Keeping My Home Acceptably Clean: The Kitchen Sink

Last Monday I wrote about looking at your home with fresh eyes to clean. That afternoon, my husband came home, looked at the living room, and declared it was time to get the ball pit out of our living room. That’s right, we had a ball pit in our living room for about two months. I had just started to think it was time to move the thing, but he had so joyfully purchased it that I couldn’t bring myself to suggest moving it. The ball pit was becoming a fixture instead of fun, so we hardly even noticed it anymore. Now it’s out of the living room, and I love the living room without it.

I sorta took the week off last week, because it was a busy week! We got home Sunday afternoon from a weekend with the family, and I was excited to walk into a house that’s mostly clean! We haven’t finished unpacking or doing laundry yet, but the house is enjoyable.

One handy way to keep the house clean is to keep the kitchen sink clean. This is the FlyLady‘s first step to getting the home you want, and I’ve been working on it since last winter. I’m not much of a sink shiner, but I have been a sink cleaner. Here’s why it’s important to keep my sink clean:

• Having the goal of a clean sink ends up motivating me to empty the dishwasher, which would otherwise seem like an entirely different job.
• When my sink is full of dirty dishes, I don’t fill my Brita pitcher, so I drink less water.
• When my sink is full of dirty dishes, cooking seems like a pain, so I end up eating whatever is easiest–usually not a healthy plan.
• When the sink is nasty, I don’t like to put food in it. I don’t eat food that needs to be cleaned, which includes a lot of healthful foods.

Do you keep your sink clean? Why?