Spring Cleaning the Kitchen! Ugh...

[Lean Pocket]

So all this warm weather has really put me in the mood for Spring cleaning. I dread doing it, but have a list of things I want done, especially in the kitchen.

I am looking for some suggestions. I want a better way to store lids from my pots, so I can stack them neater. I also would like to know how on earth everyone keeps up with their plasticware and the lids. Mine are currently falling out of the cabinet when I go to open it. Quite scary. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

[Andy M.]

I have a small kitchen so I have to do a lot of stacking. I have nine skillets in three different sizes stacked in a pile in one cabinet, a 4-quart and a 6-quart sauce pan stacked along with several seives/colanders, a large and small sauté pans and an 8-quart saucepan stacked. Lids are stacked leaning against the side of the cabinet.

Plastics go into a deep drawer.

Near the kitchen, in the laundry room/half-bath, we have a tall 2-door cabinet that houses mixer, FP, griddler, larger plastics and a whole bunch of other stuff.

In the basement we have metal shelves that store foods and more equipment.

 

[Zhizara]

About the storage containers. I prefer to buy cheap containers at a dollar type store. I stick to the same shapes in a couple of sizes. I no longer keep butter containers, etc. You can't see what's in them.

I stack the containers nested into each other and the bottom of a box of velveeta or such makes a nifty narrow container for the lids. If I have more lids than will fit in the box, I just stack them on edge between the box and the side of the cabinet.

I have limited cabinet space so this works very well for me.

The best thing I did was get rid of the odd containers.

The second best thing I did was to get a sharpie marker to mark what's inside!

Not only do they stack better in the cabinet, but also stack better in the fridge and freezer.

 

[CWS4322]

I use a plastic dishrack for the lids and a plastic basket for the containers. I sort through lids and containers once or twice a year and get rid of those for which I don't have the other part. These both fit in the same cupboard. This solved the problem of getting "beaned" on the head every time I opened that cupboard.

I have one of those racks that hangs on the back of a cupboard door for my pan lids. The Le Creuset pans stack--I flip the lid upside down and it on top of the pan and put the next size smaller pan on that lid.

 

[babetoo]

i have a ton of baking dishes and white corning ware. my cupboards are limited. got a hand me down tall wood cabinet, it has shelves in it. painted it white to match the rest of my living room furniture. just a step from the kitchen. it holds all that stuff, 9by13 and many others and all the casserole. i had small appliance in a cupboard. had to get down on knees to find them. my problem is getting up from the floor. so bought a rolling cart and have them all on there just a step from the counter. works great, and looks good. has locking wheels so no danger of them coming off when i roll the cart.

 

[megamark]

I love finding things you have not used in a long time or remember. I found my dehydrator I made beef jerky in not too long ago.

I'm thinking about doing a good cleaning and making another batch.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I don't have a spring in my kitchen...I'm off the hook!

 

[DaveSoMD]

I don't have a spring in my kitchen...I'm off the hook!

But do you have a spring in your step?

 

[Rocklobster]

I woke up to -20 degrees Celcius today, so, its not spring yet. Guess I'll sit around in my cozy housecoat on my day off. Dishes and song learning to follow.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

But do you have a spring in your step?

Yes, do I have to clean it?

 

[Lean Pocket]

Thanks to everyone for your plasticware suggestions. I really appreciate it!!! I am going to take everyones advice and just lay on the couch tonight and contemplate! Ha. Long day at the office! But I plan to get started this weekend.

 

[AnnieDrews]

I used to have enough drawers that I could dedicate one just for plastic lids. I did end up keeping way too many, though. Now I have corner cabinets w/ lazy susans inside. I stack the plastic bowls and then stack the lids on the shelf below them. I have a narrow cabinet where I keep all of my cookware lids.

When I moved late last August I purged ALOT of things. It is amazing how few things we really need. I am doing my best to keep it spare and not clutter up my cute little kitchen in the new house.

I love the Gladware plastic containers I get when I buy Hillshire Farms lunch meat. I re-use the containers and just toss them when they get stained (tomato sauce, etc.) or when I get too many.

 

[Bolas De Fraile]

My wife has cleaning mania OCD everywhere, she will spend hours in the supermarket cleaning Isle, she bought me toilet Duck and a brush for my birthday and yes real men do sit on the throne to take a pee, well only if they are cowards, I bought her 3 sets of self closing toilet lids for hers.
Ps when she starts putting Kleenex on the floor I'm calling Dr Pill the UK equivalent of Dr Phil.

 

[babetoo]

set to do a major sweep in kitchen. will be ruthless in tossing stuff. mostly bake ware and dishes i never use. cleaned out my walk in closet yesterday. four lg. bags and several boxes. also a deep fryer and dehydrator(used once)still have a foot bath and stand mixer to go. vietnam vets pick this stuff up.

spring cleaning through out the house is in full swing. have to tackle my craft and decorating closet next. big job. i have boxes of christmas stuff not used in four or five years. out with the old and hopefully not bring in much that is new.

 

[jacky77]

i've got to do some spring cleaning in my pantry and my cupboards. I have about 16 mugs that i don't use, but they're all a part of a set, that I may "one day" want to use...ugh...also have a lot of random food stuffs. Strange candies and jarred items that i won't eat...I guess I should catch this bug and fly with it. Maybe paint the pantry while i'm in there....

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I have a mess of mugs that are sentimental, both for Shrek and me. I'm going to box up the older ones and put them in storage. We only use maybe 3 mugs a piece and most often the same one for weeks at a time. That should give me at least one extra shelf, if not two.

 

[Grandma Rose]

Last year I did a major cleanout in the kitchen. Thought that would do for awhile BUT I see now that I must deal with those plastic lids etc. Thanks to you people I now have some ideas on how to do that. I never thought of using a box to stand those lids. Odd as I use a lot of baskets to organize a lot of things in my cupboards, such as spices, vitamins and such.
Grandma Rose

 

[CWS4322]

Gotta say--I love my iRobot vacuum. With all the Saint hair in the house, I love "sending" "Buddy" out twice a day.

 

[Claire]

I will only buy round plastic containers. That way they all stack, and the sauces and stocks, etc, can be frozen, popped out of the containers, stored. Then plopped into a sauce pan or pyrex-type measuring cup or bowl and re-heated. The side benefit is they all stack very well and don't take much space, even if they are different brands and sizes. No squares or rectangles.

When I lived in a trailer, I didn't take mixing or serving bowls at all, only used four pyrex measuring cups: 1 cup, 2 cups, 4 cups and 8 cups. They served many purposes and fit easily. Now I have many serving and mixing bowls, but those four pyrex measuring "cups" are ones I always recommend to folk starting their first kitchen.

A big help when you're looking at storage area is this, and many of my friends cannot stand it: When was the last time you used it? When will be the next time? I live in a potluck community, and no longer even own an electric skillet or crock-pot, two things I never would have done without in younger days. Now when I "need" one, I put out a couple of well-placed emails and said appliance will appear on my front porch (and they get invited to help eat the results, and we take pride in actually cleaning said equipment even cleaner than we received it)

 

[Leolady]

I buy those plastic container kits with the pullout stacking sections when I see them in the thrift shop.

Now I have 5 sets [not all complete]. I threw out all the other plastic containers.