Decluttering your kitchen
Getting rid of the junk in your trunk
So what?
ICYMI – our previous post outlines the benefits of decluttering. In summary, the benefits are having more money, time and energy.
Reduce spares
Many of us, including myself, seem to hoard things especially when it comes to things like cups, plates, utensils and mugs. We all have the plastic cup that are at least a decade old and the mug that we got for free at some giveaway. In reality, all we really need in the kitchen is what we use for daily meals and some extras when you break a glass or two as well as when we have guests over. Hosting a party is not a problem with reducing spares around your kitchen. There are recyclable, environmental friendly, disposable options for any party needs.
Create spaces
Think about what you do in your kitchen on a daily basis. Do you brew coffee or tea every morning? Make breakfast for your kids whilst packing lunch for yourself? Design your kitchen to make it work for you. Don’t work around it. Accentuate the areas that you use often with the things you frequently use and put away things that you don’t. Create intentional spaces with specific purpose that you do frequently so that things are easily reachable and decluttered by culling things that you don’t ever use. These spaces will make you more productive when you utilise the kitchen to do what you need to do. Kitchen isn’t a place to just sit and hang out. Do that in your lounge. Get in and get out is my motto for the kitchen.
Placements
As part of creating intentional spaces, think about where you are storing things that you use often. Positioning is key in organising and decluttering your kitchen. Arrange your food for you to be able to see what you have and put related things together. Position things that you use often at eye level and somewhere easily reachable. Fancy items that you only use on special occasions can be put away to make room for things that you use regularly (unless you want to display them for your viewing pleasure). Doing so will help you use those things and prevent you from accidentally buying them when you already have them in your pantry and cupboard.
My experience
When we moved into our new place two years ago, we did our best to arrange the kitchen to how we use it. As our preferences, diets and what we cook change, we’ve had to evolve and continually reorganise and declutter small appliances and kitchenware. It’s a never ending task, organising and decluttering our kitchen that is. But once we “let go”, it seems to be one of the first places to get cluttered, messy and inhabitable.
What now?
- Are you proud of your kitchen?
- Is it working for you or are you working for it?
- Take a moment to have a look at your countertop. Do you have anything that is collecting dust?