Amid all the joy and festivity of the holidays, hosting friends and family and preparing an elaborate feast demands significant effort. A large portion of this effort involves tidying up your chaotic kitchen after preparing a multi-course meal, which can seem like an unending task. Crucial kitchen cleaning shortcuts, like utilizing a baking soda and vinegar mixture to clean your oven, can simplify your chores, but holiday cleaning is an entirely different challenge. That’s why we consulted Katie Dills, Brand President of The Cleaning Authority, about strategies to maintain your composure during the holiday cleaning rush.
Dills shared with Mashed, “A frequent blunder individuals make is neglecting to clean the kitchen as they go, resulting in a massive workload at the end of the day.” To avert this, Dills advocates for a preemptive strategy. “Make sure to clean up after each meal or cooking session, even if it’s just a quick wipe,” advises the cleaning expert, as doing so will significantly lessen the necessity for thorough cleaning later. Spot cleaning will keep you on track, but Dills also suggests allocating time for daily deep cleaning. While she does not specify exact tasks, scrubbing pots and pans definitely comes to mind. In this scenario, coffee grounds can be utilized to clean cookware, as their gritty texture efficiently removes stubborn food residue.
An orderly kitchen is a tidy kitchen
Katie Dills also underscores the significance of kitchen organization when it comes to effective kitchen cleaning during the holiday season. “Maintain organization by allocating specific areas for holiday preparation items and putting things away as you go,” asserts Dills, as this helps “prevent the kitchen from turning into a chaotic mess during hectic cooking periods.” When organizing your pantry, aim to group similar items (like keeping baking essentials together) to facilitate easy access to what you need. One effective pantry organization strategy involves moving dry goods to transparent containers to ensure the contents are easily visible. Just remember to label containers with names and expiration dates.
Establishing kitchen zones will also aid you in following Dills’ organizational guidelines. For example, the prep zone is where you’ll chop vegetables and season raw meat (just ensure to mitigate cross-contamination), while the serving zone is where you’ll arrange finished items for guests to pick up. A cleaning zone for dirty dishes and utensils can also be beneficial. In addition to improving organization, a cleaning zone gives you a clear idea of the remaining tasks you’ll have at the end of the evening. However, by implementing these expert recommendations from Dills, your cleaning zone will likely be pleasantly minimal.
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