Is everyone's kitchen as hectic as mine? (Photo)

[harlacem0507]

A little bit outing but I wanted to know if people can relate to this hectic kitchen of mine! It gets cleaned and tidied every day but most things I can't seem to store anywhere as have very little storage in my house, but honestly, does this kitchen seem 'normal' or very unorganized, messy, chaotic etc? Because I'm not sure if I'm being overly critical to myself for having a kitchen like this or I do in fact need to seriously organise it better! (The white blob is my son!) For context I have a husband and 3 children aged 13, 7 and 15 months and work part time.

Shelving is so useful.

I have a tiny kitchen with very few cabinets and hardly any counter space. I bought metal shelving and put a pair of neat little curtains around it to keep the untidy looking shelved items out of sight. The shelves hold tinned pantry items (tomatoes, fruit, beans, coconut milk, tuna etc), storage cubes I can pull out with plastic fridge containers and lids; pyrex casserole/ baking dishes, saucepans and lids, my blender, with a few plastic canisters of breakfast cereal, pasta, rice, teabags, and dried lentils visible on top and not hidden by the curtain, adding an air of mindful domestication .

You can decant breakfast cereal into a plastic container that will fit into your cupboards too.

Kitchens are meant to be functional, you say.

Do you think a kitchen is functional when it’s so messy your kids can’t even sit at the table and eat. When it’s trip hazard where you handle hot food. And clean clothes that smell of cooking.

Not functional.

It is also potentially dangerous. When things are so untidy then the risk of accidents increases. Dealing with hot stuff, sharp knives, breakages more likely to happen, Dirty surfaces contain germs, cleaning is difficult with so much clutter.

What an unfair and mean comment. It's neither disgusting nor dangerous. It's messy but clean. So what if someone came over unexpectedly? Are they going to faint with shock?! A friend or family member isn't going to care about Op's kitchen.

This makes me anxious just looking at it let alone living in it. Does it not stress you out? Try to do a little bit at a time.

It's not functional, it's hazardous, and to be honest if I went to a friend's home and their kitchen looked like this, I'd have serious concerns.

Could you buy a wee garden furniture cover and use it for the bike? That way it could sit outside but be protected and then the cover could be taken off when needed. Probably can get them cheap in B+M or on Amazon with the new gardening stuff coming in.

Totally agree.
While I am no neat freak there is a point when things become disfunctional.
How can you sit at the table for a family meal?
What if a child wants to do homework or drawing in the kitchen?

Very messy but maybe because you’re not putting things back where you got them from. I get the lack of storage problem but where on earth do you all eat? Where do the kids do homework? A bike in the kitchen (that’s potentially got dog shit on the wheels)? Er… no! Tidying before bed could probably help with the chaos but stuff like food pouches being chucked on a baking tray instead of being put in the bin shows a lack of organisation - but maybe understandable with three kids to take care of. My DM was a neat freak and the sight of her cleaning or washing up still makes me seethe, so maybe your way is better OP.

I have 3 adult bikes in my kitchen at the moment. I prefer the kids to
ho to school on a dry bike (that hasn’t been stolen overnight!).

If I went to a friend's house and it was like this i would guess they were tired drained maybe just behinde with things . Regardless I would help them tidy up without any negative words.

I am going to blow your mind now..... RIP THE TOP OFF THE CHEERIOS BOX and it'll fit in the cupboard! That's what I do. (Assuming it's too tall for the shelf). I put a bag clip on top of the bag.

You mentioned the airer cable being too short — extension lead? If you wanted to move it anywhere of course.

Otherwise it looks a lot tidier than my house lol OOPS

Mine is like that once or twice a day before it tidied up

I’m messy and chaotic and have quite low standards, but that’s a bit of a shit show.

I couldn't care less what my kitchen looked like. It's messy but clean.

What an unnecessarily unpleasant thing to say.

you can get a stand for the bike https://www.temu.com/ul/kuiper/un9.html?subj=goods-un&_bg_fs=1&_p_jump_id=894&_x_vst_scene=adg&goods_id=601099664680841&sku_id=17592772752180&adg_ctx=a-3e6a37cf~c-7100b593~f-25e0b59d&_x_ads_sub_channel=shopping&_p_rfs=1&_x_ns_prz_type=-1&_x_ns_sku_id=17592772752180&_x_ns_gid=601099664680841&mrk_rec=1&_x_ads_channel=google&_x_gmc_account=710731536&_x_login_type=Google&_x_ads_account=6950480996&_x_ads_set=21249072898&_x_ads_id=162287043312&_x_ads_creative_id=697987278693&_x_ns_source=g&_x_ns_gclid=CjwKCAiAzba9BhBhEiwA7glbasuGmm_WCY9Fexg0d7KtUz9IOWRE5KarzLb0sCTp5b2IOESgxJE8IBoCKjgQAvD_BwE&_x_ns_placement=&_x_ns_match_type=&_x_ns_ad_position=&_x_ns_product_id=710731536-17592772752180&_x_ns_target=&_x_ns_devicemodel=&_x_ns_wbraid=Cj8KCQiAqrG9BhCpARIuAKxlUcUOly1y2y9aJ041dFZx2NgW-UPXG-I3EqXjdnpBJjJBOx_2Apn6GHMsURoCly4&_x_ns_gbraid=0AAAAAo4mICHZ9sjbKaf7inYjjbFdPpCzf&_x_ns_targetid=pla-2354835944767&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAo4mICHZ9sjbKaf7inYjjbFdPpCzf&gclid=CjwKCAiAzba9BhBhEiwA7glbasuGmm_WCY9Fexg0d7KtUz9IOWRE5KarzLb0sCTp5b2IOESgxJE8IBoCKjgQAvD_BwE

I had to keep a bike in the house for a while and it was kept in the dinning room, we used the stand so it didn't mark the walls landlocked better.

Oh what a Beautiful cat 🐈

For starters why a bike in the kitchen? Have a no toys in the kitchen rule, it’s a safety hazard and finally tidy up as you go along!

My kitchen looks a bit like that when I come home from work when DP is WFH. The difference between us is that I am in the habit of clearing things away as I go along and he doesn’t.

It looks stressful when it’s all built up like that, but if you just put things away/throw things away as you go along, you don’t really notice it.

I actually don’t think it is anywhere near as bad as it looks, and I reckon it could be straightened out with a quick whizz round. Our kitchen might look like a bomb site when I get home, but it’s nice again in 10 minutes.

I’m also not sure that the issue is a lack of storage - most of it is stuff that needs to be thrown away or put in the fridge.

You are however at a tough time of life, with a baby, other children and work. Baby and little kid stuff takes up a lot of space.

So my top tip is to get everyone into the habit of not just putting things down…and be kind to yourself.

oh, and the kitchen itself is lovely.

It's not great, but mines the same.

I try my best, but mine is a similar standard to that.

someone earlier said 'don't put it down, put it away' and that is one mantra I try every so often alternating with 'do one thing to make the room better before you leave it' and everyone can join in with that (except perhaps the 15mth old) - might be washing up in the dishwasher / sink, packets back in fridge / shelf / bin, clean and dry laundry taken upstairs (or at least to the stairs)

Could the bike go on hooks on the wall - can look really arty! Especially if it could go on the hall wall and be out of your way?

But don't be hard on yourself, a chaotic but warm and welcoming home is way more important than pristine, sterile and unloving!

My kitchen is cleaned to perfection every evening. By the time I get home from work it looks like yours. It's relentless.

Thank you for posting this. I no longer feel alone and my kitchen is the same. I thought everyone else had an instagram kitchen.

I have 3 small kiddos and my kitchen never looks like this.. I’m sorry but i don’t think that’s a normal mess