We have a lot of different items in our kitchen. It makes it difficult to find the things you want when you are cooking. You have to tumble through drawers and cupboard to find what you need.
fewer cluttering in the kitchen makes it a more stress free and efficient cooking. Cooking can be stressful especially when you have young children and the kitchen being unorganized makes it difficult to focus.
Here’s how I went about de-cluttering my kitchen to make it more accessible to find what I need.
Step 1
The first thing is identifying what does not belong in the kitchen. Throw out any old pots, pans or utensils. We often keep old kitchenware buried in the back or under the cupboard and drawer. Most of the time they never get used. If you find that you never using them, plan to throw them away. Do the same for any products you have stored in drawers.
Step 2
Check the dates for expired items. You will be surprised how many canned and unopened products you have are expired. Identify what’s past expiration date and throw it away. I like to use a white sticker and mark the date on it so it’s easier to read and acknowledge when it will expire.
Step 3
Get organizers for your items. There are ton’s of kitchen organizers available but I like simple and small organizers personally because it encourages less clutter. For boxed items such as cereals, pastas, rice and other boxed products I like to put them in sleek containers that fit in the cabinet or cupboard.
This will eliminate space taken up by big boxes which sometimes can’t fit in the cabinets. Keep all your dish soap, cleaners and sponges in an organizer for easier access.
Step 4
Some kitchens don’t have paper towel hanger. You can easily install one under the cabinet and are inexpensive. Having a paper towel on the counter takes up space. Install hooks for things like oven mittens and aprons. Downsize the dish rack. Having a smaller dish rack will encourage you to leave fewer dishes outside.
Step 5
Opt for a smaller garbage can. I find that the faster it fills up the quicker I can dispose of it instead of waiting for the trash to pile up. Make a habit of flatten all your empty boxes. This will leave you with more space.
Step 6
I like to label my cabinets and cupboard with a removable sticker. I find that this makes it easier to pack groceries. It forces me to place it in the right area. This also forces others to put items in their correct spot instead figuring out where it goes.
Step 7
Keep track of what you have already. This way you are not buying extra items unless it’s for an emergency. You can either use an app or just keep a book whichever works best for you. Periodically do checks of things you have and things you will need. Plan for when the old product will be empty or expired so you can replace it appropriately.
Step 8
Get into the habit of putting items back to where you find it. The labeling should make this easier. When you use an item and forget to place it where it belongs, it gets misplaced adds to cluttering. This little step is one of the most important thing in keeping anything tidy and organized. You will never have a problem finding something if it was not misplaced in the first place.
Step 9
Here’s my solution to those pesky grocery bags. By now your state probably have a law of not using plastic bags. We have the same problem with reusable bags. We have a whole bunch and no where to put them. I like to designate one empty cupboard for just bags. I use the bag in bag method. It’s quicker and saves space. Some people have all sorts of tricks to fold them or add bag holders but the bag in bag method is just simply hassle free.
Conclusion
Aim to keep your counter top free of any objects that’s not supposed to be there. This will give your kitchen a clean look. Now you will have more space to cook. Keeping your kitchen free of clutter can be difficult. Using these steps above has helped me tremendously in keeping things organized. I hope you find something here useful in your pursuit to minimalism.