Reply #17: Only by dint of conscious will am I not a messy cook....

[politicat]

The clutter got to be too much and I got tough on myself when DH and I moved into the little house.

My two saviors in the mess prevention department are my pantry, and flour-sacking cloths. The former is where everything goes, and as soon as I've measured, it goes back in the pantry. We have an island with the stove in it, and the pantry is opposite the side of the island that is the bar space. So things get mixed on the bar, put back in the pantry (because if I don't we don't have any place to eat!) and wiped up there.

The other thing - flour-sacking towels - go under everything. If we're making waffles, there's a towel under the iron to catch drips. If we're making salad, there's a towel under the cutting board to catch water and little flecks of stuff. The towels were really cheap (not that I remember the exact price, but I didn't feel bad about buying a gajillion of them) and they wash fine. I pick them up when I'm done with whatever, wipe down the cabinet with a damp one, and the dirty ones go in the laundry. While DH is doing the dishes, I catch the floor with a dustmop nightly, and steamer it once a week.

Given free reign and someone to pick up after me, the kitchen would be a health department violation.