▼ Everyday items, like bowls used for soups or desserts, belong dishware, single-use gadgets like potato ricers, oversized in “A” storage areas where you can reach them without undue serving dishes, canning jars, or the waffle iron.
effort, and where they can be easily replaced after washing up.
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Kitchen
activity
centers
In the kitchen, there’s a primary rule: tools that work together should live together.
Can you mix a cake, peel vegetables, or fry a burger without taking an extra step?
Carry out this rule by creating activity centers in the kitchen: centralized places that group and organize tools needed for routine kitchen activities.
Each center will be organized according to an activity focus, be Clean-up center
assigned a designated space, and encompass storage for tools The potato salad is sitting pretty, garnished, and ready to chill.
needed for that particular activity.
It’s time to clean up—and to do so, we’ll call on the activity In most kitchens, activity centers will overlap. A sink/cutting focus, designated space, and storage in the clean-up center.
center—the zone for peeling, chopping, and washing food—
In this area is everything needed for cleaning up and may sit cheek-by-jowl with the cooking center focused on the trash collection. The designated location is under the sink, nearby stove. Drawer and cabinet space may be shared between and includes the center’s storage; in households with young centers, and so may the tools and items they contain. Don’t children, be sure to secure the cabinet with childproof locks worry! The focus is on function, not boundaries. So long as you or choose an inaccessible, high-up storage location close by.
can get the job done without taking a step, overlap between Moisture is a persistent issue in a cabinet beneath the activity centers is the norm.
sink, so a cabinet liner is a must. Scraps of vinyl flooring, cut to fit the base of the cabinet, make it easy to wipe up spills Sink/cutting center
and keep the area sanitized.
You’re making potato salad for a picnic. In the next 15 minutes, Large under-sink turntables make it easy to store items you’ll drain fresh-cooked potatoes, peel and grate hardboiled in the inaccessible back of the under-sink cabinet. Increase eggs, chop onion and celery, and mix a tasty dressing for your under-sink storage by mounting specialty organizers to the salad—and you’ll do it all using the natural components of cabinet doors. A towel rack keeps hand towels at the ready; the kitchen’s sink/cutting center.
small shelves stow dishwashing liquid, sponge, and rubber This center’s focus: washing, chopping, draining, and gloves for easy access at washing-up time.
preparing food. Its designated area: the sink and a counter area When it’s time to toss the trash in the under-sink garbage next to the sink. Storage for this center can include the counter, can, plastic liners are clean and convenient. Make it easy to sink storage areas, a drawer, and cabinet space.
change liners by storing a good handful at the bottom of each Most-used cutting tools earn a home on valuable counter can, underneath the current liner. When you remove the full space. Paring knives, serrated knives, and butcher knives are bag, a fresh bag is always available.
close at hand—and attractive—stowed in a knife block. Hang a paper towel dispenser on the wall or beneath a cabinet to Cooking center
save space. To encourage hand washing and hygiene, decant Focused on the stove top and oven (and maybe a microwave liquid handwashing soap into a pretty pump dispenser, and oven), the cooking center is the place to fry chicken, simmer assign it a home next to the sink.
chili, or bake a batch of cupcakes. It’s home to the pots and
pans, whisks and spatulas used to heat, cook, and bake food.
▲ The sink/cutting center is where much food preparation Because the cooking center’s tools are many and large, look begins. Here you’ll house all the tools you’ll need for slicing, hard for storage options near the stove that can be included chopping, cutting, grating, sieving, and squeezing.
in this activity center. Above the stove hood, store baking pans and cookie sheets. Some stoves feature under-store drawers Herbs and spices need to be conveniently located for easy that are natural homes for the broiler pan and large bakeware.
seasoning, but make sure they are in a cool place: they’ll lose Put pots in their place with hanging racks that store cookware their savor stored under hot conditions.
in plain sight—and within easy reach.
Spoons and spatulas are durable friends; store them in the Mixing center
easiest-to-reach drawer, or stand them upright in a stoneware In the words of an old song, “Can she bake cherry pie, Billy crock near the stove. Affix a hook in the wall or underneath the Boy, Billy Boy?” She can—if her organized kitchen includes a cabinet for hanging potholders at the ready—but not too close well-planned mixing center.
to heat sources!
The focus: mixing, preparing, and assembling food. The Store cooling racks, muffin tins, cookie sheets, and broiler mixing center is the place where cookie dough and piecrusts, pans vertically on their sides in the cabinet. You’ll be able to marinades and muffins make their appearance. Star player in reach just the pan you need, without having to lift, sort—and the drama will be the electric mixer, with supporting roles scratch—the rest of the group.
filled by measuring cups, baking supplies, canisters, and sifters.
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The mixing center is the most movable of all the kitchen resistant shelf-liner cushions delicate china and glasses, activity centers. Since it’s not tied to a fixture, such as the sink preventing breakage. Assign dishes a home according to their or stove, it can be located in any designated area with counter function and use. Just because you purchase dishes as a set space available. Storage includes cabinet, drawer, and wall doesn’t mean you should store them that way. A “breakfast areas around the designated counter space.
shelf” holds cereal bowls, salad plates, and mugs—and lets children set the breakfast table each morning.
Dishwashing/tableware center
Seldom-used
serving
dishes
live
in
the
inaccessible
way-
The meal is over and it’s time to clean up—and turn to the back of the cabinet shelf, while plates and soup bowls enjoy dishwashing/tableware center to get the job done. Chances the air and light of the shelf front.
are, this activity center will lie right next to the cutting center, Keep plastic food storage containers nested and handy.
since both share the kitchen sink as a designated space and They’ll help build the next day’s lunches from the evening’s use the same washing tools. The automatic dishwasher is the leftovers. Corral lids separately in a plastic basket or drawer second compass point for this activity center.
to prevent fallout—the descent of multiple containers onto The center’s focus is the washing and storage of dishes your feet when the cabinet door is opened.
and tableware—in a manner that will help family members to get the job done fast. Find storage for these items in drawers
▼ Keep children’s bowls, mugs, and other breakfast and cabinets convenient to the dishwasher. Shelf paper helps requirements together on a low shelf where they can be reached prevent scratching when putting dishes away; plastic skid-easily and quickly laid out in the morning.
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Kitchen centers
Organizing the kitchen according to activity
makes it easy for others to find what they need—
centers helps to speed cooking chores by storing
and to put them away. While some tools will span
tools in the area where t
hey’re most likely to be
more than one center, the categories below give
used. There’s a natural logic to activity centres that a rough guide to who’s who in the kitchen.
Sink/cutting center
Cooking center
▪ Cookie cutters
▪ Knives
▪ Pots, pans, and lids
▪ Biscuit cutters
▪ Cutting boards
▪ Baking pans
▪ Canisters for bulk baking
▪ Grater
▪ Microwave cookware
supplies (flour, sugar, brown
▪ Strainers
▪ Loaf pans
sugar, yeast, cornstarch)
▪ Colander
▪ Muffin tins
▪ Baking staples: baking soda,
tools and equipment
▪ Juice squeezer
▪ Pie pans
baking powder, salt, vanilla,
▪ Mixing spoons
▪ Roasting racks
pan spray
▪ Rubber scraper
▪ Spice rack with spices
▪ Herbs and spices
▪ Garlic press
▪ Wooden spoons
▪ Shortening
▪ Vegetable peeler
▪ Spatulas and lifters
▪ Sweeteners (honey, molasses)
▪ Vegetable brush
▪ Wire whisks
▪ Cupcake papers
▪ Melon scoop/melon baller
▪ Ladles
▪ Cake decorating tools
▪ Paper towels
▪ Instant-read thermometer
▪ Liquid handwashing soap
▪ Candy thermometer
Dishwashing/
▪ Meat thermometer
tableware center
Clean-up center
▪ Cooling racks
▪ Plates
▪ Garbage can
▪ Cookie sheets
▪ Bowls
▪ Garbage can liners
▪ Broiler pan
▪ Glassware
▪ Dishwashing liquid
▪ Covered roaster
▪ Mugs and teacups
▪ Dishwasher detergent
▪ Serving dishes
▪ Rubber gloves
Mixing center
▪ Knives, forks, and spoons
▪ Dish pan
▪ Electric stand mixer
▪ Serving utensils
▪ Dish drainer
or hand mixer
▪ Plastic food
▪ Cleaning cloths
▪ Food processor
storage containers
▪ Cleaning supplies
▪ Automatic bread machine
▪ Napkins (cloth or paper)
or cleaning tote
▪ Mixing bowls
▪ Dishpan and dish drainer
▪ Abrasive cleanser
▪ Batter bowls
▪ Rubber gloves
(scouring powder)
▪ Measuring cups
▪ Liquid dishwashing soap
▪ Sponge
and spoons
▪ Automatic dishwasher
▪ Silver polish
▪ Mixing spoon
detergent
▪ Houseplant watering can
▪ Rubber spatula
▪ Hand towels
▪ Houseplant fertilizer
▪ Rolling pin
▪ Dish towels
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CYCLES OF AN ORGANIZED HOME
Special kitchen
cleaning
challenges
The kitchen. It’s the heart of the home—and home to the household’s toughest cleaning challenges. Slinging hash from day to day feeds the family—and the grime gremlins, too. Rout the dirt and bring sparkle to the kitchen with these cleaning tips for ovens, stove tops, and sink and counter areas.
Oven
Heat plus grease plus food spills equal a tough cleaning chore: cleaning cloth. This process removes the last traces of oven the oven. Baked-on food and spattered grease require additional cleaner, and prevents your next meal from tasting like cleaning firepower in the form of specialty cleaners. Commercial oven chemicals! Similarly, be careful to remove all traces of oven cleaners do the job well—but are formulated with corrosive cleaner from around the oven door gasket and seal.
products such as sodium hydroxide (lye), and should be handled
▪ Try green alternatives. If you don’t like the idea of with extreme care.
corrosive commercial oven cleaners, there is a greener option: baking soda. Sprinkle an even ¼ in (5-mm) layer of baking
▪ Safety first. Whatever the cleaning method, protect eyes, soda in the bottom of a cold oven, then lightly dampen the skin, and clothing while cleaning the oven. Wear long sleeves soda with water; it should be moist, but not wet. Spread the and rubber gloves to protect arms and hands; safety goggles paste over the walls and ceiling.
or glasses prevent injury to the eyes. A painter’s mask guards Let the soda paste stand for 12–24 hours, re-wetting if against corrosive fumes, particularly when using spray oven it dries out. The paste dissolves grease and softens burned-on cleaner products. Where possible, use a liquid formulation.
food, and makes it easier to remove next day. You will need to
▪ Follow directions. If using commercial oven cleaners, read apply some elbow grease to the job, but you’ll avoid working the directions first, then follow them. Oven cleaners may be with corrosive cleaners.
formulated to work on warm ovens or cold ones, so get the To clean oven racks and drip pan the green way, soften method straight before you begin. Newer versions offer fume-them up with an ammonia bath. Place the racks and pan in a free cleaning for a healthier home.
large, leak-proof black garbage bag, and add ¼ cup (60ml)
▪ Rinse clean. After cleaning, use a spray bottle filled with non-sudsy ammonia. Seal the garbage bag, and place it water to rinse the oven walls, then wipe them dry with a outdoors or in a garage overnight. The ammonia will soften baked-on food and make for easy cleaning the next morning.
Rinse thoroughly and remove any remaining food, then dry
“Kitchen dirt heads straight
the racks and drip pan before replacing them in the oven.
for the sheltered hideouts
Stove
The top of the stove is a homing ground for kitchen dirt. Pans offered by stove knobs,
boil over and skillets pop grease; stirring spoons deposit little rings, and burner pans.”
lakes of dried sauce after the meal—and all of it heads straight
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Cleaning the kitchen
Nothing says “good morning!” like a clean and sparkling kitchen. Achieving cleanliness in the face of an endless parade of hungry family members is another matter. Tackle kitchen grime and gunk quickly with this step-by-step guide to a clean kitchen.
Empty the garbage can, and replace
Wipe down walls and backsplashes,
Scrub the interior of the sink with a
any can liners. Pre-spray all counters
cabinet faces, and the fronts of
powdered cleanser or a spray degreaser.
and the stove top before you begin to
kitchen appliances with a cleaner-
Use a toothbrush to rout out dirt
clean using a degreaser or a multi-surface
dampened cleaning cloth. Use an extra
around sink rims and drains. Rinse, then use
spray cleaner. Move around the room and
spritz of multi-surface cleaner to remove
degreaser to clean fixtures and the sink apron.
spritz flat surfaces lightly.
fingermarks, smears, and stains.
Wipe dry with a clean cloth.
Back to the counters, this time to
R
eturn to the stove top, and use the
Sweep or vacuum the floor, then damp-
wipe them clean and dry. Use a
toothbrush to remove softened food
mop. Pay extra attention to the areas
scraper to remove dried-on foods,
from around the burners, knobs, and
beneath the sink (water spots) and
and a small tile brush to loosen soil where
dials. Tackle stubborn blobs with a scraper.
stove (grease). Shake and replace any mats
the backsplash meets the countertops.
Wipe dry with a fresh cleaning cloth.
or rugs. Put away tools, cleaners, and apron.
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CYCLES OF AN ORGANIZED HOME
for the sheltered hideouts offered by stove knobs, rings, and burner pans, where it dries and hardens.
▪ Prevention, not cure. As in the game of life, the best defense against stove-top dirt is offense. Wipe up stove spills immediately, before heat has a chance to harden them.
Consider covering burners on gas ranges and older stoves to protect them from kitchen-borne grease.
▪ Take your time. When you do have to clean, use tools and time to help the job along. Spritz cold stove tops with a thick coat of degreaser spray, then give the product 10 minutes or so to soften dirt. Use a toothbrush to get into nooks and crannies and rout out the soil.
▪ Overnight treatment. Spattered stove rings and drip pans may be cleaned in a similar way to oven racks. Remove them from the stovetop and place them in a large black plastic garbage bag. Add ¼ cup (60ml) of non-sudsy ammonia, seal the bag, and store it outside overnight. Next day, use a scrubbing sponge to remove the last traces of soil.
▪ Special needs. Newer sealed stove tops or ceramic stovetops require special cleaning methods to preserve their beauty. Check with your stove’s manufacturer for the recommended cleaning products for these stoves.
▲ Shiny and safe. A paste made up of a solution of 50–50
baking soda and water makes stainless steel fixtures sparkle and Microwave oven
avoids the use of harsh abrasive cleansers.
Cut the Clutter Page 13