“You don’t need more space, you need less stuff” ~Joshua Becker
Let’s talk about your kitchen today. I think the kitchen gets the least decluttered, even though there are most likely a lot of what if items – for the one time a year you bake a cake for your loved one. And that is exactly why it makes it quite a challenge to make your kitchen clutter-free. Your kitchen should reflect your lifestyle. The 8 questions in this blog post will result in a decluttered kitchen!
Hopefully, I will have this collection for a long part of my life
My story
I’m a designer and I love objects designed with love and intention. I like to purchase things from small companies, and genuine people. This way, I get to support their work and have an object with positive energy, accompanied by a memory.
When I moved into my first apartment abroad in China, I shipped over some glasses and cups that I love from home. I received some pots and pans from a friend who left the city, and I went to Ikea and bought two plates, two bowls, and one set of cutlery. This just covered the basics. I didn’t want to spend too much money yet, as I wanted to ‘buy’ some time to invest in the good stuff. And by good stuff, I mean ceramics from Japan.
Ceramics from Japan
So then, I traveled to Kyoto for several days to find ceramics that I love. It was such an amazing and fulfilling journey. I met the most wonderful people, and I was slowly putting together this collection of ceramics with love, meaning, and attention. Those items keep so many memories, and hopefully, I will have this collection for a long part of my life.
A few years ago, I would have purchased 8 ceramic bowls, 8 smaller bowls, 8 plates, and 8 smaller plates as a full collection. Just in case I had a big dinner party. Or for later, when I have a big family. Just in case. This time, I purchased a few bowls that could also be considered as plates. I found some sake cups that can be used for sauces or dips and big cups for matcha tea that double as bowls.
Nowadays, I couldn’t be happier when I open the cupboard and see my ceramics. Even doing the dishes, it brings me joy to hold those beautiful pieces with memories in my hand. As a result, I treat the pieces with so much love and care.
Only keep the items that you really love and need.
Intention for your kitchen
Now let’s get to your kitchen stuff. As always, I want to focus on the positive. Focus on the items you want to keep, not on the ones you want to get rid of. Only keep the items that you really love and need.
I want to create an awareness of what that means for you – this is your life, your kitchen, your rules. Think about how often you are in your kitchen and how much you enjoy being there. It’s important that we know how to let the kitchen work for you; to optimize its space, its functionality, and your time.
8 questions for a decluttered kitchen
Now, get the notebook out y’all! Ask yourself the 8 questions below to get closer to your decluttered kitchen:
- How much time do you spend in your kitchen each day?
- What is it you do most in your kitchen?
- If you were to make a list of all the items (equipment, plates, utensils, etc., but not food) in your kitchen, are you able to do that?
- What does it mean for you when you need an item? Is that related to a function?
- How often per year should a device be used in order to live permanently in the kitchen?
- How often per month should a tool (spatula, whisk, etc.) or category (pots & pans, wine glasses, etc.) be used in order to permanently live in the kitchen?
- Do you have friends, neighbors, or family where you can borrow an item from when you need it X amount per year (for baking, or holiday dinner)? And do you want that?
- Do you like to show some of your devices, or do you like it all to be hidden?
These are all questions that only you can answer; the outcome will create an intention, and it will make decluttering your kitchen so much easier.
Time for action!
Ideally, you finished doing the dishes and try to make sure there are no plates, bowls, or cups in the fridge with some leftovers. This is just to make sure that you have all the items out and you have an overview of all the things you have. Take out all your things in the kitchen and organize all the items per category as per below, and then declutter in the following order:
- Kitchen appliances (blender, food processor, etc.)
- Glasses, mugs, plates, and bowls
- Pots and pans, baking utilities and oven plates
- All sorts of cutlery, silverware, and ladles
- Food containers
- Tea towels, towels, foils, and zip lock bags
- Dried herbs
- All the food from cupboards (rice, flour, canned food, etc.)
- Cleaning products and laundry detergent
Now that all your cupboards and drawers are empty – it’s the perfect time to clean thoroughly! When you do this directly after emptying, there is time to properly air dry during sorting out your things.
Easy question(s) to ask
The question that gets you through decluttering your kitchen when you’re holding an item in your hand: Does this make me happy? and/or Do I need this item? When the answer is yes – you keep it. If it’s a no, or doubtful – chuck it. It’s that simple. Obviously, for cleaning products and laundry detergent, there are other questions more applicable. I will talk about that later in this post. And if none of these resonate, see if there are some other questions and techniques that you can use. Please read that here.
How often per year should a device or tool be used in order to live in the kitchen?
Kitchen appliances
In the category of kitchen appliances, you should be really honest in answering the question How often per year should a device or tool be used in order to live in the kitchen? This will inform you of what to do. When you’re not sure, you can also give it a maximum amount of time, let’s say 4 months, wherein it should be used. When you haven’t used the item in the past year, it’s safe to say this item needs a second life. Is there a friend, or a family member who could enjoy it? Can you give it as a present for their next birthday? Is it possible to sell it and make some money out of it? Please get rid of the stuff that only takes up space.
Glasses, mugs, plates, and bowls
Many people have a nice set of china or tableware, only for special occasions. And that special occasion is actually never there. Maybe once a year, for Christmas, for example. Why is the nice tableware degraded to being too nice to use daily? We need to get rid of this way of thinking. Yes, it’s possible that it breaks. But that’s also possible during the one time you will use it for Christmas. Life is too short; enjoy all the good stuff you have and give it all your love when using it.
Containers and plastic
You need to be really honest with yourself in answering the question if you use it. There is no way things stay in your drawer and your cupboard just in case. If you haven’t used it in the last 4 months, it’s time to say goodbye. Try to avoid holding on to all the plastic containers you get from take-out food, because the plastic can be toxic when you reheat it. I will devote another blog post on that later. Don’t forget to recycle your plastic!
A very good investment, for both your health and the environment, are containers made of glass. Nowadays even Ikea has a lot of options and sizes.
Dried herbs
Your herbs collection has most likely grown over the years. And that is fine. Generally, I don’t think there is any problem when this is a big collection. To extend its shelf life, store these in a cool, dark cupboard, away from direct heat and sunlight. Check the expiration date and you’re set.
About your stock in food
Take a look at the expiration dates (rice, flour, canned foods, etc) and let that be a reason to minimize. Also, be honest if you just bought an ingredient for one recipe and will never use it again. Can someone else in your environment use it? In addition, you could create a challenge and use these ingredients in the next two weeks to try out some new recipes!
I want to encourage you to create a base of stocked up food. What do you use most for cooking? The stock in our cupboards is several sorts of rice, quinoa, and flour, along with some canned and dried lentils and chickpeas, and we always have some coconut cream handy.
Cleaning products
When reviewing cleaning products, we cannot really implement the love question. You do, however, love the function of your cleaning products. Judge if it’s easy to use and if it’s helping you clean. Above all, you don’t need multiple brands for the same reason. Think about the brand/product that works best and stick to that. You can still finish your current products – but stop buying more.
In our storage, we have four cleaning products: one all-purpose cleaner for the kitchen & bathroom, a liquid for mopping the floors, a product for cleaning the mirrors and windows, and bleach.
Unwanted
And lastly, there are several things to do with the unwanted things. Please read that here. Think about your environment and the planet to get rid of things in a sustainable way!
Now it’s time to organize your kitchen in a way that works best for you!
Which item had the longest ‘what-if’ function in your kitchen?
Thank you for reading.
We’re in this together.
~
