52 Weeks to a Clean House: Week 4 - A Lick and a Promise

Clean Pantry!

This is one of those weeks when I have extra things going on, so I am a little concerned I will fall behind on my schedule to get my kitchen cleaned and organized this month. You know those weeks...when you have a sick child, or an extra project at work, or other demands on your time that disrupt your routine. I am trying hard this week to do basic cleaning, make progress in my kitchen, and juggle everything else. 

My mom (who is a VERY clean and organized person) has come to clean for me at various points in my life when I was struggling through a difficult pregnancy or rehabilitating herniated discs in my back. She would whip through my home in a blur of cleaning efficiency, doing dishes, sweeping floors and cleaning bathrooms. Then she would say, "Well, that will have to do...I just gave it a lick and promise." Of course, the bathrooms were sparkling, but I knew what she meant. Sometimes we only have time for a quick slick-over, not a deep clean. This is a "lick and a promise" week on my cleaning schedule.

I knew this would be a busy week, so I made a plan on Sunday. Tasks got assigned to each day, and I marked days when I could squeeze in a little of my cleaning and organizing efforts. This is not going to be a real deep cleaning week (look out Week 5!), so I chose things I could do quickly in small blocks of time in order to keep moving forward on my project.

If you don't have a lid, you can't stay....

I started with some drawers that are in pretty decent shape, and wiped them out and tidied them up. Then I tackled the container drawer. It had become pretty jumbled. I pulled everything out and said "If you don't have lid, you can't stay." A quick match of containers to lids eliminated a few things right away. Next I pulled out things with broken lids, or containers that have seen better days. Out to the recycling bin!

The survivors.

After tucking the lids in their box and nesting the containers, everything fit easily back in the drawer. I am almost done cleaning and organizing drawers and cabinets. Today I also pulled a bottom drawer completely out and looked beneath it.

Yeah, that's dust.

Scary. But that is the "cleaning" part of the project, right? The hot pads were rescued from exile and after a good washing, I am sure they will be fine. Thank goodness for small vacuums with handy attachments. This looked better in no time, and now I know this part of my kitchen is clean.

Speaking of my kitchen, I have fallen back in love with it this month as I have reclaimed parts of it, cleaned other areas, and unloaded unwanted items. We lived in our home about a year before we pulled together the money to remodel our kitchen. I have an 8-foot island, and plenty of cabinet space. I have a built in pantry and a window seat. It is a great space. When we met with the cabinet designer, I wanted some small drawers beneath one cabinet. He asked me what I was going to put in the drawers. I used it for things like markers, glue, and colored pencils when my kids were small. And notepads. And film.

Film... oh, relic from my past...

He said I was the first person he had talked to who had a plan for those little drawers. I love them!

Love my small drawers (and yes, my kitchen trouble spot is still clean!)

The kids are much older now, and I no longer need glue sticks and markers in the kitchen for homework projects. But I found a new use for one of these little drawers. It is a perfect home for cell phone chargers and other electronic stuff! Now when the chargers are not in use, I can put them away, which helps keep my counters clear and looking tidy.

New home for cell phone chargers.

Even though I don't have a lot of time to commit to cleaning this week, I am forging ahead. I have still managed to make progress. When your life gets busy, does your cleaning routine fall apart, or do you manage with a lick and a promise?