by Janet Schiesl

Basic Organization

Kitchens collect a lot of stuff! It’s so easy to add things to your kitchen cabinets or countertop until they don’t function as they should, which can cause you unnecessary stress. Deleting what you don’t need will free up space to breathe.

Here are 10 items your kitchen can do without:

Small gadgets that don’t work the way you hoped.

We have all bought one of those single-use items that we thought would solve a problem—maybe it was a pineapple corer or an emersion blender. It didn’t quite do the job you hoped, but you didn’t have the heart to toss or donate it. If it didn’t solve your problem, then it won’t solve the same problem later. Ask yourself, “Can I do this task with a different tool I already have in my kitchen?” IF SO, LET IT GO!

Silverware that stays in the drawer.

Maybe you have extra sets of silverware (just in case you invite another 12 people over) or maybe it’s those cute cheese spreaders for the charcuterie board you’ve been meaning to make again. Decide how much silverware you need on a daily basis, then add a few more pieces and you’ll probably be good to go.

Specialty bakeware that has been forgotten.

Have you ever bought a special pan to bake an unusual-shaped cake? But didn’t have a reason to use it again. Or maybe you used to bake cupcakes all the time of the kids, but they are grown now and you don’t need a dozen of those tempting sweet treats around. Ask yourself if you use each baking item often enough to take up space in your kitchen. Also look at items you have multiples of, like cookie sheets or pizza pans. I tell clients “Only keep the number of baking items that can fit in your oven at the same time”. You probably don’t need more than that.

Souvenir and unused coffee mugs.

Have you ever picked up a mug from one of your travels, but when you get home you didn’t use it? You probably placed it on the top shelf of a kitchen cabinet, because that’s where there was space. It’s not easy to get to, so you don’t use the mug. Do you remember the trip when you made the purchase? Often people think they need to keep a souvenir to retain those memories, but you don’t. You are remembering the vacation right now without the mug in your presence. So many unused mugs! To determine how many you need, use the Pareto Principle by gathering all your mugs somewhere outside the cabinet. Then use the mugs you like for the next two weeks. When you use a mug, it can go back into the cabinet. At the end of the 14 days, you’ll know which mugs you prefer. Use them and donate the rest.

Appliance accessories you’ve never used.

It may be a piece from your KitchenAid mixer or a bin that came with your refrigerator that you have no use for. I understand that when you first buy an appliance you may want to use these extra accessories, but if you’ve owned the appliance for some time (maybe 6 months or a year) and haven’t used it, consider letting them go. Storing an unused accessory in a closet or the back of a kitchen cabinet isn’t going to make you use it.

The collection of extra cooking utensils.

There’s been a great debate lately on whether black plastic cooking utensils are dangerous to your health (but then I saw an article saying otherwise). You’ll have to decide for yourself. I’m no expert. But I bet you have utensils that you like and use all the time. But hiding in a drawer somewhere are the other spatulas, slotted spoons, etc that you never use. Is it because they are made of a material you don’t like or are too big or too small for your needs? Maybe you like the look of wooden utensils but never reach for them when cooking. It is time to evaluate whether they need to take up space in your kitchen.

Serving Platters that never make it to the table.

I have to confess, I have too many platters. If you are like me, you desire to entertain more often than you do. Like me, do you store serving platters (and bowls) that have never (or seldom) made it to the table. They probably aren’t “quite right” for you and you have something else that services the same purpose that you use more often. If you haven’t used a serving dish in the last year, ask yourself if you really need it.

Food storage containers that aren’t working for you.

Whether you’ve lost the lid or the plastic has cracked, I bet you could find a few items in this category that you could declutter. People often unconsciously collect food containers. Have you seen the Pretty Good Box video? The same goes for your collection of take-out food containers. One of my container tips is to have only containers of the same size, so you can stack them inside each other when storing, to take up less space. On another note, I think the container lids should be stored separately from the containers. What do you think?

Anything chipped has got to go.

Now this is subjective. Maybe you have small children and chipped plates are the way you roll. That’s fine. I wouldn’t want you to spend money on new dishware unless your family can handle it. But if you have too many dishes or bowls an easy way to declutter them is to eliminate the chipped items. Now, if we are talking glassware – if it’s chipped it got go!

Items you have collected on the counter.

After reading about 9 categories of things to declutter from your kitchen cabinets and drawers I wanted the tenth item it be anything not needed on your kitchen counters. Your counter should be clear of clutter so the space can function correctly. But, I know that’s hard to do consistently. The kitchen counter is where everything lands – every day, all day. See if you can make it a practice to do a 5-minute sweep of your countertop right before you make dinner or at the end of the day. This routine will at least help keep the clutter at bay.

 

As you can see, I didn’t tell you to get rid of an entire category of anything. I would never do this. Instead, evaluate each category separately to determine what you don’t use and can do without. Making a little space in each area will make a big difference in the overall functionality of your kitchen.

What is one item you could do without in your kitchen? Let me know in the comments.

For more information, contact Janet Schiesl.