I don’t know about you…but when dinner is over, the last thing I want to do is spend a ton of time cleaning up the kitchen. Or when I’m done baking a bundt cake…I don’t want to spend more time cleaning up then I actually spent making the cake. Here are my top tips and tricks to make clean-up a breeze…trust me, they’re tried and true.
1. When opening cake mixes, pudding mixes…anything that is sealed in a plastic bag, cut it open with scissors. I know this probably sounds silly but some of my biggest messes come from me trying to open a plastic bag of cake mix and it rips and pops open spilling cake mix everywhere. Trust me, it will help in the long run if you just make a rule to always use scissors.
2. Slow cooker liners are the best invention since air conditioning. Seriously. They’ll change your life. At first, I was a little skeptical…who wants to eat soup out of a lined slow cooker? But the answer is…me! I do! When that soup is finished and dinner is over, simply tossing that liner and moving on with my life is sheer bliss. Words cannot describe the happiness I feel when using a slow cooker liner. Go. Go buy some right now. You’ll be madly in love.
3. I never, ever bake anything on a cookie sheet that isn’t lined with either foil or parchment paper. Ever. Not even if I’m just heating up some chicken nuggets for my kiddos. Everything is on a lined cookie sheet. First, it makes clean-up a cinch because all you have to do is toss the foil and the cookie sheet is clean. And secondly, I don’t want my sweet food (like cookies and whoopie pies) tasting like something savory that was baked on there last. Trust me, even running it through the dishwasher doesn’t always eliminate savory smells…no one wants a chicken nugget tasting cookie, right? Always line!
4. I run my dishwasher at least once a day. Even if it’s not full. I like to run my dishwasher before I go to bed so that it’s “working” while I’m sleeping. Then, I can unload it first thing in the morning and we can go about our day with a clean kitchen sink because the dishwasher is empty. I hate it when dinner comes and it’s already too full for the dinner dishes. Then the dinner dishes pile up while you’re running the dishwasher, the kitchen doesn’t get cleaned…and the mess stays around all night. Start every day with a clean dishwasher and your kitchen will stay clean too.
I know these little tips seem simple…but they’re things I do and they keep my kitchen clean and tidy. I would love to hear what your easy clean up tips are! Please let me know!!
Happy Friday!!
Sheaffer, Chris, Scout, and baby Carter says
These are some REALLY great tips! SO easy and doable. And I agree, ALWAYS line!
Aubs says
you and i think alot alike! #4?? huge annoyance for me!! cannot stand when the sink is full of dishes ~ it just seems overwhelming and annoying! and i have to admit i've been hesitant to try the crockpot liners but you may have convinced me to give it a shot! thanks!
Emily R. says
Whenever I am cutting vegetables or fruit, I always keep a store sack in the empty side of the sink beside me to discard of the skins, seeds, stems, etc. It seems like every time I try to scrape it off my cutting board into the garbage I somehow end up missing, so with the sack, it makes for a super easy clean up! 🙂
Morgan says
I am going to go and buy liners for me slow cooker today! It is currently soaking in my sink as I type! Thanks for great tips. 🙂
Anonymous says
Do you happen to know if they make organic or BPA free liners? I use my slow cooker all the time but am worried about using plastic and cooking it…
Mix and Match Mama says
I'm not sure about organic and/or BPA free ones. When in doubt…check with Whole Foods. That's my easy answer. Have a great weekend!