This Weekend: Dedicate An Hour To This Dirty Kitchen Zone

It doesn’t matter if you see washing dishes as a necessary evil, or if it’s a meditative time to focus your thoughts while doing routine chores. All of our kitchen sinks need TLC from time to time. It’s where we wash our food and cookware daily, store cleaning products, and where all our dirty messes go down the drain. Scrubbing the sink and organizing underneath isn’t glamorous, but certainly makes your kitchen a more effective and pleasant place to be.

Clear the Upper Deck: Wash any dirty dishes you haven’t gotten to today (ahem, or this weekend), then thoroughly clean the sink itself. Toss your old grungy sponges and scouring pads. Replenish your dish soap and place a fresh, clean sponge handily in reach.

Clean This Crucial Kitchen Tool in 60 Seconds

Detox Your Drain: Even when you diligently use a sink strainer and the garbage disposal, inevitably food particles, grease, and other gross things make their way into the drain. The odor of all those lovely bits wafts up to greet you every time you approach the sink. Do a deep dive to flush out what’s gross in there.

Organize Down Below: Take everything out of your sink cabinet, then clean out any dirt and grime (vacuum first, then clean with a damp sponge). Toss, recycle, or consolidate all almost-empty or used up containers, along with any old cleaning products, and the things you no longer use. Return everything to the cabinet in an organized manner and, if needed, bring in some organizers and accessories to help maximize your space under the sink.

Remember, as with all of our Weekend Projects, just do what you have the time and energy to do. This is a marathon, not a sprint!

• Help motivate others by letting the rest of us know how things are going! Share your tips and photos of your Weekend Project work on Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #ATweekendproject.
• Check out 2017’s entire Plan for a Healthy & Happy Home to access all Weekend Project ideas, so you can pick and choose what to do this weekend.
• Download our February Home Checklist. It’s a free, downloadable, low-pressure list of things to try this month if you want to keep your life and home running like a well-oiled machine. Pick and choose what and how much you want to tackle, and have the satisfaction of crossing them off the list!