The kitchen is the most unique room in your home for lots of reasons. First, you probably spend more time there than any other room (except your bedroom, but you’re sleeping for most of that time). Second, it’s the only place where you store, prepare and eat food. Third, it’s the room you probably mess up more than any other with spills, drips and drops.
All of those reasons together conspire to create one more reason why your kitchen is unique. It’s the most difficult to keep clean. And, as it turns out, keeping your kitchen spic and span is more important than simply having a clean and organized home.
A Messy Kitchen Stresses You Out
Just being in a cluttered kitchen can raise your stress levels. Even worse for some, the stress and sense of being out of control can lead to weight gain. In one study, a group of people were asked to wait in a cluttered kitchen and another group were asked to wait in a clean kitchen. Both kitchens had a plate of cookies and participants were told to help themselves. Those in the cluttered kitchen ate twice as many cookies as those who waited in the clean kitchen.
The problem for many housekeepers is that even after they clean the kitchen, it never feels really clean and tidy. And that means the stress of a messy kitchen can be ongoing.
But there are reasons beyond how ‘clean’ your kitchen is that can make it feel untidy.
Here are just a few things you can do to make your kitchen feel cleaner – and enjoy some stress relief.
1. Keep Your Countertops Clear
You use the kitchen and the things in it so often, it makes sense to keep frequently used items on the counter or store things in open shelving so you at least don’t have to open and close a cupboard every time you need them. But that ‘added convenience’ can contribute to a cluttered look that makes the kitchen feel messy, even when you’ve just cleaned it.
2. Don’t Keep Your Countertops Completely Clear
Yes, you read that right. While it’s important to not keep counters too cluttered, your kitchen is truly a ‘living’ space. As such, you can’t help but use it daily for all sorts of things. When your countertop is completely barren of anything, the single piece of mail that you just put on it can make it suddenly feel messy.
3. Stop Making a Bulletin Board Out of Your Fridge
Yes, it’s a great place to remind yourself that you need orange juice, and to share your children’s latest art projects, and sport that magnet you got from your visit to Niagara Falls. But all of it means your kitchen will never truly feel clean while it’s still there.
4. Don’t Leave Dishes in the Sink
This one’s easy. Nothing looks dirtier than dirty dishes. And you’ll not be able to relax, and destress, with them staring you in the face, constantly reminding you that there’s still a chore to do.
5. Have a Junk Drawer
Yes, it’s never organized, even after you organize it, but a junk drawer is a great idea for a kitchen. You do so many things in the kitchen that it’s almost impossible to have a place for everything and to keep everything in its place. The junk drawer gives you a place to throw things out of sight so they don’t stress you out.
There, now your kitchen looks much cleaner and you didn’t even wipe a countertop. When you’re ready to keep your kitchen as clean as possible, call us here at Mona Eco-Friendly Cleaning. We’ll make it the most stress-free room in the house!
