I also love the toaster oven. Hooray for Justin!

Thank you for this! Lving in NYC, I have debated for months whether I need a mini food processor and a blender since my kitchen, though larger than some in the city, is shared with another person and all their equipment. We have maybe 1.5 sq. ft of counter space.

Once, living in a studio apartment, I had to set up a folding table so I could roll out pie crusts.

Thanks for posting this! My kitchen isn't so much small as it is lacking in counter and storage space, so this is great information!

Non-toxic housecleaning is a new focus for me, and since I'm still working out a system I love reading what others are doing. So, here's my contribution, a tool not a product. I'm liking the Casabella Magnet Mop: just spritz a section of floor with water and mop. It dries very quickly, works better than any sponge mop, and the mop head goes in the laundry. The drawback is the cost of the mop (my technique: look for Bed, Bath & Beyond 20% off coupons in the mail or paper), but now my kitchen is clean(er).

http://www.casabella.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc??Store_code=C&Screen=PROD&Product_Code=80500_1&Category_code=3100

Wow, this book is PERFECT for me! I'm living in a studio now with a pygmy oven and about four feet of counter space. Factor in a dishwasher that leaves me with only three drawers (5 inches wide each) and a stand mixer that lives on the counter... well, I expect to read this book cover to cover. Thanks so much for the tip!

lack of counter space? I place a large large cutting board over the sink...presto, counter space. Where I do all my prep work. With twin sinks, it's perfect.

As to the cleaning - what's with all that amonia...nasty stuff! Lemon juice, baking soda and white vinegar handle just about all cleaning (not all together) and lemon juice in veg oil, makes a great furniture polish - for those of you who still polish!

I second the white vinegar. It's a great floor cleaner, and leaves the kitchen smelling fresh after it's dried.

Also, if you're using ammonia to clean glass or tabletops, you might as well be using 409 or Windex - that's what makes those products work. It's also kills ants.

hmmm.... will have to find this book -- i've been stressing out over my new, smaller kitchen. i've got the remodel in my head already but justin spring may have some ideas for me.

as for cleaning, white vinegar and baking soda can do just about any cleaning job in the kitchen with aplomb. with allergy sufferers in the house, i have to be careful not to bring any toxic stuff in!

Heidi--- this is so nifty! thank you for spreading the itty bitty love around. The smallest kitchen I lived with was a hallway the size of a blink in a studio the size of a stamp in a neighborhood that didn't exist in NYC.

But it was also where I cooked my first ever thanksgiving dinner, for @ 27 people. My girlfriend was speechless and happy to do all the dishes!

My trick was a rolling foldable metal cart which served as a prep table or a place to dry dishes.

And I love the all neatural remedies. they bring me back to communal living in oakland with underground Earth First!ers.

thanks so much! my mom & dad are living in a FEMA pop out in new orleans and hopefully soon so will my husband and i and our two teenaged daughters. they're so unbelieveably tiny that i didn't know how we would fit much less any kitchen equipment and these tips are a lifesaver! i plan to read the book cover to cover.
we've been stranded in florida since katrina just hoping for a tiny kitchen in new orleans to call home.

This is the best all-purpose cleaner I have ever used; Put 2 teaspoons of borax in a spray bottle with 2 cups of very hot water, 2 tablespoons castile soap and several drops of lavender essential oil. Shake to blend. It not only smells good, but is great for all cleaning jobs in both the kitchen and bathroom.
For cleaning floors, one gallon of hot water and 1/4 to 1/2 cup white vinegar. Safe, non-toxic and good for wood.
I had a housekeeping business in my younger days and customers were always amazed how clean I got things using natural, non-toxic products. Plus, I didn't have to inhale toxic fumes!
I also agree with the author re; baking soda for oven cleaning, but I spray vinegar over the soda and let sit for an hour, then clean.

I recently heard of a great way to clean mirrors and windows without ammonia: Put club soda in a spray bottle and wipe with a lint-free cloth (I use a microfibre cloth). It seriously works, with less effort and no streaks!

For cleaning windows/mirrors I've always sworn by washing the windows with your own choice of soap/detergent. Rinse with water that has a squirt of vinegar in.

Then dry off the surface using newspaper. It will end up completely streak free. The only thing to bear in mind is that newsprint can colour your fingers - so avoid touching light coloured paintwork.

I used to use vinegar to clean my shower doors, convinced that it was the best option. OK, so it took about two hours of serious scrubbing, but my triceps benefited anyway. Then my mother in law gave me the most horrible toxic soap-scum cleaner in the world. Spray and rinse and voila! I was totally flabbergasted that it could be so easy, the two-hours was no exaggeration, think of all the free time I suddenly have!! I'm sorry to say I am a convert to commercial cleaning products. Carcenigenic or not, its worth it, I don't have all day to scrub my oven with baking soda when that god-send-in-a-can will do it for me...

I do have a tiny kitchen full of gadgets collecting dust, by the way. Of course I don't need three pizza wheels or two olive dishes, but how can I choose??

I use dish soap for scrubing counter tops and the range top. Comercial soap scum removers like Tilex don't work for me. I get sick immeditally after using them probably defeating the perpose by vomiting all over. They also make me dizzy and light head hours after they've been used even with proper venalation. Even vinagar is too stong for me. I prefer to use soft scrub in the showers and on tile.

Heidi, thanks for the interesting post. I clicked on the gallery and, honestly, that kitchen is large by Japanese standards. Many apartments young people here live in are only one small room that barely fit much more than a futon and tv, meaning the kitchen is a small sink and one or two burners. Often there is not much of a counter to even chop on. One of my college friends could barely put a small chopping board on his "counter." It's really interesting to see what "itty bitty" means to people of different countries.

What a great book, and very timely. With urban living increasing, more and more people are living in small spaces. I've even noticed that many furniture companies are now marketing towards the "small space". And by American suburban home standards, I certainly have a smallish kitchen and could use some organizational tips!

My own personal small kitchen success was cooking a Seder dinner for 15 with my mother-in-law in a 35 square foot kitchen with about 2 feet of counter space. What a bonding experience that was, and it gave me more of an "I can do anything after that!" feeling than any Outward Bounds motivational wilderness trip.

I have always said that even the smallest kitchens can feed friends delicious meals. It's nice to know that others share my sentiments.

As far as cleaning agents go, I keep it simple. Here is a really bare bones method, it comes from the greywater frame of mind. If you have a mildly dirty pan, boil water in it, then use that water to clean your other dishes/countertop/etc. I'm an advocate boiling water, it really is the best way to clean if you don't have any other cleaning agents (or even if you do). It might require a pair of broken-in kitchen hands, but it gets the job done.

Great tips from everyone - my only contribution is that I like to use APPLE vinegar. It's much better smelling and is a wonderful de-greaser for a variety of things. As a side note, apple vinegar is what I put on my skin if I happen to forget sunscreen and get burned - it decreases any peeling of your skin and when used in conjunction with aloe can increase your skin's recovery time. AU NATURAL!

I echo something important in Elaine's post - whatever home made cleaner you use (boiling water, vinegar, etc), freshen up the smell by dropping in some essential oil. For light kitchen cleaning, I use a 50/50 water/white vinegar mix and put in 20 drops of my favorite essential oil (at the moment it's tea tree oil, which has it's own cleaning properties). Voila! Fresh *and* sassy.

Also, for those that are seriously interested in using non-toxic products in their homes, I highly recommend the book "Clean House, Clean Planet" by Karen Logan. She has scores of recipes for everything from drain cleaner (like what Justin suggests) to glass cleaner, to ant relocator. I can vouch for all that I've used, and she has an effectiveness scale that I think is very real.

I try and use no commercially available cleaning agents in our house (though my husband sneaks in a bottle of Clorox now and again). The fact that most won't even list ingredients is enough to keep me away.

Thanks for the tips, they're fantastic!!!

Even with a larger kitchen it can be difficult keeping counterspace free from all the clutter.

I picked up one of those turn-table office organizers from Staples and use it to organize all my mail and coupons and general clutter.

I have migraines that can be triggered by a lot of cleaning agents. I can't use all the scented cleaners on the market because lavender and flower scents trigger a migraine attack. I've taken to using white vinegar (as many have suggested above) and even use it mixed with hot water to clean the carpets (not kitchen related but may still be of use) especially to those with pets. The idea to use vinegar to clean my carpets came from a professional carpet cleaner I had to have come clean after my dog got into an entire canister on GNC weightgainer powder!

My best kitchen cleaning tool is a plastic store discount card, the one that I never use because they also gave me a tiny one I keep on my keychain. I use it to scrape up anything stuck to the counters or dishes and being plastic it's gentle on all surfaces. After scraping, I use a little warm water and vinegar and give it a little wipe. Voila!

Chinese uses the ash from the joss stick to polish copper, bronze and any tarnish item...Its cheap and great. Do believe its due to the alkali of the ash...

I live in Asia, where I have 3 major problems with cleaning products:
1- they smell totally weird
2- they seem to be ineffective, at least to my American expectations
3- I have no idea what most of them are supposed to do, because I can't read the bottles!

Thanks SO much for this post. I have a teeny tiny Thai kitchen, so I will have to get my hands on a copy of the book. Till then, at least I can trust vinegar to clean my floors. Oh, and hey, does anyone know if lime juice is as effective as lemon? And are there any good scouring agents besides baking soda (which, thanks to my illiteracy, I don't know if I can buy)?

helooooooo

hi, me again. thought i'd post a link here to maryjane butters' forum - the section on cleaning is particularly helpful.

http://www.maryjanesfarm.org/snitz/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=9

thanks so much for drawing our attention to this cool little book! i, too have a very small kitchen and love ideas for making my space more efficient. i am off to go purchase a book now....

I was so excited to find out about the book because I have a tiny kitchen myself but when I saw the photo the author's itty bitty kitchen, I was very surprised. You see, in my country, a kitchen of the same size would be a standard four-member family kitchen.
Small to us means a cupboard-sized kitchen with no dishwasher or oven or gas stove, just a sink, an electrical stove and very limited storage space. The ingredients are sliced, chopped, crushed on the eating table (luxury) or study desk (reality).

Can't believe someone mentioned Borax! I thought I was the last person on the planet who uses it. I don't even know what it is but I always add a dash or two for a little extra oomph - laundry too.

I heard you're never supposed to apply liquid directly to a mirror, but to a cloth (or whatever) to clean it because putting it directly on the mirror is what causes the spots/deterioration over time. Could it be? Or just an old wives tale?

To disinfect my kitchen counters (which are very small) I have two spray bottles- one filled with white vinegar and the other with hydrogen peroxide. I sray a few squirts of each on the counter, let it sit for a while for heavy duty disinfecting, then wipe it up. Works for all sorts of kitchen surfaces, and is scientifically proven to cut down on bacteria! http://www.mercola.com/2001/jul/21/vinegar.htm

P.S. Bon Ami is an excellent all-purpose stain cleaner- I use it to make all my pots super shiny.

It's interesting to see the relativity of Itty Bitty here. I'm on the side that finds the featured kitchen quite large, even luxurious. I've been living a few months in an apartment with no kitchen at all: we set up a small folding table (supposed to be for outside) with a 2-burner cooktop in the corner. I use the space in front of our dining table/desk/dressing table (same piece of furniture) for prep work.

My best discoveries: 1. it's nice to be able to chop right n front of your cooktop 2. I use a $10 folding breakfast-in-bed tray for my prep work: easy to clean, keeps the food and papers separate (see table) and raises the cutting surface to an easier height.

The toughest part is we have no kitchen sink, have to wash up in the bathroom sink (no bathtub either, shower only).

So I swear by my little toaster oven, and I'm very happy to have an electric steamer/rice cooker: it takes little space, can be easily moved around, and it frees up a burner on my cooktop.

Thus far, the only things I cannot really do with my tiny equipment are stir-fry/sear (not hot enough) or roast anything that won't fit in my toaster oven (6 slice).

I have a few small apps extra: blender, which get used every 10 days or so, coffee maker (every day), microwave, crockpot, and immersion blender that has a mini-chopper attachment. So far the only app I wish I had was an electric mixer (hand-held). I wouldn't surrender any of them: with only 2 burners, I use everything I have to cook.

Finally, we have a set of basket/drawers that stores onions, tins, etc., and a small chest of drawers for heavy pots and knives that also dubles as counter top. And ofcourse the pans and utensil hang on nails in the wall.

So it's horrendously ugly but I've managed to cook quite well, I'd say (pics and recipes on my site).

thnks for sharing this...
Though I like cooking, the kirthen looks like a hurricane swept over it after I finish my cooking.. But then, what do u expect of a bachelor's Kitchen

Heidi, I have just returned from a weekend spent exploring HWY 12 in southern Utah.
The underlying reason for taking the trip (actually a Christmas present I gave my boyfriend) was to enjoy a few meals at Hell's Backbone Grill in the tiny, tiny town of Boulder (remember, we're talking Utah here, not Colorado). Two Buddhist women own and operate this wonderful place. They have somehow, magically, brought their community of ranchers, Mormons, and environmental-wilderness lovers together. They recently published a cookbook called "With A Measure of Grace" - one of those books you read cover to cover, over and over. I hope you'll check it out, as well as their webpage (http://www.hellsbackbonegrill.com/) - if you are inspired to make a trip to UT, let me know!