. The other thing I do – and this is a constant struggle, I won’t lie – is to hang up clothes and put away shoes after I take them off. A tough thing to do when you drag home from a long day and just want to throw everything in a pile and curl up on your (unmade) bed…
Here are a few more things we currently do to keep things a little less chaotic in Casa Lopez:
• put away primping items when I’m done (I hate having a bunch of crap on my bathroom counter)
• wiping down kitchen after cooking
Things we need to work on:
• loading and unloading dishwasher (HATE the damn dishes)
• clearing the tub of dinos and Polly Pocket dolls after Oliver is done with his bath
The book suggest that you set a timer for 15 minutes and see how much you can get done in your immediate environment. Do this until it becomes a habit – clean your house in small sprees throughout the day.
#12 – Clean your kitchen as you cook
Professional chefs learn this – and they look like they’re pretty damn busy (at least on Food Network), so I’m pretty sure we can do this in real life. Easier said than done.
Clean up after every task, no matter how miniscule, before moving on to the next. What seems like a drag will eventually become a habit.
Tips:
Start with a clean kitchen
Assign a proper home for each type of kitchen waste – compost, recycling, garbage
Arrange your workspace for a mini cleaning “mise en place” – place a garbage container nearby for food scraps, for a double sink: run one side half full of hot soapy water for hands and dishes and leave the other side free, keep a dust broom and bin right there, have several clean towels on hand.
PRO Restaurant tip: place a jar of warm water on the counter and stash several soup spoons inside. Use them for stirring sauces and other foods while cooking, eliminating sticky crap on the counter where a spoon has been rested. Also cuts down on dirty dishes since the spoons can be reused.
I know we always TRY to clean as we cook – but when we’re up against a deadline, like a looming gathering or trying to get the kids fed, etc – it’s a struggle.
ocdelight 