Get ready for a big holiday with an organized and clean home.
Let’s start with the kitchen, the most used space in your home. Cooking in a well-functional kitchen saves you time, increases your energy level and reduces stress.
Before you start to declutter your kitchen, ask yourself two questions.
Do I use the item every day? Does it make my cooking easier or more enjoyable?
Two ways to declutter your kitchen:
1. Everything at once
The first method is decluttering your whole kitchen at once. This technique usually involves emptying all your cupboards and drawers. It’s a big job, but worth doing it.
2. A bit at a time
The second approach is to declutter your kitchen incrementally. You might plan to declutter one cupboard, drawer or shelf each day.
Here are some kitchen decluttering tips:
There is no right or wrong way to declutter your kitchen. The important thing is to start the project and finish whatever you started.
Once you decide how you will declutter your kitchen, here are a couple of tips to keep you motivated.
Kitchens seem to be full of “just in case I need it” items. It’s easy to hang on to things in case you might need them.
The best way to handle these kinds of items is to use what I like to call the “just-in-case box.” Anything you find yourself hanging onto “just in case” goes in the box. Pack up all those items, seal the box and put it out of sight.
Add a reminder to your calendar to revisit the box in three months. If you haven’t needed the items in your box, get rid of them.
Things that clutter your kitchen:
1. Food storage containers
Get rid of any without a lid or any extra lids without a bottom. After that, assess how many food storage containers you realistically need and use. Consider buying glass containers instead of plastic. They are much healthier and will last longer.
2. What’s under your sink?
Get rid of any cleaning products you don’t like or use. Plan to use up any partially used cleaning products before buying more. Toss any cleaning sponges, scrubbers or dishcloths that are old, dirty or falling apart. For a clean and healthy home, consider using Old Country Clean products.
3. Are small appliances being used?
The ultimate space controller of your kitchen counters is small appliances. It could be that heavy-duty mixer you used once, the breadmaker too complicated to use, and the pasta maker you never used. Since you use these appliances very seldom, store them elsewhere. Keep on your counters only the appliances you use daily or weekly.
I hope this gives you some inspiration to get into your kitchen and start decluttering and organizing.
If you have too much food, donate it to the local food bank. Also, if you have extra jackets, hats or mittens, donate them to people who will appreciate your generosity.
Life coach Ranka Burzan owns a professional organizing company based in the qathet region and has written several books on reducing clutter and becoming more organized. For information, go to solutionsorganizing.com.
