The
first step to organizing your kitchen is to declutter. Decluttering consists of
going through your possessions and getting rid of anything that is no longer
useful or wanted. It makes sense to declutter before organizing; otherwise, you
will waste your time trying to fit things into your kitchen you really don’t
need at the expense of things you want to use more often (see my previous post
about the salvaged tiramisu cups that nobody used).
Don't
you find that the less items you own, the better you take care of those few
items? This is because you take pride in them. I remember as a child, I would
have only 2 pairs of shoes at a time (one pair of regular everyday tennis shoes
and one pair of formal shoes for church and school assemblies). I took such
extremely good care of this one pair of white tennis shoes, that my friends
thought I always had new shoes! Similar in concept, I now have a few pans of
each type that I love using and I hand wash them so they stay as good as new.
In
her first book, The Life-Changing
Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, Marie Kondo says to take EVERYTHING out to get the full
shock of seeing all your stuff out at once. You will realize that you have too
much stuff and you shouldn’t feel bad getting rid of it. If just the THOUGHT of
ALL your kitchen stuff out frustrates and overwhelms you, here is my
suggestion: Take everything out of the drawers and cabinets IN
CATEGORIES.
Kitchen
item categories, in any order:
- Food:
refrigerator and freezer
- Food:
pantry staples, kids’ snacks
- Food:
spices
- Food
prep (foil, plastic wrap, freezer bags, sandwich bags)
- Cookware:
pots and pans, lids, baking sheets
- Cookbooks
- Plates,
bowls
- Glasses,
mugs
- Thermoses,
water bottles
- Eating
utensils
- Cooking
utensils
- Food
storage, Tupperware
- Kitchen
towels
- Small
appliances
- Baking
supplies
- Serveware
- Holiday
items (plates, trays, mugs)
- Kitchen
gadgets
- Other
stuff: vitamins, medical, junk drawer
Do
cookware one day, plates another day, small appliances, gadgets, utensils, etc.
(see my list of kitchen item categories above). As you come across a gadget in
the drawer with your utensils, put it aside where most of your gadgets are. If
you are working on a category with some of the items in storage (ex: baking,
holiday serve ware) go get them so you have everything in the house for that
category together.
To
effectively declutter, go through the items and keep several boxes and garbage
bags on hand for trash, donations and storage; plus, a pen and a notepad for
notes. You will want to store or display anything that has sentimental value to
you. Evaluate your items as follows:
1.
Throw out items that are damaged, broken or expired.
Trash
all the food that is expired or was opened months ago (expired cans of soup,
open mustard). See if you need to buy anything that you use or eat
regularly and add to your shopping list. For things like nutmeg and capers that
you may not use as frequently, add these items to a “pantry low list." I
keep a list of pantry items that I ran out of or am running low on and refer to
it when I prepare my shopping list. Buy these items gradually as they go on
sale.
Throw
out those cracked wooden spoons, scratched up non-stick baking sheets, broken
kitchen gadgets and BPA plastic containers. These things accumulate because we
keep them “just in case.” Seriously - Do yourself a favor and get rid of them!
Think of all the precious space in your kitchen that this garbage is
taking! Kitchen storage space should be thought of as a premium location where
you keep quality items; not crap. I am now able to use the stuff I like without
all the junk getting in the way.
If
you only have one baking pan left after this, make a note in your notepad to be
on the lookout for baking pan sales at home stores. This is also your
opportunity to upgrade and splurge for a nicer item. I got rid of my scratched-up
pans and found a set of higher quality pans on sale that are much easier to
clean!
Notepad: food shopping list,
pantry low items, upgrades/replacements wishlist
2.
Donate, sell or give away duplicates.
When
you see all your baking stuff out on the counter at once, you will start asking
yourself: “Why do I have 5 sets of measuring spoons?” You don’t need all of
them! Keep 1 or 2 and donate the others. Once you have a good pile of items to
donate, sell or give away, set it up immediately! Take advantage of your
momentum and schedule the pickup, plan the garage sale, or write up that
Facebook/Craigslist ad or call your friend RIGHT NOW! Give yourself a deadline
of 3 weeks to get rid of it before putting it out with the garbage; otherwise,
it will end up sitting in your garage or basement.
You
should also list the items you are going to donate so you have them ready for
tax time. It doesn't take long - I write down each item and quantity (ex:
5 mugs, 3 baking sheets, 1 mixing bowl) on a sheet of paper after I have them
all in a box or bag ready to donate. Sometimes I search the values that night
and other times I have left it for tax time. But it's quick to calculate
the values of the donated items using the pricing guide on Goodwill’s
website. Just save this sheet of paper with any receipt you get from the
charity.
Notepad: list of items to sell,
list of donation items to deduct
3.
Return items and assess your buying habits.
Put
aside anything purchased recently that you didn’t open yet or recently opened
but were not pleased with. At the end of all this, you can look at the item and
see if you still need or want it. The item might be a good replacement for
something you got rid of. But if you want to return it go right ahead; it can
be liberating. Just make a note to stop buying this type of kitchen item.
To
save money, I keep a list of kitchen items I need and refer to it monthly. So,
if I go to a home store or shop online, I am on the lookout for these items
going on sale. I try to keep to that list and avoid buying random items I
*think* I need. Doing this has helped me find items on sale that are better
quality because I am looking for them over time.
Notepad: list of items to return,
list of items to stop buying, upgrades/replacements wishlist
4.
Keep items that are in good condition and useful.
You
will now be left with items that you use every day and some occasion and
sentimental items. The action of going through this whole declutter process and
taking notes will help you keep items in your kitchen that you actually use and
want to take care of.
At
this point, you should also make a list of items you want to use more often and
any additions that will help you use them. This can be a listing of your
cookbooks to go through for recipes, fun appetizer plates you forgot about,
appliance attachments and gadgets you can incorporate into your everyday life,
or cookie cutters to add to your collection.
Notepad: list of kitchen items to
use, upgrades/replacements wishlist
After
all this is done, you can organize and create a ‘home” for your items. Keeping
them grouped together by category in drawers or cabinets will make it much
easier for you to use and keep track of these items. We will talk about
organizing your kitchen in the next post of this series.
How
did you do with going through this kitchen declutter process?
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