Sunday, March 27, 2011

Spring Cleaning: Kitchen Edition - After

Ahh... Friday afternoon I started Spring Cleaning the Kitchen. I had a long list (and a few "before" pictures) and my goal was to get it all accomplished in 2 days. I came very, very close. Susannah has not been feeling well this weekend, running low grade fevers now and again, so she and I stayed home from church this morning. While she napped I listened to last Sunday's message and finished cleaning.

And now, without further ado, here are my "After" pictures:





What is really on the counter between the stove and frige:

This is the first time I have completely gone through almost every inch of this kitchen since we moved into it. 3 bags of trash and 1 bag of stuff for Goodwill later, my cupboards are much more orderly. They weren't BAD, but they certainly needed a good going through. I threw away a bunch of "high sugar dog food" cereal I had gotten either free or very, very cheap that was outdated ... because we didn't like it enough to eat it. With each thing I handled, I thought "do I like it? do I want to eat/use it?" and if the answer was "no" it went into the trash.

This is my in-kitchen "pantry" cupboard
where alot of spare groceries (like... chocolate chips?) are kept.


This cabinet needed some serious reorganization.
I'm in it pretty much every day.
Now my cookie sprinkles are contained (top left),
granola is at an easier-to-reach level (mid-left),
and the bottom shelf isn't crammed with whatever.


And underneath the sink. Oh, how I wish I had a "Before" picture to show you! It was almost to the point of "throw the item in and slam the door quickly before it falls out."

There is no longer an out of control plastic bag collection,
my smaller cleaning supplies are all corralled in a nice basket,
and it's just way nicer all the way around.

Obviously I didn't take a picture of each cupboard, I didn't want to bore you to death. But believe me that each one is much cleaner and better now!

A few things I learned or realized through this:
  • Very, very soon I am just going to go buy a new dish drainer and drainboard. My current set was retired from my MIL, I've repaired cracks, it's saggy and grows scum and mold where water doesn't drain from it completely, it drives me batty... and well, I'd say since I've had a new set on my Christmas list ever since we got married and I haven't gotten one yet, I'll just have to take the plunge and buy it myself.
  • 2 full days is about all the willpower I have for sticking with one room before I start to burn out.
  • I need to make more jello salads :P We have lots of jello that I bought (for next to nothing) for the purpose of making jello salads... I just need to remember to make them!
I hope to continue my Spring Cleaning this coming week. I'm not sure what room will be next, probably either the pantry or the bathroom & hall closet. Both places need a serious overhaul.

6 comments:

Candi said... [Reply to comment]

Looks fantastic! I always feel more at peace when everything is orderly. I bet you feel the same! And I envy your chocolate chips, girl!!! That's an awesome stash!

Miriam said... [Reply to comment]

@Candi Thanks, Candie! Yes, I do feel less stressed when everything is in order. And I'm hoping the choc. chips last me through this year's baking sale :)

Sally said... [Reply to comment]

Good job! Now, can you come do mine, particularly my cupboards? Seriously, I thought your before pictures were your after pictures, until I got to reading closely. Um, let's just say that if my cupboards looked like your before pictures, I would think they were in fine shape and didn't need a thing. Sigh. I could do a cupboard cleaning thing, but other stuff is higher priority, and besides, I don't have the itch to do that right now. I'm trying to get a stack of pants patched for Paul to wear. I do tiny bit by tiny bit, and I finished one more pair this afternoon.

Enjoy your "new" kitchen. I know you'll love cooking in it so much more now.

On a side note, I used to store my cleaners under the sinks (in the bathroom and the kitchen). Sometime when Paul started crawling, rather than trust my "this is not your cupboard" training, I moved all that stuff to high shelves and put rags, the bath towels and wash clothes, white vinegar, bar soap, etc. under my sinks. Probably none of my kids would ever have drank toilet bowl cleaner, but it was just safer that way. And, I could lie down on the couch and close my eyes while they were awake with peace of mind. Just a thought for future organizing in your house.

Anonymous said... [Reply to comment]

way to go! organization has become my obsession! i didn't used to give a rip, but linden has worn off on me and now i try to organize him!!!!!

Alicia said... [Reply to comment]

Looks AWESOME!!!! I had to scroll down to look at your before pictures. Way to go, Miriam!

I am envious of your fabulous chocolate chip stash. I feel like I am always out of chocolate chips. So hard to find a sale, it seems.

I am surprised to see Velveeta in your cabinet! That must have been a purchase prior to reading Nourishing Traditions, lol...:)

Miriam said... [Reply to comment]

@Alicia LOL, yes, the Velveet was pre-NT, and the BBQ sauce was bought right as I started reading it. Those are 2 things that we don't consume regularly enough that I felt merited getting rid of. I probably will try to not buy BBQ sauce again - it's very much a convenience thing for me, I have and can make homemade just fine! And the Velveeta... well, at $.99/lb (markdown) it's a treat :)