Photograph Credit: Free Range Stock (Adamophoto)
With the first week of summer complete, my kitchen has stayed relatively clean. This past week has been busy with mornings and afternoons away from home, but I have not felt overwhelmed.
Using time wisely to keep the kitchen cleaned up, laundry washed, and a general pickup of the house each day helps me stay organized. My house may not be perfectly clean, but it is picked up and organized.
Last week in Part 1 of this series, I shared my after breakfast routine for keeping my kitchen manageable. Today, I’ll share my after lunch routine which is slightly different from my after breakfast cleanup.
Lunch Routine:
- Clear off the table. My two older children ask to be excused and then take their dishes to the kitchen. I have a designated spot for their dirty dishes: on the counter by the sink. My children will then help clear off chips, dips, serving dishes, etc. I will then clear off the rest of the table.
- Wipe down the table.
- Put away any leftover food.
- Rinse each dirty item and place it in the left-hand side of the sink.
- Unload the dishwasher. If the dishes are clean, then I will put away the clean dishes.
- Load the dishwasher. Add all the rinsed-off dirty dishes from the left-hand side of the sink into the dishwasher. If the dishwasher is full, then run the dishwasher.
- Clean all the countertops.
- Spray the kitchen sink and wipe it clean.
At the conclusion of this routine, I have a clean table, countertops, and sink. Spending time cleaning after lunch saves me time and energy. My time is saved during the late afternoon from having to cleanup from breakfast and lunch. I am able to begin dinner preparations without working around a mess. My energy is also conserved since I don’t need to scrub off dried on food. For me, this system helps me to spend my time wisely and stay organized.
Though this routine works for me, it may not work for you. If you also work outside of your home or keep other children in your home, then this routine probably won’t work for you. I share my routine to inspire you to find a system that meets your needs where you are.
By finding a routine and sticking to it, you can arrive home or enter your kitchen without being met with a To-Do pile of dirty dishes. My routine did not develop in a day. By trial and error, I found a system that works for me. If you struggle with a messy kitchen, then start by adjusting one part of your current routine until you find a system that helps you stay organized as you spend your time wisely.
Come back next week for the final post in this series as I share my after dinner routine. In the meantime, I wish you an organized routine for keeping your kitchen cleaned up.