8 Things You’re Storing in the Kitchen That You Don't Need To
Prepare to get your cabinet space back – it’s time to declutter
Say goodbye to the drawer of shame and hello to a neatly organised pantry, shelves and cabinets. This quick ‘declutter list’ will help you to reclaim your kitchen.
2. Souvenir mugs
Whether it was an ill-advised holiday souvenir, or an ‘ironic’ secret santa present, the comedy mugs cluttering up the back of the cabinet have to go.
Keep your favourites, display them nicely, and send the rest with their comedy slogans off to the nearest charity shop.
You’ll probably get more pleasure out of a tiny collection of beautifully made mugs you use every day than you will a plethora of garish ones you feel you can’t throw away but have no intention of ever using.
Whether it was an ill-advised holiday souvenir, or an ‘ironic’ secret santa present, the comedy mugs cluttering up the back of the cabinet have to go.
Keep your favourites, display them nicely, and send the rest with their comedy slogans off to the nearest charity shop.
You’ll probably get more pleasure out of a tiny collection of beautifully made mugs you use every day than you will a plethora of garish ones you feel you can’t throw away but have no intention of ever using.
3. Old or ‘best’ crockery
Do you have cabinets jammed with mismatched plates and bowls, collected over several years and slowly gathering dust?
There are two options here. Either you admit you’re an inveterate collector and display that collection of floral china saucers or glazed earthenware mugs loud and proud where you can see, and enjoy, them every day.
Alternatively, you admit your collection has got a bit out of hand, have a good sort through, keep your favourite set of crockery and donate the remaining pieces to a charity shop, where someone else will get use and enjoyment from them every day.
On a side note, if you’re holding onto them just in case you need to throw a sit-down dinner party for 100 people at some point in your life, set your self free from that worry.
Reclaim the cabinet, enjoy the extra space it will afford you and, when you do need to throw that once-in-a-lifetime dinner party, just rent a set of plates for the evening.
Do you have cabinets jammed with mismatched plates and bowls, collected over several years and slowly gathering dust?
There are two options here. Either you admit you’re an inveterate collector and display that collection of floral china saucers or glazed earthenware mugs loud and proud where you can see, and enjoy, them every day.
Alternatively, you admit your collection has got a bit out of hand, have a good sort through, keep your favourite set of crockery and donate the remaining pieces to a charity shop, where someone else will get use and enjoyment from them every day.
On a side note, if you’re holding onto them just in case you need to throw a sit-down dinner party for 100 people at some point in your life, set your self free from that worry.
Reclaim the cabinet, enjoy the extra space it will afford you and, when you do need to throw that once-in-a-lifetime dinner party, just rent a set of plates for the evening.
4. Duplicate spices
It’s so easy to hesitate in the spice aisle at the supermarket and think, “Have I got any ginger/cinnamon/turmeric in the cabinet?” – only to get home and find, yes, you did have the aforementioned spice in your cabinet, in duplicate. And now you have it in triplicate.
Bringing all your spices to the front of a cabinet and doing a frequent audit can help with this and prevent you storing three times the number of tiny jars you need to, cutting down on waste as well as clutter.
Choices we make that lead to clutter
It’s so easy to hesitate in the spice aisle at the supermarket and think, “Have I got any ginger/cinnamon/turmeric in the cabinet?” – only to get home and find, yes, you did have the aforementioned spice in your cabinet, in duplicate. And now you have it in triplicate.
Bringing all your spices to the front of a cabinet and doing a frequent audit can help with this and prevent you storing three times the number of tiny jars you need to, cutting down on waste as well as clutter.
Choices we make that lead to clutter
5. Shabby tea towels
If you have a cabinet or shelf heaving with an array of tea towels that are past their prime, it’s time to do an audit. Neatly fold and store a set of your newest and freshest towels, and relegate the old and tatty ones to the scrapheap.
By that I mean turn them into scraps that can be used as floorcloths or rags for heavy-duty cleaning, to give them a new lease of life. A small box of these ‘rags’ under the sink is usually very useful.
If you have a cabinet or shelf heaving with an array of tea towels that are past their prime, it’s time to do an audit. Neatly fold and store a set of your newest and freshest towels, and relegate the old and tatty ones to the scrapheap.
By that I mean turn them into scraps that can be used as floorcloths or rags for heavy-duty cleaning, to give them a new lease of life. A small box of these ‘rags’ under the sink is usually very useful.
6. Multiple sets of cutlery
Perhaps you merged households and each brought a set of cutlery to the table, or maybe you have an ‘everyday’ set and a ‘best’ set that are both crammed into a now-overflowing cutlery drawer.
There are only so many knives and forks one family needs, even when you take into account extra guests, so if your cutlery drawer is fit to burst, do an audit, keep one full set, and donate the rest.
Perhaps you merged households and each brought a set of cutlery to the table, or maybe you have an ‘everyday’ set and a ‘best’ set that are both crammed into a now-overflowing cutlery drawer.
There are only so many knives and forks one family needs, even when you take into account extra guests, so if your cutlery drawer is fit to burst, do an audit, keep one full set, and donate the rest.
7. Out-of-date tinned food
Storing out-of-date food in the back of a cabinet is clearly a total waste of space, so have a good clear-out every few months and set aside any tins that are past their prime.
Empty out the contents, resolve not to do it again, then, if they’re nice tins like these, give them a second life as herb containers or succulent pots.
Any tins or jars of herbs or marinades that are still in date but you’ve never used can be cleared out, too. Gift them to a friend who might be able to do something with them, rather than hanging onto them yourself ‘just in case’.
Storing out-of-date food in the back of a cabinet is clearly a total waste of space, so have a good clear-out every few months and set aside any tins that are past their prime.
Empty out the contents, resolve not to do it again, then, if they’re nice tins like these, give them a second life as herb containers or succulent pots.
Any tins or jars of herbs or marinades that are still in date but you’ve never used can be cleared out, too. Gift them to a friend who might be able to do something with them, rather than hanging onto them yourself ‘just in case’.
8. Dozens of utensils
How many wooden spoons, ladles and drainers does one kitchen need? Probably one, maybe two of each item at most. What you don’t need is a drawer of shame bulging with a jumble of utensils that will probably spend 99 per cent of their life dusty and unused.
Clear out your extras and just keep a small, edited collection, and I bet you’ll claw back a lot of valuable drawer space.
TELL US
How have you made extra cabinet space in your kitchen? Share your tips in the Comments section.
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How many wooden spoons, ladles and drainers does one kitchen need? Probably one, maybe two of each item at most. What you don’t need is a drawer of shame bulging with a jumble of utensils that will probably spend 99 per cent of their life dusty and unused.
Clear out your extras and just keep a small, edited collection, and I bet you’ll claw back a lot of valuable drawer space.
TELL US
How have you made extra cabinet space in your kitchen? Share your tips in the Comments section.
MORE
Find kitchen renovators
How many times have you actually used that large, cabinet-hogging bread-maker?
If you use it every day and it’s changed your life, you get a gold star. If it’s languishing at the back of your cabinet like a quiet reproach, because you find it easier to pick up a loaf of sourdough at your local food shop, and life’s too short to buy your own yeast, then it needs to go.
Used electrical items are hard to donate to charity, as a lot of places won’t accept them, so rather than risk it ending up in landfill, gift it to a friend you know will use it instead.
They can make you the occasional loaf of homemade bread as a thank you, and you can revel in the expanse of shiny, uncluttered worktop you now have.