WFMW: Kitchen Edition

I couldn't narrow it down to just one, so here's three of my favorite kitchen tips:

1. Dishwasher To The Rescue. This tip actually helps around the whole house. I take the diffusers (the decorative glass covers) off of the ceiling fixtures and wash them in the dishwasher. It really gets the grime off of them. I also take the drawers my door bins out of my fridge and run them through the dishwasher, too. I can't fit my shelves in there, but by the time the dishwasher runs, I can have the shelves all wiped down.

2. Printable Grocery Lists. Go to the service center of your store. Ask for a map of the store's layout. Imagine you are walking through the store as you normally would and number each area in that order. Type or write up a list of everything you would buy at one time or another in a word document (use columns and a small font). You can always add things later. I also leave lines for things that may change like veggies/fruit. I fit two lists side-by-side on one standard sheet of paper. You can print one out each time you shop or make several copies and have one handy at all times. I highlight or circle things as I need them. Then, before I go shopping, I go over the whole list to make sure I haven't forgotten anything.

3. Super Fast Clean Up. After I am done washing dishes, I take the dish cloth and give a FAST wipe down to one major thing in the kitchen. I either wipe over the cabinet, drawer & door handles, cabinet doors, small appliances, large appliances or walls & switch plates. choose a starting point and move around the kitchen in a pattern. It doesn't have to be perfect or take a long time. Each one usually takes less than one minute. In the school kitchens, we do all of these everyday. It helps keep up with all the splatters and fingerprints.

For more WFMW tips, visit Rocks In My Dryer.