Minimize Your Kitchen!
This week on Instagram we are doing a Kitchen Challenge! I feel that a minimized and organized kitchen makes a daily impact on your life - for the better!
You have two options with minimizing your kitchen. You can do it all in one day, and it likely will take most of the day if you have never done this before. Or you can take it in bite-size pieces.
First, let’s look at the zones. Dividing your kitchen into zones is a really important first step. You don’t want to walk all the way to the other side of your kitchen when you are grabbing a spice that you need at your stovetop. I have divided my kitchen into zones and we are going to tackle each of these in my Instagram stories this week. So please join me HERE!
Here are the rules we are going to use for ALL of our zones. This is very similar to any place in your house that you are minimizing.
Take it ALL out. Yep, everything.
Check expiration dates if it’s a perishable item. Check for duplicates. There are very few things you need 2 of in the kitchen.
Do you use this regularly? Does another item do the same task? There are a lot of kitchen gadgets that do only one thing. I really like to have things that can do multiple tasks.
Would you miss this if it was gone? Sometimes we have purchased something in the kitchen, or have been given something that we use once and now no longer need. Imagine I am Elsa and singing for you. ;)
Zone 1 - Cooking and Baking
This includes pots, pans, cooking utensils, spices, and seasonings. When I went through my pots I realized I had a few I had NEVER used. And they were from a set I was given as a wedding gift. (At the time I had been married over 15 years!) Yes, they were excellent pots and pans, but they would do someone else so much good and the space in my cabinet would do me good. Imagine the biggest meal you will ever cook, what would you use? I have one favorite nonstick skillet and I might wash it a few times, but I only need one large one.
Do you bake a lot? I don’t bake that much, so I only need the basics in this department.
Zone 2 - Beverages
This includes cups, mugs, and your coffee or tea station. My coffee station is one of my favorite places in my kitchen. We love our coffee, so this is a decent sized space in my house. However, if you don’t drink coffee or hot tea, you might not need much in this zone. We have one type of cups and it keeps the cabinet looking very neat and tidy. Imagine the most cups you would need for a dinner party. That’s the maximum you need to keep.
Zone 3 - Dishes and Cutlery
I used to have 2 sets of dishes. One was this beautiful set of white square plates. But they were such a pain to fit in the dishwasher. I had another set I rarely used that was given to me by family. They are sentimental and beautiful. I decided to sell the white plates and I am so happy with my choice. I love my blue and white plates.
Take this time to check for nicks and broken plates. Go through your cutlery and minimize if you have too much.
Zone 4 - Entertaining
This includes all of your serving plates and bowls and all of your serving utensils. Do they match or coordinate? I like having pieces that will all mix and match and transition into holiday serving as well.
I had 2 sets of white serving bowls. How much food am I going to prepare? I can’t imagine a time that I need all of those. So while they were both in perfect condition, I let one set go.
I also had to take a hard look at my cake plates. Apparently, this is one of my weaknesses. I am down to only 3 cake plates and they double as one of the few decorations in my kitchen. And yes, when I have a party I use all 3 of them. :)
Zone 5 - Miscellaneous
Party supplies and all the random things. These fit it the odd places in our kitchen that might not be so easy to get to. Tupperware (or whatever the generic name is for this) falls into this category. Don’t let these odd and ends items get away from you. These things can grow and take over our kitchen, if we aren’t careful.
Having a home for each thing in your kitchen makes it so easy to keep your cabinets tidy and neat. You will find you have room for things to spread out and breathe. Putting things away is so easy. (My 13 year old unloads the dishwasher, so it’s super important that he knows where to put things.)
Don’t forget to visit my Favorite Things page HERE to see some of the things I use in my kitchen.
Let me know: Did you declutter and minimize your kitchen in one day or do it over a period of time? What was the hardest part for you?
I can’t wait for you to enjoy the margin this will bring to your life!