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I spent the first 25 years of my life in Texas, which you\u2019d think would make me pretty heat-tolerant, but I\u2019m actually air-conditioning-dependent. I hate feeling hot. So, of course, after fleeing the heat to move to Portland, Oregon, I discovered that my lovely little apartment did not come with central AC. I\u2019ve learned that when it\u2019s hot, the best strategy for surviving it (with my family harmony intact) is to reduce the amount of indoor domestic tasks.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
To stay cool \u2014 and sane! \u2014 here are six simple ways I avoid making a mess in the kitchen, so I don\u2019t have to clean it during a heat wave.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
I don\u2019t care if it\u2019s 100 degrees \u2014 my thermodynamic rage will make it feel hotter inside if I have to clean sticky Popsicle juice off the floor. So no matter what meal it is (or even if it\u2019s just a snack or a drink), you\u2019ll find my husband and kids eating outside on the porch or in the backyard. It gets them outside, and means we all spend less time rage-cleaning inside.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
It\u2019s time to pretend we\u2019re camping<\/a>, folks. Unless there is butter or oil on that plate, we\u2019re using it all day long. And when it\u2019s time to retire the oft-used hand-drying towel, give the counters a quick wipe-down with it. Not one<\/em> thing is single-use during a heat wave \u2014 we can even call it habit-stacking<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n More groceries means more shopping, unloading, reorganizing, and lots more cooking. I\u2019m basically buying ice cream, sandwich fixings, kombucha, and nothing else all summer. Trust me \u2014 there are plenty of ready-to-eat meals and groceries<\/a> (wherever you shop) to fit any palette.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Whether you\u2019re taking my advice and sticking to no-cook meals<\/a>, or indulging in some nice summer salads<\/a> or barely cook bowls<\/a>, if all the chopping happens first thing, I only have to clear the kitchen once, after breakfast<\/a>. It usually isn\u2019t too hot in the morning, and it keeps cleaning to a minimum.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Gazpacho<\/a> bowls may be rinsed in the bottom of the sink, or placed straight into the dishwasher, but I will not, I repeat, not<\/em> be scrubbing food splatters around the sink in this heat. That\u2019s what the dishwasher is for<\/a>, after all.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Immediately after breakfast, I direct the fan at myself and do 15 minutes of kitchen tidying. No more. Whatever I get to in those 15 relatively cool minutes is all that will get done. Work any longer and I\u2019ll be hot-mad, and nobody wants that.\u00a0<\/p>\n Honestly, the more I think about our heat wave coping strategies<\/a>, implementing them year-round is starting to look pretty attractive.<\/p>\n How do you minimize mess to avoid cleaning? Let us know in the comments!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n3. Buy a minimal amount of groceries.<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
4. Prep the day\u2019s meals first thing in the morning.\u00a0<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
6. I\u2019m allowed one 15-minute reset per day.\u00a0<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n