The kitchen takes daily consistent cleaning because it gets daily consistent use.
Sometimes, kitchen cleaning has been my favorite home chore. Other times, not so much.
In my 23 years of married life, I’ve had 7 different kitchens. For many, that probably seems like very few, but for myself, who lived in the same house from the time I was 5 until 19, it seems like a vast diversity of experience. Most of those kitchens were small – 2 apartments, 1 small rental, 1 old house, and now back to another small rental while we build.
The house we lived in the longest (12 years) had an amazing kitchen. In fact, when we toured it before buying the house, my first thought was, “Oh, this isn’t going to work. I can’t have a kitchen this nice.” God (and my husband) thought otherwise.
One thing I learned while using that nice kitchen harder than it was intended for was that no matter how much counter space you have, it never feels like enough. Horizontal spaces will be filled and require constant upkeep – no matter how much or how little you have. Space will be used if you’re using your space.
Another lesson I’ve learned in our current downgraded kitchen situation is that surfaces really do make a difference in ease (or even possibility) to clean.
In these life lessons and others like them, I have learned how to be content. I learned to be content in a kitchen that, no matter how gourmet it appeared, still took lots of work to keep clean. I am now getting practice is being content in a small kitchen with cheap materials that I don’t like.
I might not love the kitchen I’m in, but I can still love the work I’m doing there: feeding my people.
The Heart of the Home
When designing the kitchen for the house we’re building, I kept two realities constantly in mind. First, if the kitchen is used (as mine will be), it’s a workhorse, not a showpiece. Therefore, it shouldn’t be visible to people walking in the door or to people relaxing in the living room.
Second, the reality is that all people – family and guests – will be drawn to congregate near (or in!) the kitchen. Therefore, there should be space for people to stand around without being in the way.
The kitchen is the heart of the home, so it’s no wonder people are always congregating there. Work has to happen here throughout the day for the family to function properly, so it takes extra tending to keep it running smoothly.
Kitchen cleaning considerations
As busy moms, we don’t have the time or capacity to get our kitchen to some ideal of cleanliness and beauty. We also want to get the biggest bang for our buck when we do spend time working in and on our kitchen.
So instead of just randomly cleaning whatever catches our eye, let’s take a minute to examine our space and our needs. Then we’ll be able to make smart choices for what to clean and where to focus our limited chore time.
First, we should ask ourselves a question that you might think is superfluous: What do you love about your kitchen?
This one is hard for me right now, because the kitchen in our rental is cheap and small. However, I love that my husband put the small rental garage in the fridge so we could use our big French door version. I love that there’s a window above the sink with room for potted plants. I love that there’s actually a closet pantry.
What good does it do us to list what we like? It puts us in a grateful instead of critical frame of mind. A better attitude, gratitude, and a cheerful perspective will always serve us better.
Second, ask yourself: What is getting in the way in your kitchen?
For me, currently, I am wondering if I’m storing too much on my counters. If I stored my wheat grinder, I’d probably never get it out. But maybe I should try.
Third, consider: What would make your kitchen feel more welcoming and functional?
Now, I’d love to give the litany of improvements I wish I could make, but we’re going to stick with what’s actually feasible and “on my paper” or “in my lane.” I need to declutter the fridge front and spend 5-10 minutes putting more order in the pantry.
The key with this prompt is to not go into critical mode, but rather problem-solving mode.
Kitchen Organization Baby Steps
Perfectionism is always a temptation, but especially in the kitchen because we get our ideas of what it’s “supposed” to be like from tv, magazines, and Instagram.
Our goal in working in our kitchen needs to not be about giving it a beige-linen aesthetic, but rather about keeping it functional.
Even in a small kitchen, there are many areas to focus on. By choosing one area to work in consistently, we can make visible progress.
I recommend making this focus area the sink area. Every kitchen has it, and it’s where the most repetitions must be put in – every time we cook or eat, dishes get dirty and need to be cleaned and then put away. That’s a lot of action. It makes a huge difference to our routines as homemakers when the most used areas have a bit more order and attention.
First, start by washing all the dishes in and around your sink.
Sure, the dishes aren’t going to stay done, but it still feels good to get the space to a zeroed out status every once in a while. Just as inbox 0 is every businessman’s dream, a homemaker’s dream (yes, just like email, it feels like a pipe dream) is sink 0.
Next, wipe out and wipe around your sink, especially around gaskets.
Because the sink is used so frequently, and used to clean dirty things, it gets dirty itself very quickly. Gunk collects where water pools and where materials join, so it’s good to give those areas a little attention.
Finally, add something to focus on in front of your face as you stand at the sink.
Clean and sterile isn’t our goal. As we clean, we also want to add touches of beauty and personality. Maybe you put a kids’ artwork at your window, or a potted plant, or some cut flowers from your yard. Maybe you want a candle there or a few of your favorite dishes displayed.
Your kitchen doesn’t have to be perfectly clean before you add personal touches that make you smile.
Kitchen cleaning efficiency tips
Because the kitchen is such a workhorse, we need to saddle it and ride it well. Does that metaphor work?
With over two decades of homemaking under my belt now, I have come to a breakthrough insight: Kitchens are functional when there’s a clear workspace available. Shocking, I know.
Now, if you have a large kitchen, keeping every surface always clear and clean might be too big of a job. After all, we still need to leave time for actually cooking in our kitchen. Also, we don’t want to spend so much intensity cleaning that we resent the messes made while doing the real work of the kitchen: preparing food.
Even if you have a small kitchen, it’s hard to keep a consistently clear space. After all, all the space will likely be used all the time. There’s no space to spare, so it’s easy for it to all be messy and cluttered most of the time.
Whichever situation you’re currently in, I recommend selecting an island of sanity. A kitchen island is an obvious choice for an island of sanity, but it might also be a peninsula or your favorite work space.
Your island of sanity is the space you select and then always start your clearing and cleaning here. No more doubt about where to start. Whenever you have a minute to tidy, start with your island of sanity. As much as possible, make your island of sanity off limits for simply setting things on. It’s a reserved workhorse space, so our focus is on keeping it clear and clean as much as possible.
Where will your kitchen island of sanity be?Whatever you choose, spend 5 minutes clearing a beachhead of sanity on your island. Five minutes really do add up, especially when, here and there, they are concentrated on a single space.
The final baby step you should take to get some traction in your kitchen might surprise you. As a baby step, wipe down the fronts of your appliances.
Appliances are a huge expanse of space in our kitchens, so wiping them down is a small task with a huge visible payoff. That’s the kind of baby step cleaning task we should be on the lookout for.
Making kitchen cleaning joyful
When we’re working in the kitchen, we don’t want to get so lost in our tasks that we
Identify a common complaint you have about your kitchen. Replace it with a written, related statement of gratitude.
Here’s my example: The kitchen sink is obnoxiously small and shallow. Now, the observation that the sink is small and shallow, especially compared to the sink I had before, is simply a fact. What makes it a complaint is when I make this observation out of irritation, as if I deserved better or can’t work under such oppressive circumstances. I add the drama. I am provoked.
When one sibling complains that another sibling is being annoying, my answer is usually that the complainer can stop being annoyed. Your response is within your control. You don’t have to control other people or circumstances. in order to choose the right thing yourself. The right thing is love and gratitude. If my kitchen sink annoys me, I can choose gratitude.
The problem is me, not the sink. If we owned the house, we would change the fact and replace the sink. But we are renting. In the house we are building, I will have a large, single-basin, apron-front Perfect Form of a kitchen sink. That day is not this day. This day, I am called to work cheerfully where I am. This I can do, God helping me.
So, here’s my written gratitude statement: The kitchen sink might be inconvenient, but I’m so glad there’s a utility sink just a few feet away in the laundry room where I can wash and soak large pots and pans. What a blessing!
Next, we have the real powerhouse move: Spend a full minute, with a timer, thanking God for the things you love about your kitchen. You can pray with your eyes open, slowly scanning your kitchen and offering God thanks and praise for all the benefits He has poured out upon you.
Gratitude is personal. It’s not a mere list of things you like. We are grateful to God for His work and His provision for us. When we take the time to tell Him thank you, our hearts are radically reorganized.
Finally, for the repeat step, we will set up a 10 minute morning or evening kitchen routine with the work that has to be repeated most regularly. Write it out and post it visibly until it becomes normal. I have many other posts all about ten minute morning and evening routines here. The daily bookend routines are key to keeping up with the kitchen chores.
Keep up with Organize October!
Week 1 of Organize October is all about organizing the kitchen. Get the checklist, opportunities for prizes, and links to meetups and workshops by signing up for this free challenge!
