Steph vs. Joy: Cleaning the Kitchen

8

(Joy:) My inspiration for this weeks S vs. J episode came from my garbage disposal.

I have a knack for, shall we say, “over-exerting,” my little friend down in the drain. I have called upon my man, several times to fix what I have broken. Each time he lectures me about what’s allowed “down there.” I usually roll my eyes and say “Yes, I KNOW what is allowed ‘down there,'” Just FYI, celery strings get all tangled up in the blades (don’t do it, not even once) (and certainly don’t do it a second time after you already clogged up the sink and used the plunger technique to free the goop you got stuck “down there.”)

Anyway, this past weekend, I did it again (but I fixed it before my hubby was any the wiser, so don’t tell him).  And I sat there thinking: WWSD (What Would Steph Do?).  She most likely doesn’t stick her hand down the drain as much as I do.  And, I’m sure I will do it again because of how I clean up the kitchen after a meal.  So, here’s how I clean my kitchen:

Joy.

During food prep:

  1. I throw most of the food scraps into the sink (I assume that’s better than going into the garbage, but I have done zero research to back this claim up.)  (Oh, I also assume, that the garbage disposal can handle a lot, clearly, I need to ease-up on my expectations, but I have a high standard of excellance.)  I use the garbage, but mostly just on plastic things.
  2. I leave out everything on the counter (for the most part) that hasn’t made it’s way into the dish I’m preparing.  (I like to know what my options are and hate forgetting something because I don’t see it.)
  3. Plate food and set the table (please notice that I don’t clean up right now – my grandma would say that I should, but I’m always too impatient to eat.)

After Meal:

  1. Clear plates from the table
  2. Ideally, this is the step where all of the plates are rinsed and then go directly into the dishwasher, but if it is full, this may not happen until Reagan goes down for a nap, or the next meal…
  3. In our house the general rule (created by my husband – this is no lie), is that if you cook, you don’t clean up.  So, I usually need to make sure that the dishwasher is empty if I want a fully bussed kitchen after a meal.  Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t.  I shoot for having a clean kitchen by the end of the day.  Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t.

Steph.

Let’s be honest.  I’m not trying to fool anyone.  I’m a Type-A personality who loves to host a party.  I like things neat, tidy and social!  Each morning I wake up to a clean kitchen, a fairly predictable routine (with some flexibility of course) and plans to see lots of people.

Seriously.  I’m not into over-analyzing everything we do in our house.  (ahem, Joy!)

No. 1 in our home is: keep things as clean as possible.  This often means cleaning up immediately after ourselves.

No. 2 – Organization is what I’d consider my key to a blessed life (well – maybe not exactly – but you get my point).  Let’s just say when I went out the other week to buy a container to hold Nora’s formula I felt like it was possibly the most brilliant idea I’ve ever had.

And finally No. 3 – Keep it fun!  We love to entertain, so if our guests need tending to #1 and #2 go out the door – for at least 5 minutes 🙂

(Joy)  Sigh.  What Steph didn’t tell you is that she was SOOOO excited when she discovered the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser AND she has a certain brand of paper towels she buys (and they are so soft and amazing), and I’m even wondering if she organizes her refrigerator to make clean up more efficient.  The mysteries of the Type-A mind.  I guess I will just have to sit in awe and wonder.

8 COMMENTS

  1. Haha! This was great to read! I’m somewhere in the middle of you two, but probably more along the lines of Joy’s methods. It’s great to read how two great women do things in totally different ways! 🙂

    • Thanks Erin! I LOVE it that there isn’t “one” way to do things… although I think we can agree that clean is good 🙂

  2. Haha! This was great to read! I’m somewhere in the middle of you two, but probably more along the lines of Joy’s methods. It’s great to read how two great women do things in totally different ways! 🙂

    • Thanks Erin! I LOVE it that there isn’t “one” way to do things… although I think we can agree that clean is good 🙂

Comments are closed.