Monday, Monday-I Trust That Day

 After you make your bed, dress, and smile to face the day, approach the kitchen, the most important room in your home.

 Unlike the verse to the song, I do trust that day. It is the beginning of another week. Time to live my life and experience new things. Learning is always a foremost plan. When we stop learning, we stop living. That includes reading, exploring new cultures, absorbing the miracles of nature, as well as testing my skills in the kitchen and the studio.

October is the time when the leaves fall, the flowers and garden plants are wrapping up their legacy. There are outdoor tasks that are more or less time sensitive. I do not want to be bringing the houseplants indoors while snow is falling, or pulling expired tomato plants in a biting wind. 

That said, we are talking about Mondays. This is always a busy day for me because it is Kitchen Day! Our trash pick-up is Tuesday morning so I need to be certain that everything is gathered, including the recycled items, and down at the curb *about 500 feet from the house. Since the kitchen is one of the most vulnerable areas in the home for transmission of germs, even the daily clean up is not enough, IMO. My back ground is medical, I am very concerned about food-borne illness. 

Each Monday, I start top to bottom, from the wall cabinets, down to the counter tops, the inside and outside of the appliances, down to the floor. I tend to use vinegar, baking soda, and dawn liquid solutions for my day to day cleaning. ***do not use vinegar on Granite.or marble! But on Mondays, I use sanitizing solutions to wipe down door handles, floors etc. And of course, do not forget the kitchen sink. Multiple biological studies have proven that the kitchen sink is the number 1 most dirty item in the house. Often more than the flushing devices. That, all by itself, is essential to know in your day-to-day food prep, cooking, and clean-up.

How you clean your kitchen is your choice but choosing a day, dedicated to that task will keep you on track. I choose Monday because it works for me. It will also keep your kitchen clean.

 This cook stove is/was a dream. What followed was a nightmare but more on that some other time😁

My daily kitchen routine includes: 

-first I spray both kitchen sinks (stainless steel) with Clorox Clean-Up spray. I let this sit on the surface until I am done with everything else. After the solution sits and sometimes dries, I spray with the steaming hot water that I draw from the faucet. Then I dry the surface. Occasionally, I add 1/4 cup of baking soda to the drain, add a bit of white vinegar as well. I let that fizz up then flush with hot water. This cleans and deodorizes the drain. Done.   

-all flat surfaces wiped and dried with a low-nap microfiber cloth. I changed from traditional dish cloths because I felt that the microfiber connected better with the surface. A dry cloth is important because I don't like smears. 

-In 2019 we started a kitchen remodel. Yes, I know, we remodeled the kitchen in a pandemic. Not my idea mind you, his. More than one year later we were done. I will never do this again. Never. As a result, the smooth and shiny dark granite laughs at me, everyday, with the slightest smear. I am obsessed, it is my nemesis. 

-I wipe the fridge shelves as needed, which is usually every day. 

-I sweep the floor and spot clean every day.  All of this only takes about 30 minutes. 

-Try to understand that it is the little daily tasks that will keep you on schedule. Not much time is involved and then you can go about your day.  

-I will reframe my schedule and post it soon. I have some amendments to add.   

 Several months ago, I purchased this floor cleaner. I debated for years because it was pricey. Finally, I bit the bullet, and bought it. Yes, it is very good. If only it would do the work while I watch! No, I will not be buying a robot. A bit much for me.