Of all the habits I’ve adopted on our minimalism journey this one has made the most impact. Taking just 10 minutes in the evening to tidy up the kitchen just a little more than what I usually would has made a world of difference to my mornings. Waking to find a shiny sink, a fresh dish cloth and a clear bench feels like starting the day off on the right foot. I might have also have prepared lunch the day before and laid out my vitamins. All little things that make a big difference to the flow of my day.
Why a shiny sink? Even if the rest of the house feels chaotic being greeted by a polished sink and a clear bench sets the tone for the day. Stepping into the day on the right foot, not scrambling to clean up yesterday’s mess.
Energetically it’s important to wrap up each day. I find 10 minutes of mindful kitchen cleaning allows me to energetically clean up the day. Putting things in order physically allows us to do this in our minds too - almost like a moving meditation.
And how long does it really take? Depending on what we’ve prepared for dinner the clean up is only ever 10-15 minutes. I find once I’m in the swing of clean kitchen at night, throughout the day I keep the kitchen cleaner and tidy as I go. This makes my nightly clean far quicker.
What my routine looks like -
- Clean up from dinner
- Put the dishwasher on (usually around 6pm)
- Dry and put away the dishes
- Wipe the bench tops
- Clean the stovetop
- Give the sink a shine
- Empty compost, recycling + rubbish bins
- Give the fridge a quick wipe
- Lay out a fresh tea towel and dish cloth
- Check food for tomorrow
- Lay out morning supplements
- Breakfast prep (if any)
- Empty dishwasher just before bed