Spring cleaning is dull, but a kitchen clean out means you'll be free to start cooking up a seasonal storm. Here are our top tips for de-cluttering your kitchen!
We're in April now, so if you've been putting off your spring cleaning, now's the time to sort it out! Yes, spring cleaning is a bore, but de-cluttering cupboards and clearing off your worktops means you can get in the kitchen and start creating new dishes. Here are our top tips to make your kitchen clutter-free.
Clear out
First up, pick everything that you need to throw away. Be ruthless: any chipped crockery and cutlery that doesn’t match should go. Those rusty peelers lurking at the back of the utensil drawer and glasses that are cracked are out too.
The pantry needs a thorough clear out. Get rid of spices that are more than two years old – most have a shelf life of 24 months. Throw away anything that is well past its sell-by-date, and any impulse purchases that, realistically, you know you and your family aren’t going to eat.
Next skim off the surplus. You only need one melon baller, potato masher and other similar utensils. Pick your favourite and give the rest away. All those free mugs from work/the bank/career fair can go, and try and weed out the appliances that you rarely use. In my house, the sandwich toaster, popcorn maker and hand blender are the main culprits. If you use them less than once a year, clear them out.
All these things can be donated to charities like Cancer Research.
Clear off
Clean and fresh worktops make your kitchen much more inviting. So now that you’ve got spare space in your cupboards, you can decide what you need out on the worktops and put the rest away. The only things you should leave out are those you use every day.
First to go in my kitchen would be the collection of half-empty bottles of red wine – maybe it will be coq au vin for dinner – and other booze on the counter top. The only things that qualify for keeping out would be the toaster, chopping boards, kettle, kitchen roll stand and utensil pot.
Also the le Creuset left out on the hob because it looks snazzy can be put away too – you’ll marvel at how much space you’ve now got.
If you need your worktops for some storage, try using some tidying cheats like these hooks for hanging utensils or mugs under kitchen cabinets, hanging spice baskets, or hooking tea towels on the outside of drawers.
Get organised
Now you’ve pruned your kitchen collection, organise your cupboards to reduce the amount of time you spend rummaging around looking for things.
Put plates, bowls, glasses, mugs and cutlery in cupboards near the sink or dishwasher. This means less distance to transport when they are clean.
Keep cooking utensils near the stove, along with spices, herbs, oils and other cooking essentials that you’ll need every time you’re making a meal. That way, when you start, you’ll have everything to hand.
Clear the sink of clutter using some of these nifty gadgets. We particularly like the sinkside dish washing set, as it solves that previously-insurmountable clutter problem: where to hang a wet dishcloth.
With your appliances, put less frequently-used ones to the back of cabinets and your everyday helpers at the front where you can get at them easily. It’s also a good idea to store these in a cabinet next to a power outlet so you can plug in and get going quickly.
Top tips
* Burnt saucepans: 'Put a tablespoon of washing powder into the pan, fill up to the burn mark with warm or cold water, and elave to stand for an hour. Wash in warm soapy water and the pan will be good as new.'
* Condensation: 'A cup of salt placed on a window ledge will absorb moisture from the air and keep your window free of condensation.'
* Dirty oven: 'If food is spilled while cooking in the oven, sprinkle it with salt. Afterwards, when the oven is cool, it will be easier to wipe clean.'
* Funny smelling fridge: 'To keep a refrigerator sweet and fresh, wipe after defrosting with a solution of one tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda in two pints of warm water.'
* Greasy walls: 'If grease is splashed on your kitchen wall, dab on a little Talcum Powder or French chalk. Repeat if necessary, as it absorbs the grease, then brush off after a few hours.'
Have you any top cleaning tips to share with us? We'd love to hear from you, so talk to us in the Comments box below.
This is a classic lovefood article that has been updated
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