Don’t Do These 3 Things When You Clean Your Kitchen

As much as we talk about all the things to do when you clean your kitchen (get that crack between your counter and your sink! Sweep the floors! Take everything off your counters!), there are a few things you shouldn’t do. Here are three things I never do.

Okay, this one is a little bit of a cheat because my household is a shoeless one. We live in Manhattan, where the streets are covered with goop, goo, and who knows what else. Our shoes, which traipse through all that grossness, are not allowed past the front door. I’m a slipper fanatic — I wear a plush, cozy pair at almost all times — but even those don’t get to come into the kitchen while I’m cleaning.

Instead, I go barefoot so that I’m free to move around. Plus, this way, I can tell if I’ve left a pool of water on the floor or missed a crumb or two.

Oh, that utensil drawer seems to be overflowing? It will have to wait for another day! When I’m in cleaning mode, that’s it. It’s time to clean, not time to organize. Cleaning Lisa is there to wipe down cabinets and countertops, eliminate grease from the stovetop, and get that floor sparkling. She’s not there to weed through duplicate whisks or match up plastic food containers with their lids. If I’m cleaning, that’s what’s happening. Anything that is destined to distract me and slow me down (oh look, the mail pile!) will have to wait.

As much as I love to cook, the last thing I want to do is mess up my perfect just-cleaned kitchen. I don’t even want to cook before I know I’m going to give the kitchen a deep clean (then you have to worry about cleaning up the meal and everything else!). I usually save my super-deep cleaning for Saturday afternoon and then we either get takeout or go out to eat that night. Sunday? Well, Sunday, I’m willing to mess things up a little and start the week all over.

What are some things you never do when you’re cleaning your kitchen?

This post originally ran on Kitchn. See it there: The 3 Things I Never Do When Cleaning the Kitchen