Posted by A kitchen is the center of a home, where you and your family share meals and experiences. Good health depends on having a clean and hygienic workspace to prepare food – so it’s essential to ensure that this important area remains tidy, organized, and in full working order.
A cluttered kitchen is unhygienic and limits your space to prepare meals. It can be difficult to find what you need, which can lead to wasted time and frustration. A cluttered kitchen can make it harder to keep things clean and create an environment conducive to pests and bacteria.
Living in the bustling city of Houston, your tiny apartment kitchen may quickly become cluttered and untidy. By decluttering, you can ensure that everything has its designated place, even if you have limited space, making it easy to find what you need quickly and allowing more space to prepare meals.
If you’re struggling with kitchen and pantry clutter in your Houston home, here are ten simple and easy ways to declutter and organize your kitchen:
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Move Out Unused Kitchen Items
Extra pots, pans, cutlery, and crockery items take up most of your kitchen and pantry space, leaving your kitchen cramped and cluttered. Start decluttering your kitchen by removing items you haven’t used in a while and not planning to use in the near future. Move these items out of your kitchen and store them separately. Even if you don’t have a separate storeroom, you can take advantage of self-storage units in Houston metropolitan area and its suburbs. Look up self storage Houston facilities, and you’ll find a variety of self-storage facilities, such as Big Tex Self Storage.
Renting a self-storage unit allows you to store your extra items in a secure place and helps you create more space in your home. You can choose a size that best fits your individual needs and move out extra items from your kitchen and pantry to make it more organized and clean.
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Clear Off Your Refrigerator
When your refrigerator is cluttered and disorganized, it’s hard to find things you need or keep track of items that are nearing their expiry date. On top of that, when items are stored in the fridge for a long time, they can grow harmful bacteria and fungi, which affects food hygiene.
Clearing off your refrigerator will help you see what you already have and plan your meals accordingly. This way, you can reduce food waste and cut down on your grocery expenses. Moreover, when food items are used while they’re still fresh, you can reduce the risk of bacterial growth. Decluttering your refrigerator helps you improve your kitchen and pantry’s organization and minimize the use of space.
To begin with, check the expiry dates of all packed and fresh items and clear out things that have gone past their date of use. Throw away rotten vegetables and fruits and use up items that are still fresh.
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Declutter One Shelf at a Time
Those shelves and drawers may look small, but they keep loads of kitchen inventory inside them. Taking out everything all at once will consume all the counter space and only lead to frustration. Start decluttering your kitchen by organizing one shelf at a time. This will help you divide the complete decluttering task and finish one task before starting the next one. Reserve some extra space to group items before placing them back on respective shelves.
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Get Rid of Duplicate Things
Many kitchens and pantries are loaded with duplicate items like chopping boards, pans, peelers, knives, spatulas, and more. Move duplicate items out of the kitchen and store them separately in drawers or a self-storage unit. Keep only one of every type of kitchen utensil or tool for your routine use.
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Group Like Items
Once you have cleaned all your shelves and drawers, it’s time to group like items and declutter a bit more before placing them back on shelves. Create sets of everything you want to keep in your kitchen and pantry. For example, keep all the cereals in one place, baking supplies together on one shelf, or snacks in a separate nook. Grouping entirely depends on your individual needs. The purpose is to make it easier to find these items and organize your kitchen and pantry. When placing grouped items on shelves, put items with the nearest expiry date at the front so you can use them first.
- Use Wall Space to Arrange Items in the Kitchen
Utilizing wall space to organize your kitchen items is a great idea to declutter your kitchen and free up more counter space. Invest in hanging aprons, adhesive hooks, wall shelves, and kitchen organizers. Separate items that can be hung or placed on wall shelves and free up space from shelves and counters to make your kitchen look spick and span and more organized.
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Get Rid of Plastics
Kitchens and pantries are usually overloaded with plastic boxes with no lids or matching boxes, creating loads of clutter. Toss boxes, lids that don’t match, and containers with scratches and cracks. Invest in glass or acrylic food containers that are both hygienic and easy to clean. Get rid of any used disposable plastic you’ve been holding on to for months. Do the same with plastic wraps and bags. When we eat foods stored in them, the chemicals migrate into our bodies because they’re loaded with chemical additives.
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Arrange Things Where You Use Them
Instead of storing your items in awkward or distant places, analyze your daily routines to place things near where you use them. For example, keep your coffee and mugs near the coffee maker, or spices next to your stove. Place glasses near the sink or refrigerator, cutlery and dishes close to the dishwasher. It will help you better organize your kitchen and reduce the amount of time you spend in the kitchen searching for items or moving around to locate the right thing.
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Prefer Simplistic Decoration Theme
With simple decluttering and a bit of decoration, you can make your kitchen picture-perfect without a major remodeling project. However, loading up your kitchen with excessive decorations, a variety of planters, and too many colors gives your kitchen a cluttered and messy look. Once you’re done arranging your shelves and organizing your kitchen and pantry items, it’s time to “declutter” your decorative items. Prefer a simplistic design and avoid using too many colors in the kitchen. Light colors on the walls will reflect light, bringing natural and artificial light into the kitchen. Choose decorative items that are both beautiful and practical. Install a piece of art that brightens your day and makes you smile.
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Clean Off the Counters
Those kitchens on Pinterest or in magazines all have one thing in common – clean counters with minimum items. Decluttering kitchen counters depends on individual preferences. While some people prefer almost nothing on the kitchen counters, others like to have small spice organizers, frequently-used appliances, and cutting boards placed on the counters. However, make sure your kitchen counters are free of extra items that belong on a shelf instead. Place dish detergents and scrubs under the sink. Use a wall-hanging paper towel holder and store appliances that are not frequently used.
Final Thoughts
In every home, the kitchen is the center of activity, and you spend the majority of your day in the kitchen preparing and eating meals, snacks, and beverages. Keeping your kitchen organized will provide you with more space for doing kitchen chores and ease the stress that comes with finding things when you need them. We hope that the list above will help you declutter and organize your kitchen and pantry in the best way possible.