How To Have A Clean Kitchen At Night

I love participating in the #cleankitchenatnight community on Instagram, but there’s more to it than just pretty pictures of pristine kitchens. Having a clean kitchen at night is one of those daily routines that set you up for a much more successful morning! Here’s how to do it.

#1 Put away everything you bring in the door with you

When you come in from work, the store, church or anywhere else, you usually have something in your hand. Most of the time, those things end up on the kitchen counters! Whether it’s mail, your coffee cup, groceries or a stack of Bibles and journals, make yourself put it all away immediately. This is where that mantra comes in handy, “Don’t put it down, put it away.”

This can take a lot of discipline! I have a rule that when I enter the house, I can’t leave the kitchen until I’ve put away all the things I brought in the house. This keeps me from getting distracted by all the things I’d rather do, like changing my clothes, getting a snack, playing with the cats or starting supper!

Read More About Discipline: The Secret To An Organized Life

#2 Clean While You’re Cooking

If I have a small bowl that’s dirty early in the recipe, I’ll put it in the sink and fill it with soapy water. That way I still have use of the sink while I’m cooking, if I need to drain pasta or rinse off a spoon or dish. You can use a bowl or empty container to corral your garbage while cooking – keeping the counters less messy and saving you extra trips to the trash can!

I’m a messy cook, so every 10 minutes or so I’ll stop to evaluate the mess. I put ingredients away, wash a few prep dishes and try not to get too far ahead of myself. There’s nothing worse than finishing supper and not having any clean counter space for the supper dishes to land!

#3 Clean Up From Supper Immediately After You Eat

This action kicks off my evening routine. It’s probably the biggest enemy of the clean kitchen at night goal, but following steps one and two make the task not as overwhelming to assume. Cleaning up from supper looks different for each household, but I recommend that you get everyone involved in the process! Here’s what it looks like on a “regular” night at my house:

• Paul and I bring our dishes to the kitchen
• He loads the plates, bowls and silverware in the dishwasher
• I wipe the table and put my decorative items back in place
• Paul puts the leftovers in containers while I hand wash the pots and pans
• Paul takes out the trash, if necessary
• I make my lunch for the next day
• I spray and wipe down all the kitchen surfaces, sweep the floor if needed
• I start the dishwasher

A couple hours later, I come back in to put away the clean dishes. I wipe out the sink and dish drainer and step back to admire the glorious scene – a clean kitchen at night!

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High Five for Friday Linkup

Tif from Bright on a Budget, Della at Della Devoted, Becky at BYBMG and Whitney J from Polka Dotty Place and I welcome you to High Five for Friday! Link up to THREE of your posts from the past week in the linkup below. We ask that you follow each co-host on social media and link back to the link-up. Thanks for joining us!

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If you take the #cleankitchenatnight challenge, I would love to share in your success! Post a picture on Instagram, use the hashtag and tag me in your post or story (@homeforcomfort). I can’t wait to see your clean kitchens! 🙂