A subtle difference in terms -
Cleaning up the kitchen is doing the dishes and wiping the sink and counters.
Cleaning out the kitchen is a massive exit of items.
I think I have cleaned out the kitchen at least once a year since 2018. Yes, five deep declutters and cleans.
Recently I cleaned out the kitchen in December 2023 and then turned right around and cleaned it out again in January 2024.
It is amazing how time changes perceptions of what is needed and what can go.
I rehome/sell/donate with each clean out.
A shocking amount goes, with every clean out.
Sometimes I also buy, a few key things, to make life easier. This might be a flatware organizer or bin, a rice cooker, a casserole pan. Sometimes the clean out shows something is not working and needs replaced.
I declutter and organize. My husband comes right along behind me and scrubs. It is amazing how dirty cupboards, drawers and shelves can get in a year.
We do our parts separately.
I think it starts naturally in November of each year, because all the kids are home for Thanksgiving. I just start working through the kitchen, slowly, a section at a time.
By January, I am done, and my husband has the ladder out and is scrubbing. His efforts are done in a couple days.
So, since 2018, I have steadily reduced the volume of items in our kitchen. And our kitchen has gotten a deep clean once a year. A consistent, good effort, which paved the way for this year.
In the last two months, I have approached the organization of our kitchen, quite differently.
