Tips to Declutter Your Kitchen

My kitchen is the heart of my home.  I love sitting there with friends and family, sharing a great meal and relaxing.  I also love to cook, and I really love having everything in its place when I begin to prepare a meal.

I do my best to keep my kitchen organized, but it can be a big job. The room seems to be a magnet for book bags, mail, newspapers, coupons, recycling, school sports calendars, and the latest magazines that I'm reading. And that's just what you'll see on the surface; the inside of my cabinets and pantry can get pretty cluttered, too.  

About every six or seven months, I need to take a deeper look at what's in my kitchen and clear the clutter. After years of doing this, I offer the following suggestions for tackling your own piles of stuff in the kitchen:  

1. Clear the counters. Countertops are a good place to start because we get so used to looking at them, and things that are taking up a lot of space can become invisible. First, put away any countertop appliances that you don't use every single day. Next, get rid of your spice rack and store your spices in a cabinet, if you can. Stack your cookbooks somewhere else and clear off whatever is on top of the refrigerator. Keep up these habits and you'll love how spacious your kitchen looks. It will also be much easier to spread out and enjoy cooking.
     
2. Toss the Tupperware. The cabinet that stores my plastic containers seems to be hooked up to a cloning machine.  Between carry out containers and the ones that I pick up at the deli, there are always more plastic containers than I need taking up precious space in my cabinet. Try this: choose the containers that you really want to keep, match up the lids, and dump the rest right into the recycling bin. You might also check to see whether your local supermarket has a plastics recycling bin or program-the kind that transforms used yogurt containers into toothbrushes.
     
3. Purge the Papers. Gather up all the newspapers, magazines, junk mail, etc. and recycle them. In fact, it's a really good practice to recycle junk mail the same day it comes in, so it has no chance to pile up. Take out your takeout menus out and toss the ones you no longer use. If you can stand it, take all the notes, magnets and photos off your refrigerator door. If you can't bear to do that,at least look closely at what you can remove. You won't believe how great your kitchen will look and feel without a cluttered refrigerator!
    
4. Dig Deeper. Now take a peek at what you don't see every day. Open your drawers and cabinets, one at a time. Spread everything out on the counter and take a closer look.  How many spatulas do you really need? What about those knives that you never use? Has your coffee mug collection outgrown your available space? Now's the time to throw out chipped or cracked dishes, and clean out that junk drawer so you can easily find the things that you do use.

I have to say that I don't always look forward to removing the clutter from my kitchen, but once I'm about 15 minutes into the job and seeing some progress, I really do enjoy it. A little favorite music for inspiration can go a long way, too.

Just think how wonderful you're going to feel the next time you walk into your kitchen after the counters are cleared off, the cabinets are organized, there's plenty of room to cook, and everything you need is right at your fingertips.  It's the greatest.