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Sometimes life gets so crazy that I can’t stay on top of routine things around our house. After a few months of this, I end up having to do a massive deep clean of my kitchen that takes all day. If I can think about it, though, there are tasks I can do each week to keep it from getting so overwhelming. Here are 10 weekly rhythms to reduce kitchen chaos. If you can find time to do all or even some of these each week, it may keep you from pulling your hair out every few months!
Weekly Rhythms to Reduce Kitchen Chaos
Check all the leftover containers and see what’s inside
Even when I try to use clear containers, we still end up with a few that are somewhat of a mystery. Every week at least, I open all the leftover containers and see what’s there. If there are several containers that are still good, we will have what we call a “smorgasbord” dinner and set out all of that plus anything else worth eating (fruit, raw veggies, etc.) and call it dinner.
Clean out produce drawers
These are the places where yucky things will grow without you realizing it. And if mold spores develop, they will spread quickly. I like to take the drawers out, throw out anything that has gone bad, and reorganize what’s left.
Quickly reorganize pantry
This doesn’t have to be an all-day affair. Just look through your pantry and re-organize things that have been put back in the wrong spot. Sometimes when I do this, I’ll empty out packages of things into clear containers to save space. I’ll also make a note of ingredients I have forgotten about that I can use in future meal plans.
Match Tupperware with lids
This is a good job for kids who want to help! Even when we try to match them up as we put them back after each use, it doesn’t always stick. Doing this removes the chaos when you’re trying to put away leftovers.
Clean out the microwave
If I remember to do this every week, it means I don’t have to do a deep scrubbing every few months. It really takes only a few minutes!
Mentally inventory the freezer
I like to rummage through our indoor freezer and chest freezer in the garage and see what we have. This helps when I’m planning meals as well as when I’m shopping because I know what we have and what we might be running low on.
Consolidate things in the fridge
I don’t know if this happens in your family, but sometimes people in my family open something when we already have the same thing opened. You can’t always combine them if the expiration dates are vastly different, but I like to combine bags of cheese and consolidate eggs in one carton, for example.
Throw out expired condiments
This might not have to be done every week, but periodic scans of the expiration dates on condiments will keep the fridge from becoming too overcrowded. It often feels like we can never finish a bottle of salad dressing before it expires!
Check expiration dates on dairy items
Checking the dates on dairy items is also important, as expired milk or yogurt will not be pleasant.
Move forgotten things to the front of the fridge
The last thing I like to do is move anything that’s getting stuck in the back to the front. Leftovers and extra containers of yogurt or sour cream often seem to get shoved to the back. This is also good to do with fruit that is close to going bad!
Do you have any weekly rhythms that reduce kitchen chaos? Let us know in the comments!
