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Organizing Your Home: The Kitchen, Part 3
by Steve Wilcott

Description: Quick, easy tips for organizing your kitchen (Part 3 of 3).

So now you have cleaned off counters, only the appliances you need and love, and a shiny sink. You are on your way! Remember—small steps get the jobs done!

7. Take a look at your cabinets. Are they clean? I’m not talking about the insides (yet!), but the outsides. If they have built-up grime on them, take a cleaner and rag and wipe them down. You’ll be amazed at how different they look and how dirty that rag will be!

8. Now let’s talk about the front of your large appliances. Fingerprints are fingerprints—it doesn’t matter if it’s on an avocado-colored refrigerator or a chrome-colored one. Take some window-cleaner and 5 minutes on each appliance and spray ‘em down. Wipe them clean, and don’t forget the small crevices where crumbs hide. Remember—you’re not doing the insides, just the outsides! Hit the refrigerator, the stove, the dishwasher, and anything else that “fronts” in the kitchen that I might not have mentioned.

9. Now take a look at your kitchen table & chairs. When was the last time you washed them down? Is there food stuck to them that is of questionable origins or dates? This will probably take more than 15 minutes, but take a rag and a bottle of cleaner. Spray the chair from the bottom rungs to the seat and up to the top. Let it stand for 2 or 3 minutes and spray down the next chair. Go back to the first one and start rubbing with the rag. You’ll be amazed at what comes off and how clean the chair becomes! Repeat each step until all the chairs are done. Then spray down the table legs. Same procedure—spray, let it sit, rub and wipe. Now your chairs and table are clean enough to eat off of!

10. Take a gander at your floor. Dismal, huh? Start small—sweep it with a broom and dustpan. Move the things that are up against the wall, but don’t feel obligated to sweep with your toothbrush. In other words, don’t obsess about the crevices—do the best you can with a regular broom. Sweep in to small piles to make pick-up easier and transport the dirt & crumbs to the trash can. Now take out a mop. I don’t care if it’s a rag mop, a sponge mop, or a Swiffer ® mop. You don’t have to mop like your mother did—just wet the floor with a cleaner and wipe up the dirt. Remember—even chores that aren’t done “right” (according to how you were taught) but are *done* still bless your home and your family! Let your floor dry and take a break.

Reprinted with permission.