Make your house your home! Start living more fully! Declutter, Organize, Simplify, and Play!

I am in a place where I am taking deep breaths again.  I need a few days to deal with a personal crisis.

I have not had the time I hoped to print up the Kitchen Challenge series in plenty of time for Thanksgiving.  The articles have been really long and things have been brewing here for a few weeks on other fronts limiting computer time AND my concentration.  I haven’t been collecting websites this week like I normally do either, so if there is a Sites to See this weekend, it will be really short.  But I will be back at the first of the week.

Next week I’d like to write some other articles that may help you get ready for the holidays. So I will continue the Kitchen Challenge after Thanksgiving then get back to the Scavenger Hunt and start adding more Quick Tips.  We will see what all we can accomplish between now and January even with the busy season.

Just a few things to remember and to take a peek at over the next few days:

• Keep those kitchen surfaces clear and the dishes washed. Daily.
• Try to empty out the pantry, refrigerator and freezer as much as possible to make room for all of the things you will be stuffing in there for Thanksgiving.
• Have your meals for the holiday weekend planned.
• Check your recipes for the meals and make a detailed grocery list. Try to spread out the grocery shopping for those items. (Consider getting an extra turkey/breast.  You can cook it in the crock pot on Thanksgiving to make sure there is plenty of leftover meat for sandwiches and pot pies.)
• Inventory your trays, serving bowls, serving spoons, gravy boats, etc. to make sure you will have one for everything you will be serving.
• Also check the cookware to make sure you have the pots and pans you will need to cook all of it.
• Take a peek at Countdown To Thanksgiving from Everyday with Rachael Ray.  It is a seven day countdown to assist you with timing prep activities for your Thanksgiving dinner.  The web page also has links to menus and recipes if you are looking for extra guidance.
• Feel free to explore the Sitemap to find other articles you may have missed.

We will talk about some more things over the next couple of weeks, that should also help you enjoy the holiday more.

Hugs to all of You

Thank you for hanging in there with me.  Seeing the subscriptions to LPO continue to grow and seeing the average amount of time readers actually spend on the site mean SO much to me. More than you could possibly know. And special extra hugs to those of you that have added comments.

There is one more thing you could do that would help.  I am making a prayer request. If you would, consider adding my family to your prayers including prayers for strength for the hubby and me. I know it would make a huge difference.

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I hope you are still keeping those surfaces clear and the dishes done! Today we will tackle your pantry. Now, you do not have to have a true pantry cabinet. Look around your kitchen or anywhere you store foods that do not go in the refrigerator or freezer.

As you work your way through, have a basket or box nearby for food donations. Also keep the trash can and recycle bin nearby for out of date foods.  Adding packaging to the recycle bin will take an extra moment, but will reduce the number of times you need to empty the garbage in addition to keeping unnecessary items out of the landfill.

I suggest you also fill the sink part of the way with soapy water and get a dish rag. How often do you get the time to clean these shelves otherwise? Wipe down any packaging as you add it back to the cabinets, too.

Gather the Food

It may be a pain, but I truly suggest that the first time around you put all of your food out on the table and the counters to make it easier to really sort through. When you leave part of it in the cabinets, it makes it easy to miss out of date items, multiples, and things that you really do not use. You will catch items that you have put away in different places.

And having all of it out also gives you an opportunity to really notice the things you do use in abundance that you may not have noticed before. You can look into buying in bulk or into storage containers that would save space. Packaging takes up a lot of space. If you only have one of something, there isn’t a lot you can do about it, but let’s say you have many boxes/bags of the same type of pasta or cereal that you often use. It may be worthwhile to think about getting some containers that hold all of it without the original cartons.

We are going to do one step at a time making the food pile smaller with each step. Make sure to check the expiration dates as you go for everything.

Unwanted Food

Pull out all of the items you don’t use. If it is still within date, add the item to the donate basket. If it has expired toss it. The local food bank will always be thrilled for any little bit you can offer. I know right now many of the local schools are having food drives with the classes competing with each other for prizes.  If you have kids, check in with their schools and see if they have anything similar planned.

Duplicates

Look for multiples. Do you have two open bags of the same chips or other food? Do you have more of an item than you will use? Check the open packages to see if one is stale. Can you combine any of the open packages and dispose of one of them? If you have a lot of one item, but seldom use it, consider donating some of them to the food bank or giving them to family and friends. (If you can get several people to work on their pantry, too, maybe everyone can trade and save a little at the grocery.) Add everything you are keeping back to the food pile and remove everything that you are giving away.

Sorting Canned Goods

Now tackle the cans. I suggest sorting the cans into at least three categories - vegetables, fruits, soups and other meal-in-a-can types. You may have other additional categories to add. Within each category, sort like with like so you have all of the green beans together and all of the fruit cocktail cans together, etc. Put all of the cans away, one category at a time. Next time you are in a pinch to make a meal more balanced, you may be able to just pop open a can of something.  Remember to toss any expired goods and to wipe off each can as you go.

Organizing the Snacks

Go back to the foodstuff pile and pull out all of the quick snack items such as crackers, chips, popcorn and the like. Try to keep all of these items together on a shelf to themselves or even in a separate cabinet space. Next time the family goes to grab a quick snack, the entire pantry won’t be disheveled in the process.

I have been occasionally buying tall, clear snap tight containers one at a time. They are rectangle shaped and fit in my upper cabinets perfectly two deep. I have one cabinet that is dedicated to these and keep them filled with nuts, candy, crackers, and such. Everyone can find something quickly without making a mess. It is also nice to be able to offer anyone who drops in several things to snack on without having to think about it.

This has shaved a little here and there off of my grocery bill, because I only buy snacks when a container is empty and less chips and crackers are tossed because they are kept from going stale. The family also more often chooses a healthier snack than they did before because the nuts and pretzels look just as good as the candy when put in these jugs.

Baking Supplies

Now pull out any bags of sugar, flour, oils and other items used mostly for baking.  Include cake and pudding mixes.  I keep items previously from my spice cabinet such as baking powder, baking soda, food coloring, etc. in this cabinet.  Pretty much anything used for making doughs or desserts. If any of the bags are open, check for meal worms that may have gotten in. If you find any, discard the whole bag. Put these staples on a shelf together.

I prefer to keep as few things as possible on my counter tops.  I do keep canisters on my counter. But, instead of using a regular graduated canister set, I found large air tight plastic containers that could be purchased individually. I purchased three that were the same size. I use one for all purpose flour, one for sugar, and one for cornmeal. They are large enough that they hold a good size bag plus whatever I have left over from before, but are not so big that they take over the counter. Because they are clear, a simple glance tells me when I am running low. Best yet, the seals don’t seem to get stuck on these or dry rot like on canister sets I have had in the past and I have much more space freed in my pantry.

Sauce and Powder Packages

Pull out any envelopes or packets and put these together. I keep mine flip file style in a rectangle disposable storage container without the lid to keep them from sliding all over the place. I have one friend that keeps hers in a recipe file box in her spice cabinet and another that keeps them together using a simple rubber band.

Organizing Spices

Pull out any spices and discard anything that is over six months old. Very few spices last after six months some expire even sooner. I used to keep a cabinet full of dozens of little bottles. When I cleaned the cabinet out, I realized that there are really only a handful that I use regularly. The rest were used only for holiday baking or purchased special for a specific recipe I wanted to try. The ones I used regularly were fairly new, but the others were at least a year old. I tasted a few and tasted absolutely nothing or an aftertaste that was ‘off’.

So now, I have a few little spice bottles in the upper cabinet on the right hand side of my stove, one container of candy sprinkles for ice cream in the snack cabinet, a small handful of extracts and some food coloring in my pantry with the baking supplies, and three shelves in my cabinets that are freed up for other items. I now purchase the smallest containers I can get away with for baking and give the leftovers away.

I love plants. I grow other less but occasionally used herbs live in little pots on my windowsill. I just added a board to make the sill wider. The plants smell great, look pretty, always taste fresh when I do need them, and there is not any waste. Most of them are very easy to take care of, too. Seed packets are really inexpensive. Growing the herbs is much cheaper than buying the dehydrated versions from the store even when the store is running a sale.

Everything Else in the Pantry

The remaining items in you pantry can be sorted like with like in a few different ways. You can sort them together by their packaging, i.e. box or bag. You can sort them by frequency of use. You can even sort them by food type.

I sort mine as if we were selecting a restaurant. What kind of food are you in the mood for? I have all of my spaghettis, macaroni and cheese and other pastas together. With those I keep unopened parmesan cheese, spaghetti sauces, and anything else I tend to use mostly for Italian or pasta dishes. I call this my Italian shelf. I also have Mexican faire, Oriental faire, and another section that I call Comfort food. The Comfort foods shlef includes stuffing bags, one skillet boxes, instant mashed potatoes, oatmeal, beans, etc. I guess mac and cheese and rice should go here, but they seem to complete the pasta shelf well for me.

I also have a shelf that I keep all of my coffee, tea, and hot chocolate stuff. I keep all of them near my coffee maker. Before we start talking about how to organize drawers and cabinets, we will talk about how to set up other special spaces in your kitchen to make everything easier for you.

Spare Condiments.  All of those barbecue sauces, apple cider vinegar, salad dressings, and other sauces. Pretty much anything else that can not be eaten on its own or added to previous groups gets its own shelf space.

Continue sorting out your remaining foodstuff in ways that make sense to you and put them back away. Make sure to keep eliminating anything that your family does not actually eat and to combine or toss multiples when possible.

Anything left should be items that are not food. Put any notes or pieces of paper in your paper box. Toss any disposable items and trash. Try to find a new home for anything that does not belong.

Maintenance and Follow Up

When you do your grocery shopping try to stick to a list to keep duplicates and foods you will not really use to a minimum. We will talk about menu planning and grocery lists another day to help you out. When you put groceries away, try to keep the older items in the pantry to the front.

Go ahead and schedule a day every six months or so to sort through your pantry. I have it planned prior to Thanksgiving and prior to Independence Day. Both are pretty big cooking dates in our house and it helps me to plan while keeping the cabinets in check.

Once you have gotten your pantry to a point where you can always find what you are looking for and have less food waste from expiration dates, you do not need to pull everything out each time. You will be able to spot things pretty quickly that haven’t been touched since the last check. You can just reach in and remove or do one shelf at a time so you can clean the shelving.

Your Pantry

This is the part where I beg for you to add your tips for the rest of us. I am always looking for something new to try. Did I forget anything? Do you do something differently? Have you found any particular containers that help you utilize your pantry space? What unusual tricks have you figured out? Please, share!

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This past week I was tagged by Shai Coggins at S Studio. The first meme on LPO. All I had to do was come up with any seven things about me that you do not already know and share it on the blog.

This wasn’t as easy as I thought it should be. I just told quite a lot in Welcome Readers and asked you to check out more in My Story on the about page.  And let’s face it, this is the internet. There are so many wonderful people to get to know out there, but there are a few scary ones that we have all learned to be watchful for. There are a lot of things you just do not go blabbing to EVERYBODY. Especially in a time when potential employers can Google you.

I guess I could take an easy road and come up with 7 things I’m planning on doing before Thanksgiving. But the regular posts are usually pretty matter of fact and I really do want you to get to know me better.

Seven Things

So, here it goes.  7 Things - at random about little ole me.

1. You know I am a craft fanatic because of the things listed in the Sites to See.  But you probably do not know that for a quite a while I truly carried a glue gun in my purse!  I have tried many crafts but am not really great at any one in particular.  I am usually willing to try out anything crafty, but have avoided scrap booking because I am without a doubt positive it would put me in the poor house since I have a thing for office supplies in general. I just know those gorgeous papers and tidbits would do me in.  My favorite crafts (at the moment) - cross stitch, light knitting, doodling (that counts doesn’t it?), quilting, sewing (mostly decor a little clothing), woodworking, and Tiffany method stained glass.

2. We have been doing the kitchen challenge, so this may be funny. We remodeled the house to make the perfect kitchen for me.  We did not just remodel the kitchen - we moved it to to a completely different room!  The remodel was amazing and even though the kitchen is not big, it is super efficient for me.  The only catch is we moved a year after the remodel and the kitchen I have now could not be worse unless it was all set up on one long wall (which I have also had in the past). I may never have the perfect kitchen ever again, but this one will be gutted some time in the next five years or so if I get my way.

3. My favorite beauty product is not a beauty product at all. Each night after I wash my face, I shake up a big bottle of generic milk of magnesia and apply a thin mask to sleep in.  If I am going to have a day at home, I wash my face in the morning and treat myself to another. Don’t laugh, try it.  But I would avoid the flavored versions. You never know if you might have an allergic reaction or if the ‘mint’ might give you a scary green tinge.

4. My favorite book genres are the ones that have some aspect of women’s relationships with one another. Especially generational. Mothers, daughters, grandmothers, great grandmothers - there is just something so fascinating about those dynamics.  My next favorite are period pieces and cultural pieces.  The best ones are the ones that go into real minute detail about daily life of other times and cultures.

5. I mentioned this past week that I love coffee. I actually had to come to like it. I am a night person who has always lived in houses full of morning people. Even when I do manage to get to bed at the same time or before them, my personal clock doesn’t get it. It takes me much longer to function well than the rest of them in the morning. (Melatonin also helps if you have a similar problem.) I still prefer a mug of hot chocolate.

6. I can’t pick a favorite movie. I LOVE watching them and hate spoilers. I seldom get to go to the actual theater to see them anymore. I try to pick the book or the movie, rarely both. I love the way special effects of new movies can take you into ‘only in your dreams’ type of places. Generally speaking, I think the writing is much, much better in old movies. I think everyone should see ‘Auntie Mame’ with Rosalind Russell and ‘The Philadelphia Story’ with Jimmy Stewart, Katherine Hepburn and my first love Cary Grant. I also think every teenage girl should see ‘GiGi’ with Leslie Caron. All of them at least once. Even if they aren’t ‘cool’.

7. My favorite colors have always been pink and black. The shades of pink have changed many times over the years, but it has always been pink. Even though I have always been more the tomboy than the girlie girl.

Now here is yet another tricky part.  I am suppose to tag 7 people to also do the 7 Things Meme.  The handful of people I have gotten to know really well over the past three months since I started LPO are out of town for the weekend and will have catching up to do when they return (2), have just done personal posts or similar memes (7), have policies against memes on their blogs (3), or do not have blogs at all. I’d feel bad asking any of them. I even did a Plurk to see if anyone was game, but only two were up for it when I asked.

So rather than break the chain completely, I tag anyone who reads this and wants to do it.  If you have a blog, I’d appreciate you doing a track back simply so the rest of us can follow the fun. If you do not have a blog, feel free to make your list in the comments. Even if it is just 7 Things you intend to get done before Thanksgiving. And take a peek at Shai’s 7 Things, too. She had a car theme. Clever!

photo credit: Pink Flowers by rkempjr

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What a busy week for our country!  The election is finally over.  I was really impressed with both of the speeches the candidates gave that night.  I was truly proud of both of them.  I hope that we can all put differences aside and support our country’s newly elected President regardless which one received our vote.

This weekend this site will be down for small periods of time to take care of some maintenance issues on the back end.  If it is down when you try to check in, give it a few minutes and try again.  Unless I run into some problems, the downtime intervals should only be for fifteen minutes at a time throughout Saturday morning to Sunday night.

Now, Look and Enjoy!

New (to Me) Sites:

Change.gov.  Office of the President Elect.  Take a minute to check it out.  His media staff has been on the ball utilizing text messages and other current technologies throughout his campaign. This site was up and done fast after the deal was done. I am very impressed with the layout of the site.  There are links detailing policies, agenda and all kinds of opportunity for interaction.  There is even a blog.

Strength for Caring.  For all of those out there who are in a position of taking care of someone who can not fully take care of themselves.  A community for those caring for people needing assistance due to age or medical condition (including asthma).  Interaction and resources for all caregivers.

Random Articles:

20 Little Attitudes Of Gratitude from The Inspired Room

Aging Gracefully Is Not Always Easy from Insightful Nana

The Price Book: The Best Way To Cut Back Expenses Without Changing Your Lifestyle from The Chief Family Organizer

Curbly Recession Busters: Cleaning Your House on the Cheap! from Curbly. Several Tips and Helpful Links.

Working from Zero Base from Tools for Thought.  This is a good walk through of a basic GTD principle.  For those wanting to add to their personal productivity.  If you are not ready to jump on to the band wagon, but want a little help right now, this is a good one to read.

The Jesse Tree: a Family-Oriented Way to Focus on the True Meaning of Christmas from Simple Mom

Eliminating Distractions is Easy from Cranking Widgets.

5 Easy Ways to Simplify Your Life from The Positive Life.

Time to Make the Long Johns from The Persnickety Palate.  A guilty pleasure recipe. Yum!

To Make:

“Holidays by Hand” Festival. Various handmade crafts on display hosted by various blogs each Tuesday through December 9th. I missed  last week. The remainder of the schedule is here on Small Notebook who will also be hosting this week. You still have until the 10th to submit a paper craft for the festival if you would like to participate in addition to looking.

Making Lavender Sachet Gifts from Insightful Nana. A great tutorial. She even has a printable for the tags! (You must subscribe to the newsletter to receive the link to them.)

Bean Bag Chair from Making it Fun

November’s Embroidery Pattern from Badbird’s.  Each month a new free embroidery pattern is available. This is SO cute, and quite frankly, I’m glad it is not a turkey.  It can be used year round, since I know I will not be able to do it before Thanksgiving.

Techy Stuff and Useful Software Applications:

MediaMonkey Standard 3.0.5.1187 from Cnet.  For serious digital music collectors.  This freeware will help you to keep all of those MP3 files organized.

Desktop Wallpaper Calendar: November 2008 (for your computer desktop) from Smashing Magazine. There is a new one each month. Smashing has all kinds of computer freebies.

Keep in Mind:

I came across each of these websites and stories either from Stumble Upon, RSS subscriptions, SITS, search engine pathways or from others on Plurk! I am passing them on to you as I found them - in good faith. I can not guarantee the validity or accuracy in any manner. I enjoyed reading them and I hope you will, too.

Your Links:

Let me know if you did enjoy them in the comments. If there is an article or website you would like for me to consider sharing next week, send me an e-mail using laurelplum [at] laurelplumonline [dot] com (the spelling out is to avoid spam) or send me a Plurk!

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Now that we have tackled the major appliances, it is time to take a look at some of the small appliances most of us commonly use. Again, the manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning them should always take precedent over anything I suggest. Most manuals are available online at their websites if you do not have quick access to yours.

Make sure to unplug the appliances to clean them unless otherwise suggested!

Cleaning the Coffee Maker

I LOVE coffee. Did you know that your coffee maker can ruin the taste of your coffee? Water deposits can build up in the tank and tubing. To remove them, fill your pot 1/4 full of white vinegar then top off with water. Run it though a cycle once. Yes, it is going to smell. (You could try lemon juice as Kendra suggested below for the disposal. I just have never tried it.) When it is done, run two cycles of water to rinse. There are commercial cleaners that you can use instead of the vinegar. If you use one, make sure to follow all of the directions on the packet.

If you have stains on the pot and filter cup, use baking soda as a mild abrasive. Prevention is easier than later scrubbing. Always make sure to dump the filter and used grounds as soon as possible after the pot is made and rinse the filter cup. The dark, warm, wet condition of the grounds are a mold haven. To reduce future stains in the pot, rinse it out after pouring the last mug of coffee instead of just setting it in the sink.

Clean the Garbage Disposal

Kendra from My First Kitchen left a great comment yesterday with good instructions for cleaning the garbage disposal

Also, while people are working on their appliances, it might be good to add a little garbage disposal cleaning to the mix! Run hot water down the drain. Run a good handful of ice to grab all of the bits. Then cut the lemon from the microwave into wedges, and run those through the disposal.

She recommended using lemons instead of vinegar for cleaning the microwave.  Great Tip!  Just remember to watch those fingers!

Cleaning the Trash Compactor

If you have a trash compactor, they can get pretty nasty. Most have an off switch since they are not easily unplugged.  Make sure it is set to ‘off’ and be very careful. I want you to end the kitchen challenge with all of your digits intact!

Pick out all of the bigger debris. Then wipe out as much as possible with a dry rag. Adding water would just make a mud that is even harder to clean. Get a can of compressed air (that can is getting quite a workout today!) to try to remove more loose stuff from the crevices then wipe it out. Now take a damp rag and wipe down the interior. I would add a little bleach to the water for this job.

I do not know what you call the part that does the crunching, but make sure not to forget to clean it (carefully) when cleaning out the bin.

Cleaning the Toaster

You never want to submerge appliances such as toasters, but there are ways to clean them. The bottom of most toasters are trap doors. Open the door to let all of the crumbs fall out into the garbage. Using a can of compressed air, available at most office supply stores, you can hit it with two quick blasts to remove even more crumbs.

Cleaning A Toaster Oven

Remove the crumb tray and rack to wash in the sink or dishwasher. Wipe out any loose crumbs. Most of the heating elements are much more fragile than those in your big oven. If they become damaged, the toaster oven may still work, but it becomes a big fire hazard. If the elements are coils, I suggest a using a can of compressed air to remove debris. Other than that, try to leave the elements alone.

Wipe out the interior of the oven using a well rung rag of soap and water. You can add a little vinegar or lemon juice instead of using a chemical degreaser. If you need to, add a little baking soda as a mild abrasive for tougher stains.

Break Down Appliances

Many of your appliances including some of the ones above come with parts that can be broken down to wash in the sink or dishwasher and some sort of base that can be wiped down and lightly scrubbed. This would include blenders, food processors, electric mixers, etc. Just make sure you know how to break them down AND put them back together before tossing the manuals.

The bases can be wiped down with a soapy rag. You can usually add vinegar, lemon juice, or baking soda as needed to really make them shine. If you have stainless steel, make sure to follow the directions on the specialty cleaning/polish packets and rub with the grain.

For Bread Machines, Ice Cream Makers and Crock Pots, the pans and bowls can be washed in the sink or dishwasher in most cases. You can clean them as the other break down appliances, just make sure to be careful with the elements and any exposed motors.

Ice maker

Ice tasting funny? From time to time, dump the ice and let your ice maker start a new batch. Wash out the bin and dry it thoroughly before putting it back in the freezer. If it still tastes funny, consider installing a water filter to the water line coming to your refrigerator.

Water Filters

Speaking of water filters, some of the newer appliances all around your home come with built in water filters that need to be changed on occasion. Don’t forget them. Check your refrigerator, coffee maker, pitchers, humidifiers, and evaporators as well as any on the sinks and water lines.

Any More?

I know I’m leaving some out.  I have never invested in or needed to clean an espresso maker or some other small appliances.  If you can think of some I have left out, please let us know and give your cleaning suggestions in the comments.

If you have a different method for cleaning any of these than what I suggested, leave them in the comments, too,  to help out other readers.  There is seldom one correct way to accomplish something.

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Did you get your refrigerator cleaned off?  Cleaned out? Are those counters still cleared? Most of the remaining tasks in the Kitchen Challenge will be those that are done occasionally, but you need to daily watch those dishes and counter tops. It takes on average between 21 and 30 days to develop a new habit. If you were to work on it every day over the next several weeks, you should develop a habit that will make it easier for you to enjoy your kitchen.  You will be turning out some great meals for your family and saving money by happily eating in more.

Today we are going to tackle cleaning all of the other major appliances you have in your kitchen.  Yes, all of them.  You can do this. It will be easier than you think. If you need to, take one appliance each day for the next few days.

Most of your remaining appliances will stay disinfected simply because of the heat they put off during each use. So in most cases there is not any real need to use heavy cleaners and chemicals. Regular cleaning will reduce any stains already in place and keep new ones from setting in. Check out my ordinary cleaning routine. One day each month, during kitchen week I make a point to check out the appliances, and clean them if they need it.

Once you get them clean the first time, preventing mishaps and quickly wiping up messes as they happen will save you days in accumulated scrubbing. You should be able to do all of the appliances including your refrigerator in less than a half hour if you follow regular maintenance. This time, you may need to replace the soapy water in your sink several times.  With regular maintenance, one sink half full will probably do the job.

Cleaning the Microwave

Let’s start with your microwave.  You will need to fill a decent sized microwave safe container half way with warm water and a dash of liquid dish soap mixed in. A lot of people use vinegar, but I think it makes the house smell horrible when it cooks. Put the bowl in the microwave and run it on high for five minutes.  Fill the bottom of the sink with soapy water.  When the microwave beeps, leave it closed for another five minutes.  Using hot pads, remove the bowl.  Wipe out the microwave.  Wash the tray and the rotatory ring.  If It did not come clean fairly easily, do not scrub, just repeat the process as many times as you need to until it is clean.

Cleaning the Dishwasher

To clean your dishwasher, make sure it is empty, and then run a short cycle using a half cup of white vinegar instead of the dishwasher soap.  That’s it. The vinegar will dissolve a lot of the soap residue and break down some of the deposits built up in the drain screens.

Cleaning the Stove Top

The manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning your oven and stove top should always take precedent over anything I suggest.

They make specialty cleaners to clean the flat surface stove tops that not only clean these extremely well, but will very effectively clean all ceramic surfaces without damaging the finish.  If I needed something stronger than plain soap and water to clean my former electric stove top, I used the specialty cleaner.

Simple soap and water will usually take care of the knobs and gauge panel. If you need something more, try a simple magic eraser type sponge or soaking before trying harsher chemicals.

A warning against using steel wool pads on the stove top. My last range was an electric eye with drip pans.  A family member was very kindly helping out shortly after the birth of my son by cleaning my kitchen.  Sadly, they over vigorously took a steel wool pad to the stove top.  The finish was damaged and afterward always looked dirty because of the rust that kept developing in the hairline scratches around the eyes.  The mere act of cleaning the stove promoted the rust to return quickly, so this was a lost battle. If you have stains that you can not remove, it may be the same rust stains.  If it bothers you, you can repair the damage using special touch up paints that are made for stove tops or by hiring a professional to refinish it.  Eye covers do not fix the damage, but are a very inexpensive way of keeping it out of sight.

If you have an electric range with extremely tarnished drip rings, consider replacing them.  You can purchase replacements fairly inexpensively.  Try to find black or dark brown replacements whichever more closely matches your decor.  They hide stains and look much better long-term than the shiny silver ones. To clean the ones you have, I have not found an easier method than soaking, scrubbing with a light abrasive and then repeating the process. Be careful not to damage the finish when you scrub.

If you have stainless steel stove tops and rings, there are polishes/cleaners made specifically for stainless steel that work extremely well. Just remember to follow the directions and always rub with the grain.

Cleaning Under the Stove Top

Most electric ranges and some gas ranges have tops that lift completely to clean up spills. Kind of like the hood on your car. You can take a steel wool pad and a mild abrasive to this area.  (I make sure to use the pads that do not rust. They are less messy and are more friendly to your hands if you forget the gloves.)  The first time you do this, it will probably be pretty ugly, but will improve and be easier every time you clean it later.  Don’t spend a lot of time today making it perfect.  Do the best you can and come back to it next time.

Cleaning The Oven

To clean your oven, again follow the manufacturer’s instructions, before following any of these suggestions.  Most ovens are self cleaning.  You just run the cycle and wipe out the debris after it has cooled.

You can also use the dish soap and water method from the microwave. Find a large casserole dish. Fill it half full of water with a couple of dashes of dish soap.  Turn the oven on around 350 - 400 degrees.  Cook for 30 to 45 minutes and let it sit until the oven cools down enough that you will not get burned.  Wipe out using a scrub pad as needed.

Make sure before you use an oven cleaner to read ALL of the instructions.  Some need a cold oven. Some warm but not on the self cleaning cycle.  And there are some that can be used while self cleaning. Make sure to really read and follow all of the instructions carefully every single time.  My husband once used one that did not require the oven to be turned on, but did turn the oven on. The fumes were horrible (and highly toxic) and the residue that was left behind took hours to scrub off.

When I cook something in the oven that may spill over, I put a large cookie pan with low raised sides on the rack immediately below the rack I use for cooking.  If I am cooking something that is likely to splatter, I typically use the cookie sheet and a loose tent of aluminum foil. You can purchase special mats that line the bottom of the oven or do like my Grandmother and use foil.  It is often easier to prevent the mess than to clean it up.  Just make sure to watch and learn how using pans and foil may alter cooking times so you can make adjustments when trying new recipes.

Cleaning the Stove Hood

Wipe down the stove hood top and bottom.  A simple grease cutting dish soap is the best thing to use.  You can usually simply soak and rinse the vent filters. Make sure that any bulbs are cold before you wipe them off to keep them from breaking. (And make sure that you take precautions to not electrocute yourself!) Wipe down the stove back splash again while you are here.

Further Considerations and Follow Up

You may not get everything to sparkle this time around if it has been some time since you cleaned the appliances last, but each time you do it, they will get better.

Go to your calendar and schedule to check the appliances once every month.  Other than the microwave, you will probably be able to go much longer, but check them and take care of the messes you see before they turn into a big job.

If you will wipe up spills as you go, you may seldom actually have to clean on those days.  But make a point to schedule and check each appliance anyway.

Don’t forget to leave me your tips in the comments!  And let me know how you did. Did it take less time than you thought?

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For many people, cleaning the appliances is one of the most daunting and neglected tasks in the kitchen. This week we will tackle all of them. If you are a new housewife and have never had to clean an appliance before, a step by step walk through one time will give you a hand.

For those that have their kitchen more under control, scan and pick up some tips that may help you reduce the amount of time it takes to keep you refrigerator and other appliances clean, then make sure to share some of your tricks for the rest of us in the comments.

Here We Go - Starting with the Refrigerator

Fill the sink half way with soapy water and a cap full of bleach. Pull everything out of your refrigerator. Have a garbage bag handy for any spoiled food. If the shelves come out, take them out and wash them. Pull out the drawers and wash them. While the shelves and drawers are drying, wash out the inside of the refrigerator.

Usually the three largest causes for mess in the refrigerator are meat juices, spoiled fruits and veggies, and long expired leftovers. There are fairly simple things that you can do to really reduce these messes.

Controlling The Meat Juices

First let’s tackle the meat juices. Look around your kitchen and find a casserole dish. I suggest a glass type that is 9 inches by 13. From now on I suggest you store all of your thawing meats in this dish. The high sides will contain the leaking juices and keep your refrigerator shelves free from the messy ooze and potential contamination. I actually have four of these now so I can have one on hand to rotate and two on hand at all times to cook with. (I am from the South after all - can you say casserole?)

I prefer glass because it does not absorb the bacteria like plastic would, it cleans up easily, and it does not leave rust spots that a metal container would eventually leave. Most also have handles that make it easy to pull out of the refrigerator without spillage or icky fingers. The size is perfect to fit front to back in most refrigerators so nothing gets hidden behind it and it easily holds three days or so of meats including large roasts.

Taming the Fruit and Vegetable Drawers

Fruits and veggies spoil at different speeds, but all will spoil faster if left in the plastic bags from the grocery store. From now on, do not allow any plastic wrap in these drawers. Unwrap lettuce and keep the bagged salad on a shelf.

I have a set of white terry cloth dishrags. I line the bottom of the drawer with one of these rags before I put the produce away. Line your drawer with a similar towel or paper towels.

If the produce is not in the cooler at the store, it should not go into the cool in your home. Many things such as bananas will spoil faster in the fridge than if put into a basket on your table. Our family eats these fruits a lot more now that they are in plain sight and they tend to last until they are eaten.

Another thing I discovered is that certain veggies cause others to chemically react. I keep a sturdy basket that I can wash when needed in a darker corner of my counter that has potatoes and onions.

Green onions are tricky. They can not stay out on the counter but do cause the other produce to deteriorate faster. We use them a lot so I usually just loosely wrap them in a paper towel and keep them in the door. If you use them less often, you could dehydrate them and reconstitute them for use by soaking them in a cup of water for a few hours.  If there are other things that you would like to have on hand more often, but would only occasionally use, look into dehydrating.

All of these tips should help your produce last longer.

Leftovers

The final big mess is the leftovers turned science project. There are several things I suggest you try.

• If you have leftovers every time you cook, make an effort to reduce the amounts during cooking.
• Make a point to eat last night’s leftovers today for lunch.
• Keep all of the leftovers together in the same area of your refrigerator so they are less likely to go hiding.
• Make stews and soups every two or three days using the leftovers.
• And most importantly, make a note on your calendar to empty the fridge of all leftovers the night before trash day.

Kid Considerations

They are going to learn to get into the fridge and get what they want. I suggest you find a descent sized plastic container without a lid and put some of their favorite snacks on one of the bottom shelves. Also keep the drinks on the bottom shelf or low in the door.

They will spill things. Doing these two little things will keep the damage to a minimum. Drinks drip through fewer shelves and setting their snacks at their level keeps them for trying to climb to the top shelf pulling everything down with them.

If you take care of these three messy items and the kid considerations, your fridge will only need to quickly be wiped out. It will take a few minutes to clean instead of an hour of scrubbing.

Condiments

Go through salad dressings and condiments. Do you really need all of them? Honestly, how long have they been taking up shelf space? At one time I had six different salad dressings and four or five different types of mustard. Some of them were used regularly, but there were others that were almost a year old and practically full. It was silly for me to keep them. By the time I would have gotten around to using them, they would have been bad anyway. Now I buy the smallest bottle available when I need a condiment that we do not regularly use. If a spend a few cents more an ounce for food that will most likely spoil, it is more frugal to get the smaller package.

After you have culled some of your condiments, sort them by use if possible i.e. dressing’s together, sandwich condiments together, steak sauces and marinades together, etc. and store them on the shelves in your door. This will keep you from buying a duplicate because you couldn’t find the original.

Keep in mind that most condiments are purchased off the shelf in the grocery. If it is good enough for the store, it is good enough in your kitchen. Just keep it on the shelf in your pantry until it is opened. (If it was in the fridge, keep it in the fridge now or it will spoil. But remember this for the next time you shop for any condiments.)

Put the fridge back together

Now that you have a clean fridge and know how to prevent/minimize future messes, it is time to set up your fridge.

Replace the dry drawers. Set up your produce drawer using the information above. The most important thing is no plastic allowed.

Replace your deli drawer. This drawer is all about plastic. Pretty much everything in this drawer should be kept in a zipper bag to keep the foods from drying out and to prevent leakage into the drawer and cross contamination. If the original packaging does not reseal or if the seal is torn, put the items into zipper bags of appropriate sizes. Locate all of your lunchmeats, hot dogs, and the bacon. Zip them up and toss them in. Locate all of your cheeses, zip them up and toss them in. What other items do you keep in your deli drawer? Zip them up and toss them in.

If the shelves in your refrigerator can be adjusted, take advantage of that capability. All of the large containers, usually sodas, milk, juices and the like need to go on the bottom shelf or on the bottom of the door. Wipe them all off and put them in their place.

• First decide where you are going to keep the thawing meat container and put it in with any thawing meats.
• Decide where you are going to keep the leftovers and put any in or if they all needed to be tossed, take a dishrag to reserve a good size place for them. (Try not to put the leftovers too near thawing meats.)
• Put the eggs back in.

Further Considerations

The rest is up to your discretion, but try to keep smaller items to the top and larger items to the bottom. Small items tend to get lost behind and below bigger things.

Sort the remaining items like by like and by items used together i.e. jams with biscuit dough. Put everything back in their place wiping them off as you go. Try to return items to the same spot every time.

When you are done, wipe down the counter.

Go to your calendar and schedule a weekly leftover toss the night before trash day. Change the towels, toss or use any wilted produce, and clean or swap the meat thawing container on this day, too. Wipe as you go or schedule one day every month to really wipe out your refrigerator. It should take less than five minutes if you have contained the messy items in the mean time.

I do not have any special tips for the freezer. But try to keep like with like again. Meats together, frozen veggies together, etc.

Your Refrigerator Tips

Make sure to share some of your tips for the rest of us in the comments! I am always up for a new good tip or a new way to try!

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I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween! Did you get lots of treats? Now that the little man is old enough to really know what is going on, we have gotten pretty scary around the house this year.  All of the cute pumpkins and ghosts have given way to spiders and skeletons.  I have to admit, I really enjoyed making things a little more gory. It isn’t often you get a chance to decorate the glass canisters with ‘blood’ drips and fill them with fake eyeballs made from ping pong balls!

One last thing before we get to the links.  I will seldom if ever talk much about politics or religion on this site.  But with the election being Tuesday, I want to mention both.  This election has the potential to cause more divisions than ever before.  I fear the Bush vs Gore election was simply a small foreshadowing of possible events that could occur over the next few months.  I ask that you say prayers for the country and all of the people throughout the election and in the immediate months as well as the years to come.

Now, Look and Enjoy!

Random Articles:

Looking for health reasons and extra benefits of decluttering besides just a cleaner house to get you motivated? Get Organized For the Health of It by Colette Robicheau from Maintain a Healthy.

Paper Pile Makeover Results! from Small Notebook. Look at what Rachel accomplished!

Home Energy Savings Tips from Home Construction Improvement

List of Clutter-Free Holiday Gifts from Getting Organized. There are a lot of good ideas. My favorite is still consumables from the kitchen. Let’s face it, If they like it, it will be consumed. If it isn’t eaten they didn’t want it. It will expire and they will have to throw it out. No lasting clutter. Not everything I give is from the kitchen, but a lot is.

On To Do Lists and Productivity from Reassigned Time. This is a good article describing his to-do process with recommendation of some good apps to use. I recommend you check the apps out, too. But the main reason I am sharing this article is to remind you that there is not any system out there that is perfect for everyone. The author states it well. So get out there and learn some tips and tricks. Pick a recommended system or routine and try it for a while. Keep what works. Tweak or drop anything that doesn’t.

When to Do Low-Priority Tasks from Tools for Thought.  For all of the tasks you keep pushing to the bottom of your list.

To Make:

Here is another link to a recipe site, but it is for soaps, lotions, lip balms, and tons of other bath goodies. Pine meadows. They have a lot more than recipes, but I love this page in particular.

Printable Fall Leaf Cutout Templates (Maple & Variety Leaves) from Creativity Portal. I loved the idea of taking this or other templates, printing out on card stock, and then using them for gift tags. I am going to take a second look at my clipart. Wonder how many other unique stencil templates I have available for projects? They also have category links for other occasional projects.

Putting Art to Work from At Home Redesigns. Make a very simple, pretty chalkboard. It looks like she took some stone spray paint to the frame, and Mary suggests using magnetic paint before the chalkboard paint to get the board to pull double duty.  I love double duty items.

Copper Skillet Birdbath from Sunflowers. Ok, How cute and easy is this idea! Never would have thought of it.

Pass it On Plates from Today’s Creative Blog

Making Soap from Kitchen Grease from Little House in the Suburbs. I know some bacon fanatics. Wonder if they would save me their grease?

Tutorial part 1 of 2. Getting ready to make your own tofu from U Handbag.

Techy Stuff and Useful Software Applications:

My Pyramid Tracker from the USDA. Track your diet and exercise for up to one year. This one seems very interesting. You enter your food intake or exercise and it will give you feedback. You can track daily for up to a year. I do not know if that means it will store 12 months at a time or if at the end of the year something changes about your data. I am an admitted foodie during the holiday season, but I am going to try this out for our family after the holidays.

Early Look: Top 10 Android Apps from Website Magazine. Have you checked out what useful apps are available for your phone? I admit I only utilize a few of the built in apps on my cell. But this list has inspired me to take another look.

Giveaways:

Sign up each week for a weekly giveaway of coffee beans from Get The Bean. Then check out Meaghan’s personal blog at I Kicked Cancer’s A** for a dose of count your lucky stars, go get yourself checked information and some tear jerking inspiration. At 28 she was diagnosed with Cervical Cancer and told she had the slimmest of chances of living.  In the first article I read she talked of picking her funeral music and how she remembers being at peace with death, but worried for her family and friends.  Tears I tell you.

I came across a site this week when I was looking into how to do some giveaways here. It has links to over 1100 giveaways. Bloggy Giveaways Quarterly Carnival (Fall, 2008) from Bloggy Giveaways. I have not taken a look at any of them, so I can not tell you which ones are still good or anything else about them. If you are into trying to win some prizes, go check them out. Just make sure you have a place to put the winnings before you sign up for each one!

Keep in Mind:

I came across each of these websites and stories either from Stumble Upon, RSS subscriptions, SITS, search engine pathways or from others on Plurk! I am passing them on to you as I found them - in good faith. I can not guarantee the validity or accuracy in any manner. I enjoyed reading them and I hope you will, too.

Your Links:

Let me know if you did enjoy them in the comments. If there is an article or website you would like for me to consider sharing next week, send me an e-mail using laurelplum [at] laurelplumonline [dot] com (the spelling out is to avoid spam) or send me a Plurk!