When Do You Clean Your Kitchen?

There's never a time when I am not doing something in the kitchen. I keep a hot sink full of soapy water with a little bleach in it. I rinse and stack the dishes as the day goes on and do a load any time I get the chance. When I am cooking I am very anal about putting cans in the recycle, wiping down the counters, and washing pots and pans the second I put the food away. I sweep morning noon and night and wipe down the table constantly.

I serve meals and snacks every few hours and I'd definitely say that 30% of my life is spent in the kitchen.

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There are some days that the sink just fills and fills with dishes because me & my hubby are too lazy to clean it haha

BUt lately I kinda clean as I make dinner. Fill the dishwasher with what I can, clean the pots and such.
If i use a dish to actually MAKE dinner, like a bowl for breading, I clean it once i put the food on the stove.
Otherwise I rinse off the dishes after dinner and they either stay till morning or at least until my son is in bed. It's just quicker when I don't have to chase him around :)

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Every household is different. In our home my hubby is rarely home before the kids' bedtime, so after dinner I put away the leftovers, clean up the kids, clear the dishes, and then take them to the family room to play until bath/bedtime. After I put them to bed, if I am feeling up to it I clean the kitchen, otherwise I do it after hubby has his dinner. There is no "right" way to do it.

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Every household is different. In our home my hubby is rarely home before the kids' bedtime, so after dinner I put away the leftovers, clean up the kids, clear the dishes, and then take them to the family room to play until bath/bedtime. After I put them to bed, if I am feeling up to it I clean the kitchen, otherwise I do it after hubby has his dinner. There is no "right" way to do it.

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i clean as i go along or as dinner is cooking then i clean the dish or pan that the food was in after we eat

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I clean up as I cook. OTW... it just doesn't happen.

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It depends on how crazy things are at the given moment. I try to clean after a meal, but I don't always get the chance. I do a thorough sanitizing cleaning once a week when the kids are asleep and that includes washing the floor.

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Right after dinner. If I sit down and relax they don't get done. Same with making coffee to brew the next morning. I like to relax with the kids after/bathe, put them to bed and then really relax before we go to bed. =)

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I like to do it as soon as dinner's done so that it's DONE! I don't have to worry about it later. And my food hasn't quite settled yet so I'm not so tired! If I wait too long I'll just wait until morning, and no one likes that! (;

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after kids go to sleep

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If i dont do it as soon as Im done eating it doesnt get done that night! Then before I know it there are breakfast dishes and added to it and then I spend an hr in the kitchen washing, drying and putting away just to have to go right into lunch! lol......I think we all just need to afford maids to clean it for us!

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The stove is always easier to clean while it's still warm.
Have a sink full of sudsy water and soak the dishes prior to putting them in the washer, if you have one. Don't let certain things like eggs and spaghetti dry on plates. It's torture to soak off.

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I tend to clean up right after we are finished with a meal....and it seems like a kazillion other times during the day! lol

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I clean my kitchen in the afternoon, after lunch and before dinner. I try to get it really good when the baby is napping. We don't have a dishwasher, so I have to wash everything myself. Usually by the time dinner is over I'm so tired that I just can't face the dirty dishes. Seems like if I start them when the kids are awake, I get pulled away after I just get a few done. We rinse everything off right after dinner so it doesn't get all gross.

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I am always cleaning the kitchen everyday, and I clean the WHOLE kitchen. Several times a day. Then, there are ALWAYS dishes in the sink. Even if just from me.

But for meal times... I ALWAYS clean up AS I cook. Then I clean up/put away dishes/wash dishes/put away leftovers/clear the table, after everyone is done eating. RIGHT after eating.
I don't like it hanging over my head... and, right after dinner there are TONS more to do and with/for the kids and getting them wound down and spending time together.

There really is no such thing as 'free time' when you have kids, nor after dinner. Not for me. Even if my kids do help out.

all the best,
Susan

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All day, every day it seems. LOL. I don't have a dishwasher, so its not as easy for me just to pop them in the washer (ohhh how I miss my dishwasher). So I clean when I get to it. Like you said the leftovers are put away as soon as were done eating, and I tend to wipe counters and spills as I go. Everything else (dishes and deep cleaning) is when I get to it!
My boyfriend is in the works of figuring out where we can install a dishwasher (we bought an older house)....yay I have hope! =)

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I clean as I go. After making dinner, all the things are in the sink (or dishwasher if it is unloaded). After everyone eats and puts plates in the sink, I scrape them and pop them in the dishwasher. I can't stand to have "work" to do after the kids go to bed.

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I have to clean my kitchen pretty much every time my kids blow through it. And I usually do it right away. If I take any time to sit down, I just get overwhelmingly tired and don't want to do it. I have been known to just rinse the dishes, then stack them and just go to bed because I was too tired to deal with them after a long day with the kids. The best is when my mom comes to visit because then, I get to cook and SHE does the cleanup. It works out great because I love to cook and hate to clean up, whereas mom hates to cook but loves to eat good food and actually likes cleaning. Sometimes I wish my mom lived with me.........

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Do it whenever you can muster up the time, energy, and desire (and/or NEED) to do it! Just so it gets done. Everyone's different!

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Sometimes I ask my husband to take him outside to play while I clean up, but if the weather isn't that nice, it's after he goes to bed.

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I do it as can. With me having problems with my health I do as much as I can but I don't get upset of the dinner dishes are not done till morning

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i clean it before during and after meals, i like to have all my cooking dishes done before the eating dishes are ready to be cleaned, less daunting

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After dinner, we clear the table and put away the leftovers. But often my husband and I will sit at the table for about 10 minutes while the kids (3 and 5) are up playing. Then normally my husband does the dishes while the kids have dessert (they don't get dessert until the kitchen is tidied after dinner). Normally by the time they're done, so are the dishes. We run the dishwasher while we're sleeping, and the next morning put away the clean dishes and pots and pans that dried overnight.

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honestly often I dont clean till the next morning most days. We rarely save leftovers so Ill just toss the pans into the sink to soak if needed and everyone scrapes their own plates and puts them into the sink but I dont load the dishwasher and wipe everything down till the next morning. That way I am not rushing to get it done so I can get my daughter to practice on time or on non-practice days to bed in time etc... Plus its easier to not have to deal with 2 kids only 1 while cleaning, the other is in school (at least right now she is) and my 2YO sits in the playroom and plays.

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I am lucky if it gets spotless once a week, mopped, cabinet doors clean and not white spotted with splashed milk, everything picked up and wiped under, etc.... I try really hard to make sure all the dishes get at least rinsed when they are taken to the kitchen. We stay really busy and I think dishes can wait until kids are in bed and I have a few moments to myself.

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I clean it right after dinner or it might not get done until the next day....I have the kids either eat their dessert, watch a tv show, get their jammies on, etc while I clean the kitchen. It only takes about 15 mins to put the leftovers away and do the dishes. I do not sweep at night and only wipe the counters where there is food but I don't germ clean until during the day.

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I clean the kitchen immediately following dinner while my husband gives my son a bath. It works out perfectly because I am able to have 15-20 minutes of time to myself (even if I am cleaning dishes) and my husband is able to spend time with our son.