Nothing will force you to clean and organize more than a rodent sighting. This past week the Mr. spotted a mouse in our kitchen, and I flipped out! First of all, this is not the first mouse visit (the last one I set free with the help of my Mom, this new guy might not be so lucky) after checking every crevice of the apartment I realized that there was a huge hole under the stairs in the main corridor of our building’s entrance. The hole has been patched and repaired, but the thought of another visitor still got me into major ocd mode. Having been forced to do some re-organizing has been quite therapeutic. Here is my progress so far.
I am not a fan of the paper towel holders that hang under cabinets, but my white pitcher is the perfect size to hide a paper towel roll. The colander/vase is helpful because as you can see there is only one drawer in the entire kitchen. Every time we wanted to use a pot or pan the cutting boards would slide over and fall down, so I added an extra shelf specifically for cutting boards which only takes up an extra 4 inches of space.
I cleaned every cabinet and re-organized glasses and plates. Even though I know mice are attracted to warmth and not my cereal, I definitely wanted to store open food in clear containers from now on. The container on the left was $16 from Target, but the three containers on the right combined were only $12 from Ikea! I definitely need to make a trip back out there.
I’ve accomplished my goal of getting the kitchen organized, and have the peace of mind knowing that our kitchen will not be taken over by mice next week while the Mr. and I are in Colorado! Next up on my list when we return- the refrigerator! I love the idea of these refrigerator organizers from the Container Store.
I love your RL dinnerware, its so pretty!
I love the idea of the paper towels in the pitcher! And those refrigerator storage containers are great.
I just did the same thing! Feels great. Great call on the pitcher/paper towels–very clever gal!
We just moved into a house that has a confirmed mouse problem and the other night the hubs killed a bug of the la cucaracha variety. Needless to say we had a complete pantry clean out. I love keeping stuff in plastic containers. But in a pinch Ziploc bags are a girl's best friend.
I know! I have all our flour, and sugar and baking stuff in ziplock bags.
Haha, I am also not a fan of paper towels anywhere in the kitchen, so I shove my rolls on top of the fridge. I'm short enough that I can't see it — out of sight, out of mind. I need to find a pitcher like yours, it appears. And what a coincidence, I just bought those same Ikea containers today. Everything looks so pretty and perfect in your place.
Camille
“Nothing will force you to clean and organize more than a rodent sighting.” Yes. It’s definitely one of the effective motivators in keeping your house clean. 😉 Also, if you have pets, it’s important to not let their food sit for a long time or overnight. Also, have you considered hiring pest control professionals? It could also be good to consider an effective long term solution from pests.
Lucile Lynch