You already know that we love creating storage solutions for kitchens so that you can keep everything in its place with time-saving ideas. But we also know that life can get the best of everyone and it’s normal for clutter to get in the way.
So, today we’re going full Marie Kondo to help you get your space organized with ideas of things you can get rid of to kick off 2023 saying “Hello, new year, bye-bye, old junk!”
Plastic food containers
Tupperware is one of the usual suspects when it comes to kitchen clutter: they’re hard to organize, some don’t fit in with others, some are missing lids, some lids are missing their containers… in short, if they weren’t so useful, we would have tossed them all long ago. Make the most of your New Year’s cleaning to throw away all damaged or mismatched plastic containers.
Glass jars
It’s practically automatic: you finish using the contents of a glass jar, you wash it, dry it, store it and... months later it's taking up space in your cupboards. Get rid of them as soon as possible, unless one of your New Year’s resolutions is to start making homemade preserves.
Unwanted cutlery and utensils
You’re not quite sure know how it happened, but the beautiful flatware you were so excited to buy when you renovated your kitchen has made friends: the little fork you didn’t use from the takeaway salad, the left-over plastic cutlery from the last birthday party, the ladle that a Christmas guest left behind... get rid of all the ones you’re not going to use and free up your drawers! This also applies to those repeat kitchen utensils that are taking up space.
Damaged frying pans
You know what we’re talking about: those pans you think about tossing every time you make an omelette but that you keep “just until I buy another one”. Our advice? Take the opposite approach and throw away your old pans so that you have no choice but to buy new ones.
Worn-out dish towels
Let’s face it, worn-out tea towels (those ones you have with holes or permanent stains) end up at the bottom of the drawer and you only use the two or three that are in good shape. It’s time to let the old ones go. Ditto aprons, mittens, tablecloths and cloth napkins.
Small appliances and gadgets you don’t use
How long has it been since you’ve used a homemade pasta maker, a yoghurt maker, a waffle maker? Not sure? Then we’d better not ask you about the popcorn maker and simply say: get rid of it all!
Plastic bags
Anyone who hasn’t had a drawer or a big bag full of super messy plastic bags in their kitchen, raise your hand. You’re one of a kind.
Go through all your plastic bags and throw away any that are torn or dirty. Fold up the rest and store them in an easy-to-reach place so that you’ll always have them on hand when you need them. And you should keep your cloth bags even more accessible to keep from accumulating plastic. The environment will thank you for it.
Tidy up the pantry
Of course, we have to include the pantry in our New Year’s cleaning. Take a quick look around and you’re sure to find open food (even duplicates, often pasta, rice or coffee), expired food and, if you’re unlucky, even hungry bugs.
Go through everything first and throw out anything that isn’t in great condition. To prevent open packages from creating clutter, we recommend storing the contents in containers with lids: the food will stay fresh, and everything will be visually cleaner.