[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #71CCD5;”] C[/dropcap]leaning a messy kitchen was my least favourite part of cooking.
For years I’ve loved the planning, the shopping, the cooking and of course, the eating.
But the clean up?
Not so much.
Until last year.
I decided to experiment to see what would happen if I re-framed the cleaning up process.
What if I tried to make it fun?
Enjoyable even?
And I found it is possible to have some fun even while you’re doing dishes…
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN TODAY:
- How to enjoy washing up
- 6 simple tricks for easier cleaning up
How to Enjoy Washing Up
1. Re-frame how you think about it.
I started by telling myself that when I walked into the kitchen to clean up after putting small boys to bed that my ‘me time’ started now.
Not when I sat down on the couch.
2. Find some audio entertainment.
I love audio books and podcasts.
So now I save my fun listening for my cleaning up time.
3. Enjoy the ritual of a nice cup of tea.
My first task when it comes to cleaning up is to boil the kettle and make myself a little pot of herbal tea.
I have quite a collection and I love trying new ones.
In Summer I switch this to a big glass of cold sparkling water or kombucha.
6 Simple Tricks for Effortless Cleaning Up
1. Do it now.
The longer you leaves a messy kitchen, the harder it is to clean.
Dried up food is tougher to deal with.
So whenever I’m tempted to put off I tell myself ‘do it now’.
This is especially effective with pots and pans.
I wash out my frying pan (or wok) as soon as I serve up.
While the pan is still hot.
I just run it under the tap.
And give a good scrub with my kitchen brush.
That’s it.
If it’s especially dirty, I use a squirt of dish washing liquid.
Mostly I don’t.
I’m still surprised how much easier it is to clean a hot pan.
Literally the work of seconds.
2. Reduce, reuse, recycle
The key idea here is to simplify where possible.
If you need a spoon to stir, look for one that’s already in use before reaching for a clean one.
It’s also why I always prep more food than I need for that meal.
More on this tomorrow!
3. Time yourself
It’s funny how much bigger and more time consuming tasks can be before you start them.
Especially the less ‘fun’ things like unstacking the dishwasher.
I often think ‘I don’t have time to do that now’.
So recently I timed how long it actually took to unpack my dish. It was 3:36.
Less than 4 minutes!
So now I tell myself, surely I can fit in 4 minutes to do it now.
4. A place for everything, including clutter.
If I don’t have a place to keep everything, it’s impossible to keep a clean kitchen.
If you’re struggling it might be time to have a kitchen ‘spring clean’.
If the thought of parting with your excess items is too much, a box in the garage or shed helps.
I also find having a designated place to keep your ‘clutter’ makes a big difference.
In our house we have a shelf in the entrance way where I can put anything my Irishman leaves lying around the kitchen.
The boys rooms have plenty of space for their stuff.
If you’re struggling with this, it might be a good idea to review Day 2. Making space to create.
5. Use the power of habits.
I’m a huge fan of habits for automating life and making it easy to do hard things.
They help with cleaning up too!
Rather than having to decide every day when I unpack the dishwasher, I have a rule or ‘habit’ of doing it in the morning while I’m boiling the kettle to make tea.
I’ve also instigated a ‘rule’ that I clean up after every meal which makes me feel more like my mum (in a good way).
And as an added bonus I don’t get to the end of the day and have a mountain of dishes to clean up.
We’re going to be going deeper into habits next week.
Stay tuned!
6. Share the load.
Fergal sets the table before dinner.
Everyone helps clear the table after each meal.
My Irishman wipes down the dining table after dinner.
It all helps.
SUMMARY:
Here’s what we’ve covered:
- How to enjoy washing up
- 6 simple tricks for easier cleaning up
ACTIVITY
STEP 1. Review todays lessons. Choose the one trick that resonated with you most.
STEP 2. Make a plan to implement that lesson today.
STEP 3. Share your plan in the comments below.
LEARN MORE
See the Minimizing Cleanup Module of the Simple Dinners Program.
See the One Pot Recipes archive.
Have fun in the kitchen.
Especially when you’re cleaning up!
With love,
Jules x
I think the one thing for me is do it now. I don’t have a dishwasher so I don’t have that job to do. As there is only two of us for one week and only me the other I don’t normally have that much. Hence I tend to let it gather. So the do it now will be to rinse my dishes and use the same ones for the day. I clean my pans when they are hot too. So much easier.
LOVE the idea of rinsing and reusing for the day Leonie – the thought ‘It’s better if I do this now’ really helps me.
The trick of timing the length of a chore most resonates with me. Once I get going cleaning up isn’t difficult, but being able to recognize that a chore takes just a few minutes is a nice push to get it done.
Great takeaway Mary – it’s funny how we overestimate how long things will take before we start
I developed a method for unpacking the dishwasher, using the principle: if something is hard, do it in more then one step. Usually I unpack the sharp things first or I unpack the lower part first (avoid the waterdrops from the upper) and/or I unpack the pans and pots and covers first what goes together to the same drawer in my cupboard. Next step maybe the forks and knifes and spoons (going together), it can be an hour later and so on.
And I have a double rule 🙂
It is forbidden to pick up a new one from the cupboard, if there is a clean one in the dishwasher. AND I must take out at least one more thing, when I pick up the one I need.
Maybe it is strange for someone, to unpack the dishes in separated 2-3-5 steps, but it works for me.
When it’s empty, I have no problem to pack in, the reward is to see the nice, clean table.
But I never pack right after eating. I feel bad in my middle body to lifting things while bend myself down right after eating. It is not comfortable for me.
Nice to see that not I’m the only one, who don’t like this (not so bad) task. Thank you for sharing!
Love it Christy!
I also have the rule of using the clean things from the dishwasher first 🙂
This lesson left me feeling pretty good. I already try to use as few utensils as possible. And when it’s my turn to unload the dishwasher (a task I actually really enjoy), I do it first thing in the morning before sitting down to do my morning puzzles (my wake-up routine). I just might try the cleaning the frying pan trick, but I’m not sure how my germ-phone husband would react to it… Cleaning up as I go – at least getting dishes full of water to soak – is something I learned to do years ago. My mother also taught me to get dishes well rinsed immediately after getting up from the table. That definitely simplifies the cleanup process.
Love that you enjoy unpacking the dishwasher Susan!