A decluttered kitchen can make meal prep so much more simple. With less clutter, you’ll have more space to work, an easier time cleaning up, and more space for storage. Even small kitchens become easier to work in when the excess clutter is taken away. Here are several different approaches you can use to minimize kitchen items and create a more peaceful, productive, and helpful space.
1) Minimize the clutter by ditching duplicates.
Get rid of duplicates in the kitchen. Begin with one drawer and take out everything inside. Then place items back in the drawer as you decide to keep them. You might be surprised to find out how many duplicate items there are hidden in the kitchen: spatulas, spoons, knives… Ask yourself how many you really need and get rid of the rest. When you’re decluttering, think about what you use on a daily basis and be honest about how many things are only ‘just in case’ items.
2) Keep multiple use items.
We simply don’t need as much as we think we do. Find things that can double for different uses. How many kitchen items do we really need? The generations before us made meals in smaller kitchens and without all the fancy appliances that we have today. Sometimes new things are just marketed as something we ‘need’ for the kitchen, even though this isn’t the case. For example, we started using our blender for many things and decided that we no longer needed a food processor or parsley chopper. How many things could you just use a knife for? Eliminate other unnecessary gadgets and you’ll be happy to have the extra room in your kitchen cupboards and drawers.
3) Choose uniform or minimalist design.
When it was time to get new dishes, I decided to get all white. I chose corelle plates, but then bought different mugs and bowls in the sizes we needed. Since everything was the same colour, the ‘extras’ still looked uniform. They’re fairly practical, durable, and light. I also liked the idea of having all one colour because if something breaks or I need to fill in gaps later, then the small differences won’t stand out as much. White is practical for everyday use, but also looks nice for fancy occasions. On special occasions you could find other ways to decorate (add a centrepiece or table cloth), rather than having fancy dishes. Think about what works best in your kitchen and choose a system that fits for you.
4) Use your best.
I would recommend the book “Lessons from Madame Chic” by Jennifer Scott. She takes a different approach and says to use your nicest things on a daily basis. Although I didn’t do this for my place settings, I did apply this idea to my tea set. I used to have a bunch of mis-matched mugs for tea and coffee. After discovering ‘Lessons from Madame Chic’ I decided to pare down to just my nicest tea set and teapot. I use these on a daily basis. The argument against this is that they might break. However, it’s nice to enjoy the things I like right now, rather than keeping them hidden at the back of a cupboard, or stored in a basement where they’re rarely used.
5) Implement the KonMari method.
If you do have a cupboard full of mis-matched mugs etc that you absolutely love, then I would recommend using Marie Kondo’s method for organizing. Take all the items out. Go through them one at a time and hold each one. Decide if that item gives you joy, and keep only your favourite things.
Have you tried any of these tips and had success? What are your steps for decluttering the kitchen? Like our Simple Adventure facebook page and join the facebook group Minimalism: Declutter Your Life to participate in the discussion!
