Friday, May 15, 2009

Oh, go on with your bad self, MEP

NTB, but I have formed a new good habit recently. I don't know what prompted it, but for the past two months or so, I have been sorting my silverware as I place it in the dishwasher. Our utensil thingy has five sections: forks, spoons, knives, sharp knives, and kiddie cutlery. I'm not sure why it has taken me so many years to get with the program on this. It only takes a few extra seconds to sort the stuff going in and yet makes the dreaded (for me) task of emptying the dishwasher far more bearable. The less I dread and then procrastinate on emptying the dishwasher, the less likely dirty dishes are to back up in my sink. Thus, I no longer find myself emptying the dishwasher only to immediately fill it up again.

It's a little thing, but it's improved the quality of my life or, at least, the cleanliness of my kitchen.

Now, I know those of you who have assigned spots for your nail clippers, an effective routine for dealing with junk mail, a schedule for running the self clean cycle on your oven, and the ability to consistently defrost your proteins in advance of needing them are thinking, "Oh, poor MEP, she's just now catching on. I've been sorting my cutlery for years!"

What else are you people doing? Please tell me.

12 comments:

Melissa Walters said...

I didn't even know you could sort the silverware on the way in. Don't they sort of stick together and then not get clean? I am not a prerinser and believe that if its dirty after one wash, you just leave it in there for two. So, maybe mine are dirtier...

I started my own good habbit that's kind of different. I use the master bathroom and my husband uses the hallway bathroom to get ready. My hair sheds alot and it was getting frustraiting to clean. SO I took out The bathmats, and use one like they do in hotels, keep a swiffer sweeper hidden behind the door, and sweep the floor every time I do my hair. Now I don't get disgusted in my bathroom, and it only takes an extra second.

CaraBee said...

I am a longtime silverware sorter, NTB. I am a teensy bit OCD about my dishwasher loading, though, so that's no surprise. Otherwise, I'm a complete disaster. I have tons of grand ideas that I may begin to implement but rarely follow through. Sigh.

Anonymous said...

I have recently started sorting my silverware also. Can't believe I didn't think of it years ago. I am not exactly over the top organized but I will say when you put your phone and keys in the same section of your purse each time, it is very easy to locate them. m

Actchy said...

I am unconvinced. What fun would unloading be were it not for the crap-shoot that I'll inadvertantly slice off a finger from a random sharp knife?

LAP said...

I'm a little disappointed that I can't come up with some solid organizational advice. I am skeptical on the silverware...does time saved unloading make up for the extra time it takes to sort upon loading? Plus, I typically do more of the loading and BB the unloading. hee hee.

Ditto with m on keys and phone in same section of purse each time.

I do have several tupperware drawer sets (can't think of a better way to describe this item) in my kitchen (in addition to the three craft units on wheels used to house and control all of Fancy's daily crafting needs.) One of them is labeled "Important/To Do" and it is my safe space for preschool forms to be filled out, camp registrations to be turned in, baptismal forms to be signed, etc. If it were not for this drawer, then said items would rest on my counter until completed or lost. A different drawer of the unit houses neighborhood and church phone directories as well as my trusty Christmas Card address list that I reference almost weekly...so much easier than looking up the address in its online version each time.

I will continue checking back as I'm interested in potential other tips.

Anonymous said...

After years of madness in one of my many "junk drawers," I finally went to Target and purchased some drawer organizers. Pens in one section, paper clips in another, car keys in another, etc. It's a beautiful thing and I'm so happy each time I reach in there to find the flashlight or the tape or the scissors right where they should be. Good job on the silver! Perhaps I'll adopt that habit as well. Rita

cake said...

we don't have a dishwasher. and, i a definitely NOT bragging about that.

msh said...

i am stuck on the thought that i have not once used the self-clean cycle on my oven (nor cleaned my oven by hand) and i have some rock solid ground beef in my fridge right now that i'm afraid is going to have to be microwaved before i make tonight's meatloaf. so apparently, i've got nothing for you.

LAP said...

msh - I was afraid to admit that but I have never once cleaned my oven in any capacity either. seems clean enough in there for me...

msh said...

ok--i thought of one. when i fold the laundry, i put it into piles--pajamas, shirts, pants, etc. makes it much easier to put away and it makes me feel happy and efficient every time. ok, back to cooking in my dirty oven (thanks for the support on that one, lap!)

Steph said...

Well, I hadn't thought of this! Cool! Do the spoons that spoon with each other get all shiny and clean?

Anonymous said...

As OCD as I am, you would think I would have a million helpful hints, but when on the spot I can't think of one! msh- I do the same thing when folding the laundry, but Mark doesn't so it drives me crazy, I have never even thought about cleaning the oven, the food doesn't touch it anyway. Oooh wait - I do have one (but I heard it on Oprah a long time ago, does that count?) When you cook in the crockpot or in a large pan and the food gets really caked on the sides, fill it (the pan) with water and then put a Bounce sheet in and let it sit for awhile (I usually do overnight) and the food just comes right off, NO SCRUBBING! It is beautiful. If you saw this same Oprah, I apologize...
MEP, I have never thought of sorting the silverware, so you have helped me :) L

 
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