Sink and Stainless Sparkle

The last touch to a clutter free kitchen is the sparkle! Making sure that all that glitters actually does is important to adding the finishing touch to your hard cleanup efforts. Your stainless steel needs to shine as does your sink. The easiest way is to buy one of those inexpensive micro fibre cloths. Just a quick rub over the taps and the stove/oven finishes and they will gleam! For your sink, either use a mix of baking soda and lemon ( see video link below)  or our favourite, Gumption which you can buy in the supermarket. Brings the sink back to new! A simple rinse and wipe down and you’ll be able to see your face (and your guests’) in it. Happy Christmas preparations!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhAIe9rcjSo&feature=related

Clean Your Oven

Most of us don’t tend to our oven as much as we need to. Once that door is shut, who really cares? But from a hygiene perspective, it’s important to care. Same goes for your micro. Whilst you’re asleep, the cockroaches are at play. A good clean before you roast that turkey or ham is important. But do it a few weeks before hand so any odours can burn off well before. If you are asthmatic or hate the smell and use of chemical cleaners, try this natural mix which you simply leave on and wipe off. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BT6vx0E7Xs0

Benches Bare

Keep ALL your bench space clear of clutter! Get rid of paper, junk, kids toys, hairclips, wallets, keys and anything else that is not kitchen related. The ONLY things that should be kept on your benches are knives, a few useful spice or biscuit jars and anything else that you use daily.  A clean bench spells R.E.L.A.X.E.D and R.E.A.D.Y.  to cook. A helpful hint is to clean as you cook. Use a utensil and put it straight into the sink or dishwasher. Once the benches are cleared, it’s you and your kids’ job to keep it that way, everyday.

Control Your Pantry

When was the last time you checked the use by dates on your pantry items? Instead of reaching for that packet of taco powder only to find it expired six months earlier, check your items every three months to stay on top of your food ( and food bills). Get one of your kids to check all items in your cupboards, fridge and freezer and see if any are out of date or coming up close. By checking regularly, you can minimise waste and save money. When some of your pantry items are close to expiry, plan a meal around them so you don’t waste them.

 Look around. Is your home even close to ready for the Christmas cheer? Take one corner every day this week and clear it of clutter. Create three simple piles.

1: Rubbish/Recycle

2. Gift recycle (as long as it’s in good condition you can give it to the Salvos)

3. Put Away

 Throw pile 1 into respective bins. Put the gift pile in your boot of the car so you remember to take it to the charity shop. Take Pile 3 and put everything into it’s rightful place.

 Don't procrastinate. Be ruthless. Every day one corner; every day just 15 minutes; every day one step closer to an organised Christmas home.

Kitchen Clean Tip 1

Your kitchen is your lifeblood of your home. It's where you prepare to nurture and nourish your family, so it's really important that it is kept organised and clean. Unfortunately, kitchens tend to be a dumping ground for loads of clutter, paper, rubbish and anything that doesn't seem to find a place in your home. Clear out everything that is not related to the preparing or eating food and try and keep your kitchen designated purely for eating and entertaining. Most importantly, train your kids to do the same.

Do a 10 Minute Clean Up Every Night

A dirty kitchen stresses everyone out, except the cockroaches, who are so thrilled with your disarray, they invite all their mates from down the street to join in their evening soirees.  Forget impressing the cockroaches; instead pack everything away before you go to bed.

 Pack the dishwasher every night and make it your child’s responsibility to unpack it first thing in the morning and put the dirty breakfast dishes in. It means that you’ll have a clean house at night and when you leave for school and work in the morning.  Make sure the rubbish is out every night as well; another reason for the cockroaches to take their party elsewhere.

Create a Photo Wall

If you want to make your home feel warmer and friendlier and remind your children they are still very much loved, then a photo Wall is a wonderful idea.

 You can use old photos and take new photos and mingle the two together. Head down to IKEA where you can buy packets of photo frames for a few dollars each. Put around 10 frames together on one wall and create a stunning effect of family warmth. Can't afford to photo frames? A packet of blue tack will do the trick.

Sort through Your Kids’ Books

Your children probably have many books on their shelves that they have either outgrown or will never read. Keep the ones you are sentimental about, particularly the ones used to read to them. They have memories attached. But get your children to go through the rest and see which ones they're ready to give away. As their reading improves, their interest in lower-age, easy to read books, disappears.

 Get them to create two piles: one for charity and the other for younger children of family or friends. Either way, their books live to see another day and with a create more space in their bedroom.

Cull Your Kids Toys

Children tend to accumulate toys and junk. Before you know it, you can barely squeeze a rubber band in to their toy drawers! But rather than haphazardly throwing out toys you feel they  no longer want, it's actually really important to involve them in the decision of which toys to throw or give away.

By getting them involved, you are allowing them choice and developing their sense of responsibility, whilst also helping them understand how they can make a social contribution, by giving away less- used toys, to charity.

By doing so, they will appreciate the toys they have chosen to keep, will learn a lesson in letting go and no doubt rediscover toys they had long forgotten or thought lost.