Who knew that a stainless steel dish drainer could have so much power? We moved in September and I was appalled at the dust under my bed. I kept thinking, “If my Gram saw this I would be mortified.” She is the kind of homekeeper who washes the windows because its time to wash them not necessarily because she can’t see through the dirt anymore!
As we have been settling into our new place, I am trying to establish better homekeeping and cleaning strategies so I can be a little bit more like my Gram. (Even at 90, I think she will always work circles around me.) I made up a chore sheet for myself of all the things that need to be done. There are things that I just don’t think to do to maintain cleanliness until it is obviously dirty. The reason Gram’s windows aren’t really dirty when she cleans them in the spring is because she cleaned them in the fall – not 3 years ago! So I am working on it, which brings me to the dish drainer.
I should preface by saying I don’t have a dishwasher, so a dish drainer is a necessity right?! Yet, it’s ever presence on my counter has always felt a little like a black hole sucking in any attempt of uncluttering my counter. I also hate the way the tray collects water. There is always slime growing and rust spots on the tray because when I would think to clean it the sink was full of dirty dishes or the drainer was full of clean ones.
In our new kitchen, I gained more cabinet space but I lost counter space. So that dish drainer became an even bigger big black hole and I felt like I was being sucked into everyday. I would glare at it while I tried to conjure up more room for meal preparation. Until one day it occurred to me, like someone spoke from the glorious heavens above. “Why don’t you try going without it?” Could this be sheer brilliance? Could this be the answer to my counter space woes? So I emptied it, cleaned it and stashed it up high. Then, marveled –seriously marveled at the acres of open space I saw. I laid down a towel, started washing dishes, and then I dried them and put them away. Now my goal is to go to bed with no dishes in the sink or on the counter.
Between the dish drainer and the dust bunnies I feel liberated from a cluttered counter and motivated to tackle dirt and dust before it tackles me – just like my Gram does.
If you need something to help you get your butt into gear I highly recommend moving! It will reveal all those dusty critters or you might just want to clean under your bed. If you are feeling like your own black hole is sucking you in, whether it’s a dish drainer or a hall closet just make a change, put it away, clean it out, or purge. Do what you have been wanting to do and have been putting off. Then, just see if making a change in that area doesn’t act as a catalyst to other areas of homekeeping.(More on that later)
Or you could just go visit my Gram…
