It's 2008,
Clean it, Fix it, Dump it
KITCHEN
■ Take
everything off the front of the
refrigerator.
■ Dust
the top of the refrigerator.
■ Roll
the refrigerator away from the wall and
vacuum or mop behind it. Vacuum the
refrigerator coils. Clean the drip pan
underneath.
■ Clean
the inside of the refrigerator: wipe down
shelves, wash out bins, throw out food you
no longer recognize or won't eat.
■ Buy a
roll of masking tape and a felt-tip pen to
mark leftovers before they go in the
freezer.
■ Clean
the range and burner bowls. Clean the oven.
Roll the range away from the wall and clean
behind it. (You'll be amazed.)
■ Clear
the clutter off the countertops and give
yourself room to work.
■
Replace old, cracked or stained cutting
boards.
■ Go
through your collection of storage
containers and get rid of topless bottoms
and bottomless tops. Dump the dozens of
yogurt containers or spaghetti sauce jars
you've been saving. Buy the sizes and shapes
of storage containers that work for your
family's needs.
■ Sort
through the kitchen towels, throw out those
that are stained or worn (or recycle them as
cleaning rags) and buy new ones.
■ Take
an inventory of pots and pans: Get rid of
unused duplicates. If the turkey roaster
won't make another appearance until next
Thanksgiving, store it in a remote location.
If a small saucepan or another medium-sized
saute pan would make it easier to get dinner
on the table every night, get it.
■ Do the
same with china and glassware. No need to
keep a service for 12 at your fingertips if
you're typically cooking for two or three.
Put the rest in remote storage. If your
collection of drinking glasses or mugs looks
like the bargain bin of mismatches at the
thrift shop, treat yourself to a new set of
matching glassware.
■ Throw
away aging spices and herbs. Replace with
fresh ones in small amounts you'll use
quickly.
■ Think
about adding under-counter lighting so you
can see what you're doing.
>>next page
|
 |
