Health & Fitness
Kitchen Clutter Culprits
Finally ready to tackle the kitchen? Read this for some thoughts on clearing clutter fast!
Of all the rooms in the house, the kitchen is frequently the one where we spend the most time AND have the least free space. In some cases, we exacerbate the problem by buying & storing single-use appliances: gadgets and gizmos which are fun, but serve only one specific purpose. If your kitchen is cramped, the best way to free up some space is to get rid of these specialized tools, and keep only the ones which you regularly use.
Admittedly, every person is different. What one person considers a seldom-used nuisance, another may consider a daily staple. The key here is to seriously consider passing along items which fall into the following categories:
- Tabletop appliances that replicate existing kitchen functions (e.g. an electric skillet)
- Broken items (“I’m going to fix it… someday”)
- Sentimental pieces (“I never use it, but it was my grandmother’s...”)
- Large tools (e.g. anything that takes up more than its “fair share” of space)
- Novelty items (“This looked so cool in the catalog...”)
- Gifts (“I never use it, but it was from my best friend…”)
So what kinds of items may fit these criteria? Here is a list. Again, I acknowledge that one person’s trash is another’s treasure, so if you regularly use any of the following then by all means keep it! Also, if you have a special gadget for a particular/annual purpose(e.g. turkey baster for Thanksgiving) consider moving it out of your easily accessible kitchen drawers/cabinets and into an out of the way space, like a closet. In addition, store holiday items nested together… so inside the turkey roasting pan you put the turkey baster, turkey lifting tongs, turkey dish towel, etc.
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For all the rest, do an honest assessment. If you are holding onto any of these and eitherhaven’t used it recently or have no realistic intention of using it in the future, its time to seriously consider letting it go.
Common Kitchen Clutter
Tabletop Appliances
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- Egg cooker
- Crepe/doughnut/muffin maker
- Tabletop rotisserie
- Electric deep fryer
- Pasta maker
- Meat grinder
- Ice tea machine
- Popcorn maker
- Ice cream maker
- Bread machine
- Electric can opener (useful for those with arthritis)
- Electric fondue set
- Electric wok
- Juicer
- George Forman grill
- Electric knife
- Slow cooker
- Rice cooker
- Pressure cooker
- Waffle Iron
- Electric Skillet
Novelty Appliances
- Sno-cone maker
- Hot dog maker
- Chocolate fountain
- Hand-held pie maker
- Pizza oven
- S’more maker/indoor marshmallow roaster
- Quesadilla maker
Drawer Cloggers:
- Pasta serving size measurer
- Onion chopper
- Guacamole chopper
- Garlic Press
- Pineapple corer
- Egg separator
- Herb chopper
- Crank egg beater
- Strawberry corer
- Plastic chopsticks
- Corn butterer/corn silk cleaner/corn cob grips
- Apple corer
- Candy thermometer
- Meat mallet
- Melon baller
- Recipe card holders
- Pastry brush
- Turkey baster
- Cookie cutters (keep some, but maybe not all)
- Cake decorating tips and tools
A kitchen functions best when it is stocked with the necessary equipment (sharp knives, cutting board, measuring spoons & cups, cooking utensils, cookware), the extra equipment YOU regularly use (differs by person), and some breathing room. If you fight to get your kitchen drawers open, its time to open them up and consider a purge.
What kitchen gadgets have you decided aren’t worth the real estate in your kitchen?
Submitted by Professional Organizer Seana Turner, Founder & President of The Seana Method.
