They say that the kitchen is the heart of many homes, mostly because you’ll find yourself there multiple times a day, often making a bit of a mess. Keeping up with family members coming in and out, cooking meals and spilling food is inevitable. This is one of the highlights of your home though, so keeping it clean can make your house feel like an entirely different space. Follow these quick tips to help you maintain a spotless (or almost spotless) kitchen.
Keep it Minimal – For some of us just the word “minimal” sends a shiver down our spine. It can be difficult to even think about any sort of minimization in our kitchen of all places. The concern isn’t necessarily getting rid of things, but more so where those things are located. As most know, it’s all about how you present a home, so when it comes to your kitchen, you want to keep your countertops as clear as possible. If you have small appliances (toaster, blender etc.) that you don’t use daily, try to tuck them away in a cabinet instead of just leaving them out on the countertop. You’ll be amazed what clear counters does for the appearance of your kitchen, and you’ll love all the extra prep space.
Start Clean and Maintain – If you are getting ready to make a meal, make sure that you start with a clean space, that way your focus can solely be on the meal in front of you. As you are cooking, try to clean dishes that won’t be used again in the meal. The actual cooking part of the meal is an opportune time for this, after you have dirtied things up during prep. This makes cleaning after the meal so much easier, as you’ll just have the dishes that were used to cook in or eat on.
A Place for Everything – This tip could apply to just about anywhere in your home - keep things in their place. If you are committed to putting all of your pots and pans in one cabinet, make it a point to put them back in the same spot every time that you use and clean them. Having a designated spot means that there is no time thinking about where you should put a certain item, and it helps for when you have someone putting dishes away that may not be as familiar with your kitchen. It’s also useful to keep similar items together, like putting any non-refrigerated fruits and vegetables in one spot.
Keep a Schedule – Sometimes forgetfulness is what leads to a dirty kitchen, so making a schedule to clean parts of the kitchen that often get overlooked will help to keep your space pristine. Put up a whiteboard to keep track of when you’ll be cleaning the oven, microwave and other small appliances that tend to get dirty quickly. Better yet, assign various cleaning tasks to the different people in your household to make cleanup efficient.
Don’t Forget the Little Things – It can be easy to get caught up in just cleaning the big spaces, like wiping down countertops or cleaning out your sink, and forget about all the spaces in between. For your cleanest kitchen, you want to remember to get in the smaller spaces. Shake out the crumbs from your toaster, clean off handles on your fridge, and get that spice cabinet organized. These are the extra steps that will really show off your kitchen to guests and make the most of your stunning Shea Homes® kitchen.
For more tips about keeping your home in tip-top shape, view our blogs here.