faithful Gracey

Organising my kitchen cloths,  much used items in our house !

Dish cloths, cleaning cloths and hand towels are items that are used all day in our home wiping up spills and general mess in the kitchen means I need to have a lot at hand. Buy the end of the day they can be pretty grubby. I buy really cheap, simple white cotton face cloths from the dollar store and find they are brilliant for general cleaning. Also I make sure I have at least 10, which means I have a fresh one for each day.  They are also really durable.  At the end of the day I chuck them in a bucket in the laundry to soak, in an antibacterial stain remover. By the end of the week I transfer this bucket of cloths, dish cloths, hand towels and bibs into a normal wash cycle, ready for the following week. I try hard not to use disposable wipes ( unless in a massive rush) as other than becoming more expensive in the long run, it adds to our carbon footprint. Included in my stash are some softer face cloths that are slightly more expensive that I use to clean our little munchkins face and paws at meal times, rather than using wet wipes- again why the expense and carbon footprint?

With regard to cleaning products, i have come to realise that you only need a few basic solutions to sort out general household dirt and grime. We really don’t want to expose our children and ourselves to the harmful chemicals that are in most cleaners that promise to deliver brilliant results, at the risk of damaging our health. Here is a list of my basic cleaners:

• white vinegar
• bicarbonate/baking soda
• eucalyptus oil and spray
• tea tree oil

Click on link for a guide to making a non toxic cleaning kit .

Ok, i admit it does take a little bit of preparation time but at least you can be rest assured that you are not breathing in harmful fumes and toxins while cleaning each day.

My favourite has to be the eucalyptus oil  not only is it a completely natural antibacterial product, it shines up stainless steel and metal surfaces, removes sticky labels from bottles, removes scuffs and wine stains from furniture. Follow the link to see some more of its amazing benefits….it also smells beautifully fresh and clean.

3 cupboards that get used mostly throughout the day:

keeping these cupboards organised is really important, as they house some of the most used items throughout the day. I mostly prefer to use glass jars for storage and BPA FREE plastic containers.

Spice cupboard: The little white baskets are great for pulling out a stack of spices at once, rather than taking each one out to get to the spice right at the back.

I also find that bottled spices take up so much room, and as i love to cook i have quite a collection of various herbs and spices so i like to buy them in sachets. This way i can line them up neatly in a long plastic container, and ‘file’ through them as i need.

In our little rented town house, we have a very small kitchen that only has four drawers. Four very small and shallow drawers. because i love to cook, i have a habit of collecting different types of cooking utensils etc. This has not worked to my advantage as I clearly do not have the space for all my wonderful gadgets. I have therefore ruthleslley gone through my treasures and boxed what ever item i do not use at least once a week.  This box lives in the pantry. It is actually quite a tricky task narrowing down what to keep at hand, as i find myself saying ‘ oh but what if i need that ‘melon ball scooper’, or the ‘julian slicer’ … i have had to be really strict with myself to avoid over clutter, which would land up stressing me out when I’m trying to locate a simple potato peeler amongst the four different kinds of lettuce knives and measuring cups. This is not ideal when you are trying to cook dinner with a toddler demanding  your attention every 5 minutes, and a very thoughtful husband who does unpack the dishwasher but puts the peeler in a different drawer each time ( bless him for trying though)  .The 3 drawers shown above are strictly items that i cannot live without when it comes to cooking. the larger wooden/metal spoons,mashers etc live in a utensil jar next to the stove. One day when we have a home of our own, i plan to have lots of large beautiful drawers to house all my lovely tools.