Clutterbug Cuisine.

By alison March 2, 2006 4 Comments 4 Min Read

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Next week is the BrocanteHome  Seasonal Scrub and love it or loathe  it, it has to be done  if you want a house  sprinkled with the  joy of  Spring…

As most of you know de-cluttering is banned during scrub week: scrubbing is about  proper elbow grease with no time to waste on trips down memory lane. I know. It’s enough to put you off your dinner, but heck who knows, with the right spirit (gin, housekeepers?)   we might even begin to enjoy it…

And so lets get the kitchen ready for a thorough scrub, remembering that this is your only chance to bin all that is neither useful, nor beautiful…

1.) Go through every cupboard, fridge, freezer, pantry,
basket  and drawer and throw away  anything you
know is junk.

2.) Put things that don't belong in the kitchen in another
basket ready to be  returned to their rightful homes...

3.) Start shaking half used jars, and bottles: look at
herbs and spices,  dried ingredients,  bits
of saved this and  that and decide if they are past their
best; if so  chuck em! If not, decant as much as
possible into more
attractive  containers and make  it your mission in life
to do away with as much  manufacturers
packaging as possible: unless
of course Persil is paying you to flash their ugly
packaging around your kitchen...

4) Now cast a critical eye over your counters,
around your sink, by the  bread-bin, on the  open
shelves: what’s there  that is never used?
What’s gathering grease  and dust?
We vintage girls are prone too gathering junk and
the kitchen isn't the healthiest place for it to fester:
if it's an ornament you never even notice
anymore, move it somewhere
where it will be appreciated. If it's a small
appliance  used once in a blue moon, hide it where the
rest of the family will forget about it and you can
eventually make the daring decision to find it a more
worthy home.

5.)Don't have anything out you don't use
on a regular basis: this doesn't mean you've got
  to clear the decks (minimalism isn't for me!), but it does
mean asking yourself  whether some  utensils, appliances
or bits  and bobs are taking up the space you could
do with to display all  those things you have
to go rooting for...

6.) Now let's look at cleaning equipment: if there
is anything toxic hiding  under the sink,  you know
it's got to go!!!
Dispose of it safely and make room for the
Brocante cleaning  recipes we will be whipping up
for the scrub...

7.) Pull out the drawers: in our house the
knife and  fork drawers collect all kinds of stuff
and  nonsense. Get shut.
Let the forks reclaim their rightful home and move
on to the  linen drawer: anything tatty is outta here!
Now to  that junk drawer we've all
got: identify anything important, then tip
everything else  into a carrier bag and tell
the rest of the family  it's on its way to the tip
in five days. Be strict.

8.)Down on your knees and into the cupboards.
Let’s face it  something's just shouldn't be offered house
room  amongst your vintage tableware so ask them
politely to  find a new home. 
Chuck out anything chipped or cracked. No dithering.
You will find  another one just like it, if you are brave
enough  to set it free.  I promise.
So bin it! Now!!

9.)And finally onto the work surfaces: it is essential
when it comes to the scrub that we can  see what we are
doing and that there is room to temporarily put things we
are cleaning; so your job here is to move as much stuff as
possible  (temporarily or otherwise),
so we can think straight. Ok?

And that's it! I'm sure you will
whizz around that little lot in a jiffy.
Just remember not to bother cleaning
or straightening things, as
you will  only have to do it all
over again next week...

Good Luck HouseKeepers!

4 Comments

  1. Paola says:

    No wonder you're feeling tired. I need to go for lie-down after READING that little lot…

  2. Blair says:

    I plan to do each step above with my right hand, my left hand will be holding a glass of wine to help me through it.

  3. Kristy says:

    Oh how I wish I had cupboards to clean!Boxes don't really count do they?

  4. Mindy says:

    I'm ready for the scrub!!

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