Week 2: The Kitchen Plan

source: from Colour Me Happy. I love the light pouring in and the fresh green colour on the walls. I'm not sure if the black countertops would work as well with white appliances, but I would love to emulate how crisp, clean and homey it all feels.

This is a blockbuster post--and a doozy of a week coming up.

First, how did the prep week go? Are you ready?

Set?

Go!

From The Book:

According to Apartment Therapy, The Eight Step Cure, by Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan, Week Two is all about the kitchen. The following is from p.p. 72-73.

Bones:
Fix one thing in your home
Clean your kitchen from top to bottom and throw out old food
Buy a water filter and use it.

Breath:
Run your hands over every wall of your apartment.
Clear Space for an Outbox

Heart:
Buy fresh flowers
Determine your style

Head:
Find one new recipe and cook one meal at home
Choose the date for your housewarming.

I won't be doing all of these: I think that once you have run your hands over all the walls, you don't really need to do it again!

source: For the Love of a House. This is so elegant, it's hard to believe it's someone's kitchen!

The Cleaning Checklist.
I have hobbled this together from various sources: my favourite turned out to be a list from the book Unclutter Your Life in One Week, by Erin Rooney Doland. She breaks down the lists into three parts: a list for the busy person, for the dedicated cleaner, and for the overachiever. (Any I've added to the list occur after the overacheiver).So, the tasks are listed accordingly:

Scrub floors and counters
Clean and organize cabinets and drawers
Clean fridge and freezer with a mild detergent
Defrost Freezer
Clean inside of oven, stove burners and range hood
Change filter in range hood
Clean the outside of all small appliances
Pull fridge out from the wall and wash floor underneath
Vacuum fridge coils
Have knives professionally sharpened.
Take trash can to self-serve car wash and power wash.
Wax floor
Wash windows
Wash walls
Wash and install screens
Clean dog food container
Clean coffee maker
Handwash curtains.

Source: Maillardville Manor. Isn't this gorgeous? The link takes you directly to her post where she explains some of the containers she's using. I may have to get me some.

The Decluttering Tasks:
I planned these to take about 15 minutes per day. There are five in a week. The idea is to do one a day and save the weekend for the heavy cleaning.

1. Throw away old, expired food. Donate anything not yet expired and that you won't use to the food bank.
2. Inspect dishes for cracks and chips. Replace if necessary.
3. Get rid of old cooking pots and baking pans
4. Declutter cleaning supplies and shelves
5. Get rid of excess gadgets and appliances

Obviously, customize this list . Substitute what you need to do--and disregard anything you know is OK. (For example, I could have included going through my table linens, but I didn't.)


Looking Forward:
In the past, we've had discussions about this all or nothing approach and how, though it is great to do the Cure, we were left wanting to know what to do on a daily basis to keep our homes looking good. In the last year, I have managed to come up with a couple of great little routines to help me stay on top of the chaos that erupts many times a day in my beast of a kitchen. If there's interest, I share those later in the week.

source: BHG. I want a curtain almost exactly like this and plates on the wall beside the window in the corner of my kitchen where we have our table.

Good luck!