Clutterbug Cuisine.

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!