by Catalogs.com Info Guru Aurora LaJambre

It’s one thing to maintain a tidy bedroom and living room.

It’s quite another to stay on top of the grime that builds up in a kitchen, or even the spatters and crumbs that accumulate while making dinner. But this doesn’t have to be such a task.

This clean kitchen checklist will help ensure the heart of your home is as inviting after you’ve cooked as it is prior.

10. Cute apron

Stylish aprons are essential. They protect your clothing and keep you looking good whether there’s raw meat hanging from your fingers or a flour smudge on your nose. When you feel well put together you’re more inclined to do the same for your environment. That is, you’re less likely to create a disaster in the first place.

9. Say yes to dish rags

Stains happen when spills aren’t wiped immediately. Dish rags are affordable and come in endless combinations of colors and patterns to your style. Stock up and keep them folded and within easy reach. You’ll save trees and leave less work for yourself later by wiping up as you go.

8. Sink Caddy

It works for the bathroom, why not the kitchen? A simple sink caddy allows you to keep everything necessary for cleaning dishes fast in one place. It makes sense. How silly does it feel to reach for a sponge soaking in a grubby puddle to clean a plate? The caddy holds the sponge vertical so it drains and dries, provides a clean surface for the soap and an easy-to-reach rack for a hand towel.

7. Mind the floors

In a perfect world the floors would magically mop themselves, but we don’t live in the marvelous age of self-cleaning homes just yet. It takes only a few minutes to sweep each night and a few more minutes to dry mop every other night. A single mopping a week will fend off major grime.

6. Sturdy dish rack

A sink full of dishes can only “soak” for so long. It takes elbow grease and a sturdy dish rack to clean them as fast as a family dirties them. No clean kitchen checklist is complete without an easy way to dry plates and cups without taking up a lot of counter space.

5. Tackle the microwave

According to Reader’s Digest, the most logical way to clean a microwave is to put a few wet towels in and turn it on high for about 3 minutes. The steam makes the grime easier to wipe away, which sure beats bending over awkwardly to scrub until you gag.

4. Got canisters?

Say ba-bye to open boxes of dried pasta and cereal. With a few transparent, air-tight storage containers, there will be no more dirty packaging hogging precious space in your pantry. They bring uniformity and functionality because in a glance you can see what you have and how much of it.

3. Greener cleaning supplies

Part of the reluctance to mopping and wiping a kitchen is a reluctance to spend quality time with toxic chemicals. Yes, they eat away nasty grease stains, but using toxins on the same surfaces you prepare and cook food isn’t exactly inspiring. Grab an empty spray bottle and mix water, baking soda, lemon and some vinegar – ingredients you already have – to create a natural cleaning solution you’ll want to use every day.

2. Racks

If you have the space for them, a few kitchen racks go a long way towards keeping things organized. When you have a permanent home for those large pans and mixing bowls they’re less likely to pile up or spill out of some over-stuffed cabinet. This type of shelving is made to fit in tight spaces and will display your favorite tools in an attractive way.

1. Don’t forget the sink drain

This clean kitchen checklist isn’t about to overlook the sink drain. That tiny hole at the bottom of your sink is a cozy home for all kinds of bacteria. This is the same place you wash veggies and clean dishes. Give germs the boot by scrubbing it out each night with an old toothbrush dipped in that handy baking soda and lemon juice concoction.