Forget about a white Christmas; all I want for the holidays is a clean and organized kitchen. Do you think Santa could bring some of his elves with him on his annual trip around the world this Christmas Eve, and while he’s stuffing stockings, the little guys could work their magic on my disheveled kitchen?
Please, Santa, please!
In most homes, the kitchen sees the most action. A recent survey found that family members spend more awake time in the kitchen than any other room in the house. Consequently, it often looks as though it was leveled by a tornado by the end of the day. That’s my kitchen.
If I had the time and help from Santa’s elves I would tackle my kitchen cabinets first. I can’t stand opening them and staring at the abyss of containers and mismatched dishes that seem to reproduce each night.
Ideally, I would clear off all of my kitchen counters and empty the contents of my cabinets on them. Next, I would wipe down the cabinet shelves with soap and warm water. Then, I would sort my stockpile of kitchen containers by size, making sure that each container is matched with the appropriate lid. Unless a container has a matching lid, it would not go back into the cabinet. Containers with missing lids and tops with no bottoms can be placed in the trash or put in a box to be given to charity.
Purging cabinets also allows you the opportunity to toss storage containers that are stained, scratched, or chipped. Thoroughly examine each piece and decide if it is worth saving. If you have a mountain of storage containers, then there’s no reason you should save ones that are in poor condition.
Once you have assessed the remaining containers, place them back into the cabinets in a way that will make it easy for you to access them. Also, pair each container with a matching lid before storing it. Doing so will eliminate the need to rummage around in different locations to find both pieces.