cleaning kitchen Archives - Graceful Order

Basic Housekeeping – Night Routine

September 12, 2014 · by Maria · 17 Comments

The word “routine” already sounds a little daunting. I mean, do you really need to commit to another to-do list, another task? I have worked inside and outside the home and I know that creating a routine is challenging and getting the family onboard is even more so. However, if I commit to completing simple tasks in the morning and in the evening, my day goes by so much smoother and I accomplish more. Of course, there are checklists that point out to clean doorknobs and behind the stove (and I am all about that too) but that isn’t feasible to do all the time. However, I can commit to a basic housekeeping night routine to make my days at home smooth, or at the very least, manageable.

Do I do this routine daily? Ah…NO! I certainly try to, but there are days that I have to leave the house and the beds are not made, the sink isn’t clear, it’s life. I just notice that on the days that I have or make the time to complete these tasks, I am so grateful that I did.

Arrange the couch pillows. This is a pet peeve of mine. These couches are 10 years old and let me tell ya, they have not been babied! In the weekends, we may take naps on these couches, we lie down to watch tv, my boys jump on these couches, they are USED. Basically, the pillows are usually a mess or they fall on the floor. I am always picking them up and threatening that I am going to get rid of them FOREVER. I quickly learned that this threat doesn’t evoke any reactions when you live with men. They are like “cool, more room to play”.

I feel like when the pillows are a mess, the whole room looks messy. So at night I like to prop them up again and I wake up to a neat couch and pretend I live in a world where people care about couch pillows.

Load the dishwasher. Throughout the day, I load the dishwasher without running it until I get in all the dinner dishes. I set it to run at night and I unload it in the morning and start again. You are more likely to load the dishes at night if there is space for them in the dishwasher. If you are already exhausted (and we usually are at night) and you have to unload the dishwasher before re-loading it, you may just skip it all together and leave it for the morning.

Wipe down the sink and stainless steel fridge. I LOVE waking up to a welcoming kitchen! After putting away the dishes in the the dishwasher, clean and wipe down the sink. Also, stainless steel refrigerators are great but they are also a magnet for little hands. Go ahead and wipe it down with your kitchen towel before your throw it in the hamper. A little bit of extra work but you will be thankful you did this in the morning.

Set out a new kitchen towel. We rarely use paper towels, so our kitchen towels get dirty fast. Every night, I place the used one in the hamper.

Wipe down counters and kitchen table. Sitting down in a clean, cleared-out table is more enjoyable for the whole family.

My husband makes our coffee every morning, but you may also want to grind the coffee ahead of time, or set some time aside to go over your agenda for the next day. You can certainly add items to this list, but the point is to make your home a place that welcomes you, in a manageable way that isn’t overwhelming. If I add too many things to my daily routines, I fall behind and get overwhelmed. I like to keep it simple.

House is looking good, so I will go to bed and enjoy a good book…which I will end up falling asleep reading. A day with toddlers will do that to you.

Night Night,

Maria

Cleaning with Lemons

August 8, 2014 · by Maria · 5 Comments

Got lemons? A week ago I shared how I clean my microwave using lemons, and I thought I would also share some of the many ways of cleaning with lemons. Going green has been a priority for me, and it has also been a process. I have slowly replaced my old cleaners with more natural store-bought ones or even homemade cleaners. I think we are all second guessing our cleaning supplies and we want to get away from anything potentially toxic. Of course, we need to replace them with alternatives that are natural and effective. Lemons are both.

Since lemons are acidic, they have antibacterial and also antiseptic properties that can help clean our homes, the natural way.

I use lemons to clean:

The Sink

Surprisingly, sinks can be one of the dirtiest places in the home. You can clean the sink by sprinkling some baking soda and scrubbing it clean. Once you clean and dry it, you can use a lemon half to scrub the sink some more. Squeeze as you clean and use both sides of the lemon and even the pulp. If you have any rust stains in the sink, you can try a mixture of salt and lemon (paste consistency) to scrub that area.

Cutting Boards

I recently shared in detail how I clean my cutting boards. I use a mixture of salt and lemon to scrub the board, before oiling it. You can also remove food stains from plastic cutting boards by using half a lemon, squeezing it into the board and letting it sit a while. Then rinse.

Garbage Disposal

To get rid of odors in the garbage disposal, you can cut up a lemon, throw it in and grind it up. I usually do this after I have already used the lemon to deodorize my microwave. If its just a drain, pouring a little hot water with some lemon juice will help to deodorize the drain!

Microwaves

For details on how I clean the microwave, you can read about it here. You can use a microwave-safe bowl and fill it up halfway with water and a couple tablespoons of vinegar and add a lemon half to the mix. Microwave this for 5 minutes and let stand for a couple of minutes. (Don’t stand in front of the microwave while it’s heating up the water, just in case your microwave is super strong and 5 minutes is too much.) Wipe down the microwave. Squeaky-clean!

Kitchen Odors

To get rid of lingering smells, fill a pot with water and add slices of lemon rind and bring to a boil. This will not only do the trick in the kitchen but your home will smell so fresh! You can also add a cinnamon stick to the mix if you like the scent.

Stovetops and Ovens

I have a glass stovetop and anytime that food splatters, or worse, boils over, a simple wiping down of the stove won’t do. You can make a paste of lemon juice, water, and baking soda and spread on the food spill. Let this paste sit for about 20 minutes and then scrub the area as much as needed before rinsing. The same will work for cleaning the oven.

We know that lemons have great properties for our bodies, but they are also great for maintaining the home!

Let’s remove toxins from our homes and let’s clean the natural way. It’s like cleaning with a “twist” 🙂 . Are you also trying to go “greener” with your cleaners? Do you already use lemon as an alternative?

Maria

Cleaning Wood Cutting Boards

May 5, 2014 · by Maria · 9 Comments

I love my wooden cutting boards. I have a couple that I use regularly, but this is my favorite and most-used board. I place it next to my sink for easy cleanup. I have used it almost daily for the past 15 years.

I use this specific board to cut up fruits and vegetables. I use plastic boards for raw meat. I like that I can throw them in the dishwasher once I am done and I don’t have to worry about cross-contamination with my fruits and veggies.

However, plastic boards will only last a few years before they start looking warped or discolored. Wooden cutting boards can last many years without warping or cracking, if given the right treatment.

Everyday, I simply wipe down my board with soapy water (don’t soak it because this will cause warping) and I dry it. That’s it.

After about a month of daily use, it starts looking a little dull. Like hair that needs conditioning, not just shampooing.

If you want to clean and condition your board, you will need:

Coarse Salt
Half a lemon
Cutting Board Oil You can buy it here or in the store but it must be food-safe for cutting boards. Regular cooking oil will not do as it will go rancid.

So about once a month, I will thoroughly clean it with the following method:

Before starting, make sure that you wipe it down with a wet towel.

Apply coarse salt all over the board.

Using a lemon half and some elbow grease (from an eerily pale hand), rub the surface. Try to squeeze the lemon while you do this.

Give the board a rinse.

Apply the oil all over the board. I put a generous amount because I know that within a couple of hours, my board will soak up all this oil.

Allow to soak in the oil. I leave mine overnight. There seems to be too much on this board, but within hours, it’s all soaked up.

Remove the excess in the morning. I rarely have to do this since my board always soaks up the mineral oil.

You do not have to do this cleaning process to your boards every month, if you are not using them as often. You may get away with every 3-6 months. It all depends on usage.

Also, don’t cut up a lemon just for this. Do this cleaning process when you are already using a lemon for cooking. It can even be partially juiced before cleaning the board. It still works beautifully.

Enjoy your boards, they seem to get even more beautiful with age if cared for.

Let me know if you prefer wooden or plastic boards and why.