When it comes to entertaining guests and socializing at home, most of us spend our time in the kitchen.  It’s the place where everyone seems to naturally congregate to.  There are various theories as to why, the biggest of which is the communal fellowship nature of gathering around a table where there’s food – it’s part of our mammalian instinct.  And it’s fun to be in close proximity to where the food is being prepared!

Unfortunately counters, cabinets, drawers and other spaces in kitchens sometimes wind up being a ‘catch-all’ for items like batteries, pipe cleaners, rubber bands and just about everything else you can come up with.  We all have our reasons, but rather than delving into that boring topic, let’s attack the 4 best ways to de-clutter:

Everything Has It’s Place

My mother used to always say this.  And she’d get irate when I didn’t put things back – which is probably why it is habit (for me) to always put things where they belong.  If you don’t have a set place for items they’ll slowly accumulate around your kitchen.  There are several ways to combat clutter in these areas – get a decorative basket to store bills and important mail, or designate a drawer with an inexpensive organizing tray from Target or The Container Store.  Be sure to have a weekly system to go through it so you don’t forget about important items and their due dates.


Law Of Attraction: Magnets

In addition to accumulating dust, spices and knife blocks can take up a lot of space.  One clever way to maximize space is to use magnets inside and under cabinets.  That way they’re there when you need them, and conveniently away when not in use.  There are inexpensive knife magnets available that are slim and work well inside cabinets.  And who wants their Ginsu collection out on display?

Hang It Up

We’ve all seen the uber-expensive pot racks at Crate & Barrel – and while attractive, they aren’t practical because they’re difficult to reach and accumulate dust.  Rather than hanging from the ceiling, leverage space inside of cabinets by using tension rods and hooks.  That way they’re out of sight.  This works well for coffee mugs inside cabinets, too.

For cleaning supplies under the sink, add a tension rod and hang the spray bottles from it.


Simplify Shelving

Even though we live in an earthquake-prone area, you shouldn’t brace for impact every time you open your cabinets.  Keep things from falling by placing regularly-used items on bottom shelves, and go through and throw out items you’re not regularly using.  Rule of thumb: If you haven’t used it in 3 months, throw it out.

Metal risers do a great job of creating shelves within shelves. It’s a great way to separate plates and bowls so you don’t have to pick up one to reach the other.

What are some of your de-cluttering ideas?

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