1 Hour Kitchen Cleanse
Guest Post by: Christi Rose,
professional organizer & re-designer
You always hear that the Kitchen is the “Heart of the Home”.
I agree. It’s where we gather as a family, create an prepare nourishing meals to provide to our families. It is also where we hold a ton of clutter and excess baggage! We hold onto sentimental things passed down to us, or things that we knew we were going to use, but just never got around to it yet.— Sound familiar???
If it does, you are not alone! Millions of people relate to those same statements and feelings. I know it can be a strange thing to identify with- but emotion clutter is strong in the kitchen. Items hold memories and feelings and traditions. Please know that this is NOT ALL BAD. But what happens is we continue bad habits in the kitchen and don’t find healthy ways to keep the good stuff and let the rest go.
AH!!!!! But there is help, and light at the end of the tunnel. There are some really healthy ways to make small changes or big ones if you are ready.
First I say start with doing a 1 hour kitchen cleanse. I know right. You are telling yourself- there is no way I can do that in one hour!!! But you can. This isn’t going to be a crazy- deep cleaning and now everything is perfect kind of day, but it will get you off to a great start and feeling accomplished on this journey to a healthier life style and create space for more change to take place in your home.
Set the Stage:
Designating a set amount of time for each step of your cleaning and organizing process is the best way to stay on track. You can choose to change up the order in which you tackle each step, but don’t skip any of them.
Set the Mood:
Yep- get that fierce playlist out. The one you listen to when you really want to kick some.
Set a Timer:
Seems like common sense, but when we physically see that we will be cut off- we tend to move faster and with more intention.
Minutes 1-15
One of the biggest sources of kitchen clutter is expired foods and condiments that take up unnecessary space in the fridge, in cabinets or on your counter tops. Similarly, holding onto almost empty boxes or jars is a huge waste of space — case in point: chances are that if you never used those old jars and containers for anything yet- you never will. Time to purge!
Don’t toss perfectly good food that you know you’ll use. Spend these 15 minutes throwing out only expired foods or packages that are so close to empty you know you will never actually use them again. And if you find non-perishables getting close to their expiration date that you don’t like or won’t use, set them aside to donate
Minutes 15-30
Time to move on to your dishes. Most dishes already have their own designated spot, so it just becomes second nature to put them right back after they’ve been used or cleaned. But now’s the perfect time to go through everything and tidy up your cupboards and get rid of those cracked or broken pieces.
I’m a believer in using the good stuff on myself too. After all I am worth it right- This is one of the emotion things. Keep them in what I call “ Prime Real Estate”. So you can easily reach them and know that you are worthy.
Start with your glasses and mugs and recycle any that are cracked or damaged. If you don’t use something set them aside to donate. Then move on to your plates, bowls and utensils, and repeat the process.
Remember to organized to your life style- not to what you think magazine cover stories are made of. This create long lasting and healthy habits.
Minutes 30-45
Now it’s time to move onto your utility items: pots and pans, slow cookers, blenders, coffee makers, even all those cooking gadgets you impulsively bought or that have been passed down. First things first, if you’ve never used an item donate it! No more guilt needed- Thank you for visiting!
Go through and purge the ones that are no longer in good shape. Holding onto your old non-stick pan that’s completely lost its coating is doing you no good. Thank them and say goodbye. After you’re done, remember the rule of prime real estate and return everything to its new home and take a breath! YES!!!! You now have extra storage space.
Minutes 45-60
WHAT????? You’ve made it to the final 15 minutes, and are in the final stretch of the this cleanse! This is the fun part! Just give all of your surfaces a quick rubdown — this is not a deep clean, just a little refresh to make everything sparkle and smell as clean as you feel. Finish up with a quick sweep up and a few dance moves to that last song on the play list.
I like to bring in some fresh cut flowers and just take in the feeling of accomplishment, serenity and love on the memories that will be made in this “Heart of the Home” now.
I told you that you could do it! Congrats.
Now if you are ready to take the next steps and dig a bit deeper then visit Christi’s site and explore her services & subscribe to the blog: www.eddiva.com
