The kitchen was always a room where I struggled to keep it clean. I unfortunately would get so stressed out and depressed about it that I would avoid the room until it would be so bad that we had nothing clean to eat with, you couldn't see the counters, & the dishes were stacked so high I was surprised they weren't falling out. It was out of control! Then whenever I would finally clean it, a couple days later I could see it slowly start getting bad again & the awful circle repeated itself. I was tired of it! The pictures below were taken before our kitchen remodeling began. These next 5 things I did helped out sooooo much & I hope they can help you out as well.
Number 4 is a very important one to follow!
1. Only have the amount of dishes you actually need. If you aren't hosting a lot of get togethers then there is no reason to have several different sets of dishes. I had all kinds of random cups, plates, and silverware cluttering up my cabinets and drawers. I only have 5 people in my household so I went through & only kept a matching set of 5 big plates, 5 little plates, 5 bowls, & 5 cups. I did keep 1 fancier set of matching plates incase we do have family over. I got rid of all my miscellaneous silverware only keeping the matching ones & I didn't need 20 different cups. When you only have what you need it will feel a lot less cluttered.
2. Go through all of your cooking utensils & appliances you have. Separate into 3 categories; used frequently, used occasionally, & never used. I went a head and got rid of all the things I did not use. No reason to keep it if you never use it. The things I used frequently went into an easily accessible place & the items I occasionally use went into our pantry.
3. Make sure everything has a designated place. I used to just shove things in my cabinets just because I didn't know where else to put it. Now that I have gone through all my kitchen stuff, I actually have room for everything to have a designated spot. Always put them back in that spot so you always know where to go when you need to use it. Nothing more stressful than knowing you have something and not having any idea where you put it last.
4. Clean up as you go! When cooking, measure out all ingredients into prep bowls. After you have ingredients measured out, put the rest up right away. Once you are done preparing the food, put anything you used straight into the sink. Once you get the food actually cooking then begin washing all the dishes in the sink. When you go to sit down to eat you will only have the dishes the food was cooked in & the dishes you used to eat with. After you eat clear the table & then begin washing everything in the sink. When done washing, set dishes onto a drying mat, hand dry & put away before anyone leaves the kitchen. If you leave it for later you will be more likely to get lazy & not want to do it.
5. Never go to bed with a dirty kitchen! No matter how late it is or how tired you are, stay up and make it clean every night. Wipe off the counters, wipe out the sink, straighten everything how it is supposed to be, dump the trash, & whatever else is needed to make it pretty. You will be so glad you did the next morning!
I can't explain enough how much better you will feel if you have a clean kitchen all the time! It eliminates a great deal of stress for me & I hope these 5 things can help you do the same!