WHAT A MESS!

This sentence alone invites ripples of anxiety to the depths of the soul. The dishes are piled high in the sink, the counter is covered in last night's spaghetti sauce, and you're pretty sure the trash is harboring a new strain of bacteria that's bound to initiate another bubonic plague.

It's gross, you don't want to have anyone over, hell, you don't even want to be at your house. You're ready to thrown in the towel, burn the house to the ground and start from scratch... before you allow panic to wreak havoc over your mind, take a few tips from a friend to prevent the mess from ever happening again. (Full disclosure, we're human and chances are, messes will happen again, and again... perhaps a little less frequently next time).

Music— the most crucial step of all 
In a future study that we're sure will either be conducted, or has already been conducted, music stimulates the brain and increases the production of serotonin resulting in optimism, creativity and an organic, all natural energy boost. Your food will taste better, your roommate will catch some of your optimism—and you'll be able to complete the following tips with a smile.

...we hope anyway, if not, sorry. You might be a lost cause.

Take out everything you need 
This should be self explanatory, but many don't take this initial step when they're about to prepare a grandiose feast (or even that Kraft Man 'n Cheese you picked up on sale for 89 cents).

When you get what you need, set it out in the order you'll need it. This way you won't be shuffling around the kitchen with a pan full of sizzling oil desperate to find the veggies you plan to fry, and you can start putting away the nonsense you don't need anymore while you cook. I had a roommate who was a pro and using what he needed, and immediately putting it back in the pantry, and discarding any packages he no longer needed. I was in awe, inspired and a little disappointed at my cluttered ways.

Don't worry guys—I got over my discouragement rather quickly, don't feel too bad for me.

Lay out the drying mat and get your scrub brush ready 
Our tips for keeping a clean kitchen mainly involve clean as you cook. Once you marinate your chicken— rinse out the bowl so you're not using and incredulous amount of force scrubbing sauce from the crevices of a pan.

Save yourself time, save yourself energy, save yourself from stress! Rinse it off, wash it down, let it dry and keep filling that dishwasher. It seems like a deplorable thought at first, but your after dinner self will thank your former for the help.

Line up the Tupperware 
That's right. If there's one solid not we've taken from roommates' experiences, it's to put your leftovers in a container right off the bat. Leave it lidless on the counter to cool, and if you like it enough, put a lid on it and throw those suckers in the fridge when they're cool enough.

Boom. Bam. Done. You have a few meals to get you and your roommie through the week without having to throw it out because full you was too lazy to put it away in the first place.

You ate, your satisfied... now what? 
If you followed our tips like we specifically asked you to, there shouldn't be too much left to clean. In fact, the final pans should be cool enough to wash (and take it from us with years of experience) don't leave them to 'soak' overnight. Come on, we know what you're really up to you lazy. You don't want to do them now, but tomorrow you is really not going to want to.

So, like a band aid, wash your final pans, the few dishes you ate with, and what you need to down. If you were really smart about cooking, you would have prepared some for your roommate so they could lend an extra hand with the clean up process.

Final tips to keep bugs away and your kitchen looking (and smelling) fresh 
After wiping down the surfaces you washed with, take two extra seconds to run the garbage disposal with just a bit of bleach (or some type of kitchen approved cleaner), to get rid of the last bits of nasty that want nothing more than to make your place smell like a waste land.

Sweep up the few crumbs on the ground and take a quick look at the trash to see if it needs a quick run out to the garbage.

It seems like a lot, doesn't int? 
Our tips and tricks may seem a bit daunting at first, but it will inevitably shave off a ton of time cleaning after you eat, and get you into an impressive habit of keeping a tidy space... and the kitchen has a way of getting dirty quick.

So give it a try, we have the up-most faith in you... and if you don't succeed. At least you tried, and damn you looked good trying.

Take care.

Love always.
-Roommates.com