People often tout the kitchen as the heart and essence of a home, but is it really? How much joy and comfort can it bring if its mere upkeep eats up more time than you spend there bonding with family over meals? Whether you’re a gear-headed cooker leaning on tech and appliances to solve the better part of kitchen chores, you prefer takeaways, or simply find solace in the few moments reserved for cleaning and clearing out your head without having other care in the world, a truth cannot be avoided. As over 400 hours per year pass in the kitchen, the percentage of time associated with uplifting and cheerful moments can be higher if we reconsider our upkeep strategies. This means there’s always time that can be saved and redirected to pleasant family bonding activities if we optimize some of the most time-consuming tasks in the kitchen – maintenance and cleanup.
First, prioritize working in a high-quality kitchen
Your kitchen is your sanctuary and the room that tells the most about you. And inevitably necessitates a lot of decision-making, like where to place what and why. There are, unsurprisingly, a lot of “how’s”. So, how do you avoid these woes? By starting off with a strategically installed, high-quality kitchen.
Think how your favourite high-tech gear saves you plenty of effort and time when cooking and cleaning and imagine what a breeze cleaning it would be if you had the following:
- Strategically-constructed furniture items that don’t allow crumbs, dirt, and other enemies to seep in
- High-quality material in countertops, backsplashes, tables, and overall cabinetry
- Water-proof and shock-proof cabinetry you never need to stress about
- Colour palettes that help spot dirt and grime efficiently
The list can go on, but what we are trying to instil is that the right kitchen will set you up for success. Experts from Kitchen Warehouse state that the ease with which the cooking space is maintained and how well the furniture stands up to the typical wear and tear are among the top priorities of kitchen customers these days. This is why the modern sets that receive the best feedback have a range of things in common, like the latest manufacturing techniques and the most durable materials.
So, whether you’re setting up your first kitchen or planning a makeover, remember where most of your focus (and capital) should go.
Use your Fitbit-type watch when WFH
Working from home can be a pain, but when approached strategically, it can be the blessing that you need to sort your stuff out during job time instead of wasting precious spare hours. If you switch rooms to work, the whole cleanup process becomes easier, as you can divide various tasks throughout the workday. For instance, suppose your dishwasher is full; then it shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes to download the dishwasher machine. The same five minutes you’re dedicating now to enjoying a clean kitchen later could feel like twenty if you’re postponing the job after work, when your energy is already lower.
You need to get up once every hour and spend five to ten minutes, at least, standing up. This is the exact time required to conduct some tasks that would take significantly more, weren’t they done against the clock. Fitbit-type watches are exactly what you need to be reminded of when to take that long-touted break, whether they’re Apple, Google Pixel, or other similar gadgets. This way, you’ll have hit two targets with one shot. You’ve stepped the dishwashing process forward and released the pressure accumulated while sitting down, so you and your family will have more time to enjoy the sweet, carefree idleness.
Introduce rotating responsibilities
It’s common to meet people who’d cut an arm rather than tidy up the kitchen, but would deep clean the space anytime they caught a few minutes off. If you’re partaking in one of the two seemingly well-crayoned teams, you likely search for tips to balance things out, with tables turning preferably in your favour. This is why we’re encouraging you to take the matter into your own hands and have every family member express what they like and despise doing when it’s cleaning time. This way, you’ll basically take the tools and equipment you want into your hands and transform it into more quality time for everyone.
Hate unloading the dishwasher because you’re bending? Your youngster would certainly trade the crumb sweeper if you were to switch tasks. See what works for you and implement it ASAP!
Never wake up to a messy kitchen
They say that mornings set the tone, which couldn’t be more accurate if we were to look at the first feeling that we get from entering the kitchen minutes after waking up. If entering a messy, yet essential chamber makes you climb the walls because you’re on a tight schedule, then maybe you should make a rule to not wake up to such a disastrous room ever again. This is making it a priority to close the kitchen after the last meal of the day, when pretty much every family member has sat around the table.
Assign tasks. One can load the dishwasher while the other wipes down counters and appliances. Some use the well-known “10-minute tidying strategy” that’s touted to save them hours of cleaning by tricking their mind into sensing urgency. In other words, if you can’t work in chaos, you’ll do your best to avoid it. And since the safest measure to preventing the kitchen from turning into a junkyard is to habitually clean, wipe, and remove things when they’re displaced, you’re likely getting how helpful such a strategy would be to you and your family overall. So, what’s standing in your way of steering clear of kitchen calamities?
Endnote
As you can see, transforming the stressful kitchen tidying or regular cleaning into a breeze ultimately boils down to reconsidering your maintenance strategy. Learn to switch responsibilities, prioritize buying quality furniture, and make the most of the few spare minutes you have at hand. Every effort made in time translates to more pleasurable moments you can spend with your family later.
