Hello my beautiful Reader and welcome back to the blog!
Today I wanted to write a brief post to hopefully inspire you when it comes to your KITCHEN.
Kitchens can either be places of creativity, joy, and hard work, or they can be vortexes of grease, clutter, and stinky foods. I hope that we can all move towards a more streamlined and productive kitchen so that they become places of creativity and warmth instead of a room to avoid. I have been working on improving my kitchen experience for a little over a year now, and I am finally in a confident and good place with it, ready to share some tips!
Enjoy!
1. Vacuum & declutter your drawers regularly.
Just use a dustbuster with a small attachment on the top to get those nooks and crannies! Whether you realize it or not, drawers get sticky, filled with crumbs, and have all sorts of nonsense filling them up. Doing a quick interior tidy and vacuum job can make all the difference AND will make it easier next time you need to find a kitchen gadget. Try to pare down your utensil collection as well so you aren't sifting through seven spatulas every day to get to the one you actually like to use.
2. Use command hooks inside the cupboards to store extra bits and bobs.
I have used this hack to conserve space and put my most used items in convenient locations. I've hung the coffee tablespoon in the coffee cupboard instead of us having to fish it out of the drawer every time we want to make coffee. I've hung my measuring cups up so they're easy to access when I'm in the middle of a recipe, and best of all, I've hung my oven mitts up in the cabinet closest to the oven so that I can quickly grab them before pulling out a batch of cookies. Wins all around!
3. Get a kitchen mat for in front of your sink.
Preferably a thick mat that will save your poor foot pads! I have a wool hand-hooked rug that I like, but you can also get synthetic mats that are extra cushioned. This is a high traffic area, so try to go for a darker color with patterns on it... something I kind of regret not doing for my own kitchen mat!
4. Wipe down the counters every day.
AND DON'T STORE PAPERS ON YOUR COUNTERS! Too many people treat the sides of their counters as a personal filing station. Tsk tsk! Kitchens are for cooking, not filing. Keep your clutter away from the counters by filing your papers or tossing them in the bin. Wipe and spray those puppies down every day, and you will realize how incredible it feels to wake up and walk into a clean countered kitchen in the morning.
5. Clean out your fridge weekly & keep it organized
I've only recently become an expert on this within the past two months, but it is a GAMECHANGER. Grocery shopping has become a breeze as I now know exactly what we have on the menu for the week, what we're running out of, and when we can have a spot of leftovers for a meal instead of cooking fresh. The trick is to put your items in exactly the same spot after every single use and to not harbor leftovers for too long. Wipe it out for bonus points, and your life will be so much better.
6. Put a candle or flowers by the sink.
Putting flowers and candles by your utilitarian sink can add a little luxury to the nonglamorous job of doing dishes.
7. Have a good Bluetooth speaker or another way to entertain yourself.
I always make sure my laptop, phone, or any device is able to be hooked up to a speaker so that I can hear my music, podcasts, or videos over the noisiness of dishes or cooking. It makes being in the kitchen much more enjoyable if you have something to entertain or distract you while you do your work.
8. Have a place to sit down.
This is a recent shift for me, but I bought a small black folding stool that I can tuck near the oven in order to have a place to sit down while stirring food or while I'm waiting for something to bake in the oven. This has obviously been important as now I am pregnant and seem to have less stamina for hours on my feet in the kitchen, but it is also just a nice way to make the kitchen cozier. Recommend x 1000!
9. Invest in drawer liners.
This is also a newer one for me, but I have recently included drawer liners in all my cabinets and drawers, and it has really cleaned up the space! They look gorgeous and help me keep things extra tidy, as well as protect the cabinets and drawers from scratches and stains. Just some light mesh liner is all you need!
10. Decorate it!
This might seem obvious, but I feel like the kitchen kind of falls into the category of "utility" along with the laundry room and bathroom. However, these spaces need just as much love and decor as the next! You might be surprised at how a little bit of decor can make your kitchen feel more inviting and even exciting when it's time to do dishes. I'm still needing to tweak some things in this category, but in general, I encourage you to hang a clock, put up some artwork, and display your favorite cookie jars or aprons. It will make it feel SO much cozier!
Alright, that is all I have for you today my love! I hope you can begin to enjoy your kitchen more and remember that with every section you tidy, the closer you are to a cozy warm space that will be just right for cooking up a nice dinner and actually enjoying yourself, instead of feeling stressed.
Sending you love.
xoxo,
Cait