The kitchen is one of the most important rooms in your home. But when you can't find space for everyday essentials because all the cabinets are filled to the brim, it can be frustrating to open those cabinets and drawers. It's time you should clean up your kitchen!
Clean up the kitchen: You should sort out these things
It's time for spring cleaning and your kitchen should be at the top of the list. It is a heavily used room in every home that can quickly become dirty and messy. You can find one hereList of helpful tips, which help you keep your kitchen tidy.
Throw away broken and unnecessary items
Throw away any appliances with broken parts and any broken cups you've been clinging to. Donate anything you haven't used in the last six months. Eliminate anything that is duplicated or never used. Think about your current lifestyle and make sure you only keep the things that you use every day.
Collect your rusty pans and put them in the recycling bin. Rust is dangerous to your health, so say goodbye to it unless it is cast iron.
If you're not ready to part with some sentimental items you rarely use, pack them in a box and store them in the garage, attic, or back of the pantry. Label the box so you know what's inside.
Organize spices and food
- Spiceslose their taste over time and other staple foods such as flour and sugar are no longer as good as fresh ingredients after a while. If you haven't used a food item for six months, you should throw it away.
- DieGroceriesshould be organized by category and those that are used frequently should be kept at eye level. You can also use organization techniques in your cabinets, from a rotating spice rack to baskets for packaged foods.
- Take them allcooking oilsoff the shelves, check the expiration date and taste the oils to see if they are still good. Throw away broken bottles, rancid oils, and those past their expiration date. No matter how carefully a bottle is sealed, oils have a tendency to leak. Clean the bottles you plan to store and the shelves before putting the oils back in their place.
- Let's be honest. Ever open the drawer with the ketchup and mustardPortion sachetsand take something out? If not, it's time to use that drawer for something else. If so, maybe it's still time to sort through the collection. If the packages are sticky, corroded or discolored, the contents may have expired. Throw them away!
Organize the plastic containers
Sort the unordered pilesof plastic containersto create more space in the cupboard and simplify storage. Match all the lids to the containers and throw away the parts that don't fit.
Next, you should remove any plastic containers marked 3, 6, or 7, as these are made of dangerous plastics. Keep containers marked 1, 2, 4 or 5, which are safer for people and the environment.
Finally, sort containers by size and only keep the ones you need and are likely to use.
Clean up the kitchen: The fridge
The regular oneCleaning the refrigeratorNot only keeps your kitchen tidy, but also prevents you from eating spoiled food. It also prevents the fridge from being messy and requiring you to deep clean it more often.
There is no need to take everything out of thatRemove refrigerator, just look at what to throw away while arranging your groceries so you can reach them. Check the expiration date weekly and plan a deep cleaning of the refrigerator once a year.
Sort out the frozen foods
Freezers quickly become overfilled and miscellaneous leftovers get hidden behind other foods, creating a frozen wasteland of inedible foods.
Keep your freezer organized by sorting out frozen foods regularly. In general, you should throw away anything that has been sitting there for more than a year. However, leftover cooked meat and poultry should be discarded after six months, frozen raw ground meat after four months, and leftover soups and stews after three months.
Torn pot holders and kitchen towels
Take your entire collection of pot holders and kitchen towels out of the drawer and throw away any stained or torn pieces. If you use torn potholders, you could get a nasty burn. It's best to get new kitchen towels and pot holders that will properly protect your toes.
Clean up the kitchen: the shopping bags
Store the reusable shopping bags in your car instead of in your kitchen cupboard or a drawer. This gives you plenty of space for storing kitchen utensils. Only keep the ones you need for a week or two and recycle the rest.
Also read:Cleaning up and organizing the basement: Practical tips for autumn