As a mom, I know cleaning the kitchen is not anyone’s favorite chore (except maybe Grace, but we’re crazy over here 😜). For as much time as we spend in the kitchen, it should be easier to keep it clean. Unfortunately, your kids probably don’t give a crap about making your daily chores easier. In fact, if they’re anything like mine, they act like it’s their life mission to make it harder. I’ve got 5 kitchen chaos coordination tips that will help even the most type b mamas keep the most used room in the house fresh and sanitized!
- Decorative Doom Buckets
If you’re anything like me, the hardest part of maintaining a clean kitchen is counter clutter. I never know where to put it all and never want to deal with it. An easy solution is a dedicated container for all the loose stuff like pens, receipts, and random tiny toys. Now Oogie Boogies head sits in the center of my bar(Yes, since last Halloween, no shame), ready to hold all the crap I don’t want to pick up. He’s cute, he’s functional, and he makes the clutter not seem so cluttery. Pick your cute container and keep the mess contained. Empty it once a week (or month) for a nice surprise with all the random stuff you accumulate!
2. Lunchtime Quickie.
Ah, gotcha! No it’s not what you think. Have you eaten today? Or has the adhd and executive dysfunction kept you too busy with other people’s needs that you’ve forgotten your own basic life functions, like lunch? Ya gotta eat and ya gotta clean that kitchen. Pick an easy low effort meal, think nuggets in the air fryer or a pizza in the oven. Get the food started and challenge yourself to use the whole time it’s cooking to tidy up. It doesn’t have to be a deep scrubbing, move the fridge clean. Pick up the counters, unload the dishwasher, wipe down the stove. You can accomplish a lot in the time it takes nuggets to air fry, plus you’ll be right there in the kitchen when they’re done, which makes it easier to remember to ya know, actually eat them.
3. Grocery Day Glow Up.
Use grocery day to clean out the fridge. I know you don’t want to, but after your kids have ransacked it all week it probably needs it. When you get home from shopping, run inside and let your husband or kids bring in the groceries. While they take care of the heavy lifting, use that time to toss any old left overs or empty wrappers, wipe up any spills and prepare your fridge for its next round of ransacking. You get a few minutes of peace in the AC, get out of carrying stuff inside, and your fridge stays at least kind of put together.
Bonus tip- open and toss all boxes and packaging while you’re putting stuff up. I’m talking all the individually packaged stuff like yogurt, cheese, drinks. Anything with packaging that will undoubtedly get left empty in the fridge or cabinets. Toss it and save yourself the frustration later, when you go to get your favorite snack and it’s just a box full of empty promises.
4. Dinner Dash
We’re gonna take the same lunch time tidying concept and beef it up for dinner time. You didn’t get to the dishes? No worries! Keep a list of quick and simple dinner ideas, the less prep the better. Think casseroles or heat and serve meals that use minimal dishes. (HEB has an awesome selection) Toss that in the oven and get started on those dishes. Whether you’re using the dishwasher or washing by hand, take the time your dinners cooking to get the sink emptied. Sure the dinner dishes will fill it back up, but you already made dinner and did the dishes tonight. That’s a problem for tomorrow.
5.Toddler tasks
This one is for my toddler moms. Put those babies to work! Before anyone starts citing child labor laws, I’m not encouraging you to give them heavy duty cleaners and electric scrub brushes. But one thing I’ve learned about toddlers is they live to touch things they’re not supposed to. They want to be just like mom and they love to help. Get a cute small spray bottle, fill it with water, a couple drops of dish soap and a splash of rubbing alcohol, and let them go to town on the cabinets. If you’ve got one like my 3 year old, who doesn’t like to be told what to do, let them see you spraying the cabinets first. Then leave the bottle and sponge where they can see and reach it. Look away for 5 seconds and by the time you look back they will probably be hard at work copying mama. Granted, it probably won’t be the best cleaning your cabinets have ever seen, but you get at least a few minutes of an occupied toddler and half ass cleaner cabinets without having to bend over and clean them yourself. Win win in my book!
If I kept your attention this long, you’re probably deep in the trenches of motherhood and messes and I hope you know it won’t always be this chaotic. The kids will grow up and the messes won’t last forever. One day you’ll be standing in your clean kitchen, missing the chaos and thinking back to when those cute little tornados still needed you to do everything for them and it won’t seem like it was ever all that hard. At least, that’s the hope I’m hanging on to. Here’s to doing the best we can in the thick of it all!
Here’s a couple of awesome Amazon finds to put your toddlers to work, save your sanity and keep you coordinating the chaos 😊
Toddler-size functional Swiffer
https://amzn.to/3TQs76j (On sale for less than $30! )
Toddler Broom and Duster set
https://amzn.to/44H15EC (Currently $21 on flash sale)
https://amzn.to/3TTk2he (Small hands friendly continuous spray bottle 2 pack)
Unfortunately, Oogie Boogie isn’t available anymore. Here’s a couple ideas of cute and fun Doom Buckets
https://amzn.to/3TUYikX (Flame guy)
https://amzn.to/3Uq7GNz (Shark guy)
https://amzn.to/46oWIzc (Adorable puppers holding a basket, they have a bunch of breeds to choose from!)
https://amzn.to/40uJ5e5 (Slightly terrifying frog)
https://amzn.to/3TV5RIn (Bird Bath bowl)
Really any theme or style candy bowl will work, these are just some of my favs! I do have to let you know I’m an Amazon Affiliate and earn commission from any links posted 😊 Support a mamas side hustle and just click the links 💖🥰
Add comment
Comments