34 weeks of Clean! Week 3- Kitchen Cabinets and Drawers

Welcome back friends!  So, how are those pantries looking?  I hope sparkling and organized.  Hey, our meals may not all be stunning, but at least our pantries can be, right?  I hope you will share on the linky below so we can all covet rejoice in your success.  A BIG thanks to the 12 that linked up sharing their Christmas decorations!  Each week I will make sure to share one of your links as a friendly thanks! If you are not a blogger, no worries, we still want you to comment and tell us how you did! At least one brave friend has already posted her before and after pictures on our Family, Faith and Fridays Facebook page!


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Next up- Kitchen Cabinets and Drawers.  Now, I know that for some of you that is a lot of ground to cover.  No worries, you have a whole week.  Rome was not built in a day, nor will our homes be transformed in a day.  Slow and steady wins the race, I promise.

Our two goals for this week- clean out and off all those surfaces and pare down what we don't need or simply do not use anymore.  Remember- we are trying to clean AND declutter!

Helpful hints-

• Take everything out of the cabinets and drawers.  You may want to dedicate one day to cabinets and one to drawers!  Wipe down all surfaces, inside and out.  Don't forget to clean places like silverware holders and such.  For me "the such" includes containers under the sink that hold cleaners.  You would think that if they hold cleaners they would be clean, but think again! ;) 

• Put things back neatly, weeding out any unneeded items.  Here is where you need to stop and think! Do I use it?  Do I love it?  Is it just taking up space?  Is this in the best location for me to put it in! For example, I know if the waffle maker is at arms reach, I will use it!  If it is tucked way back in a cabinet and hard to get, it gathers dust.

• If you have a gravy boat you use faithfully every Easter and Christmas, by all means keep it! If you have a springform pan that you may use ONE DAY to make a cheesecake that has been waiting for that time for the past 10 years, maybe it is time to pass it on to someone other chef-wanna-be!

• Once again, if you store cooking ingredients in your cabinets now is the time to check expiration dates and toss what is old.  Do not skip this step, seriously!  Sauces and such do get old and we tend not to notice them as quickly because we do not use them as often. 

• Got two of something? Try to consolidate.  One exception to this rule are cooking utensils, but do not use that as an excuse to have hundreds!  Really, no matter how many you cook for, you can only use so many at one time.  These are ours (I purged them in our last move!)

• Label, label, label!  If you do not know what it is, you will not, or at least, should not use it!  I had several jars of UFOs from my Trim Healthy Momma faze and I could not remember what they were. Sad, but true.

• Going out on a limb here- but re-think your plastic storage.  It can absolutely take over your kitchen and rumor has it that it is not healthy for you anyway. ;)  I have about 5 large ones I use, and the other times I use glassware.  This picture was a before, I assure you it looks better now and we are minus a few Rudy's cups.  Shhhhh, don't tell my husband!

•  Throw out old spices!  They do not keep for years, no matter what anyone tells you! And organize and consolidate!  You do not need three of each and if you cannot remember what they are, you are never going to use them.  I love my old tupperware organizer, but use whatever works for you.  I do have a few new spices in a basket now (who else LOVES Penzy Spices?) simply because I have run out of room in my other containers.  And yes, I DID get rid of the ones I did not ever use.

• Match your pots and pans with all their lids and stack neatly.  If you have non-stick pans, make sure they are in good shape.  For health and safety, if they are peeling, throw them out.

• This week is a good time to throw away old dishcloths and scrubbie things!  You can do it. Once a year is not too often to just start fresh.  We buy a stack of white washcloths and white towels for washing and drying dishes as well as our hands.  We also use cloth napkins, so we keep those in a drawer as well.

• Throw those crusty pot holders in the washing machine and do the decorative rugs while you are at it!

• A note about junk drawers!  Do you have one and why are they usually in the kitchen??  I would love to tell you that this is one thing you do not need, but let's face it, that is not the truth.  Go ahead, open it up, throw away all the stuff you do not need and at least make it look neat and tidy.

To help you this week, Kemi from Homemaking Organized has made some wonderful Spice Labels for you!  Is she amazing or what?  I cannot wait to put these on my containers so they all match.

Week 2- The Pantry

Week 4- Fridge, Freezers, and Floors

I showed you my pantry last week- now is the time to show us yours!

An InLinkz Link-up

See ya back for next week's assignment- remember, slow and steady, one week at a time!

Until then,

Happy Cleaning and Many Blessings,